Layout of Controls is a Mess

Report bugs and possible workarounds for ANSI TD versions
UVS

Layout of Controls is a Mess

Post by UVS » 30 Oct 2012, 16:56

This problem has been in TD for a long time.. so it is possible this is "As Designed" or needs to be an Enhancement Request. It is also possible that this might be construed as multiple problems... To me it is a LAYOUT issue, but if needed I will make separate postings.

Trying to layout a screen full of controls is a pain in the [please insert your own regional cuss word].

Background Text added to a form is not the same height as Data Fields or Combo Boxes. Nor does it have the same top margin inside of the field. Background Text is up against the top of the space, while Data Fields and Combo Boxes have a top margin(??). So if you place a Background Text field beside a Data Field, using the grid to snap them in place, they will not be aligned correctly. If you highlight both and do a Align Edges TOP, the text inside of them are not on the same horizontal line. See image below at the Background Text "Snap To Grid"
LayoutMess_Runtime.gif
Combo Boxes and Data Fields when placed on to the Form Window and then moved with the mouse (with Grid Active) snap to different positions. Even though they are both SNAPPED to the grid, the combo box is .025 Form Units below the Data Field. See Image below:
LayoutMess_IDE.gif
To get Background Text, Data Fields and Combo Boxes to be correctly aligned, the developer has to hand tweak and move things around.

Pushbuttons SNAP into place a little higher than Combo Boxes, though they look aligned to Data Fields.

I have put a Test Program to show, incase one is asked for.

MartinD
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Jeff Luther

Re: Layout of Controls is a Mess

Post by Jeff Luther » 30 Oct 2012, 21:22

Trying to layout a screen full of controls is a pain in the [@#%#$^%$%^] -- as we 'say' in English.
Hand tweaking is not necessary. Select one/some/all the controls in Layout or Preview viewand click IDE menu Layout/Align to Grid.

I am not sure how you are adding a new control to a form's Contents section, I can think of 4:
1 - Use the Coding Assistant
2 - Use the Controls dlg. box
3 - Add a new line in the Contents section and type in the type: <name> by hand
4 - Copy/paste from somewhere else

How do you add items?

UVS

Re: Layout of Controls is a Mess

Post by UVS » 30 Oct 2012, 22:51

Jeff Luther wrote:
Trying to layout a screen full of controls is a pain in the [@#%#$^%$%^] -- as we 'say' in English.
Hand tweaking is not necessary. Select one/some/all the controls in Layout or Preview viewand click IDE menu Layout/Align to Grid.

I am not sure how you are adding a new control to a form's Contents section, I can think of 4:
1 - Use the Coding Assistant
2 - Use the Controls dlg. box
3 - Add a new line in the Contents section and type in the type: <name> by hand
4 - Copy/paste from somewhere else

How do you add items?
I did 1, 2 and 3 for this test, and get the same results. If you look at my test APT I posted, the top set of controls are all SNAPPED to the grid in the same place. But they do not align.

MartinD

Jeff Luther

Re: Layout of Controls is a Mess

Post by Jeff Luther » 30 Oct 2012, 23:19

I cannot imagine why Align to Grid does not work. Here's what I get:
JL_BeforeAfter_AlignToGrid.png
I'll attach my 'after' version. I took your original test (left half of image), select all the controls and clicked Align to Grid. Right half of image is the result.
If you look at my test APT I posted, the top set of controls are all SNAPPED to the grid in the same place. But they do not align.
Well, look at my image and right form. Those are changed (all controls on right side changed) using Tools/Align to Grid

That said, that right form image does not have each control exactly where I would want it. All TD did was reposition each to the nearest grid x/y coordinate. BTW, in Tools/Preferences, Presentation tab, I have grid at 2x2 and both Visible and Active checked. Theme = Default. What do you have?

And I wonder is there is a regional settings issue here? I'm on U.S. English as you know.
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