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Author Topic: Bordericons amongst others  (Read 8184 times)

MikeFinch

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Bordericons amongst others
« on: September 01, 2016, 06:38:21 am »
I have returned after a few years' absence with more or less the same problems >>>

A) I almost completely have given up on comboboxes and have now used listboxes instead with success (comboboxes worked/works very well in Windows);

B) I notice that the Columns property in ListBox still doesn't work (as it does in Windows). Only one column appears even though I want and ask for five (5).

I have two problems to consider in this letter : Bordericons and Scrollcode.

The Scrollcode behaviour is relatively minor : the IDE gives the hint 'Parameter "ScrollCode" not used' in the procedure ScrollBar1Scroll() but when I remove it (ScrollCode : TScrollCode) the vertical scrollbar freezes. WHY IS THIS SO?? In practice I ignore the Hint.

Under Project/Project Options/Compiler Options/Config and Target, I get (under Target platform) 'Current LCL widgetset : "gtk2"'. In purple lettering I am prompted to select 'Select another LCL widgetset (macro LCLWidgetType)'. This takes me to 'Additions and Overrides' and three menu options >> a) Set "LCLWidgetType", b) Add (a dropdown list), c) Use system encoding.

This all seems perhaps[?] to be implying that I can do something to remove the unwanted bordericons. I have bordericons[ ] set but they appear anyway in the compiled program (as usual Windows does as I want it to).

Can I in fact do something to get BorderIcons to behave? Any help will be appreciated  :(.

Another point >> the captions at the top of the forms are followed by '<2>' for some reason. WHY?

Regards, Mike Finch


Thaddy

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Re: Bordericons amongst others
« Reply #1 on: September 01, 2016, 09:24:41 am »
First: You are mixing up TListBox with TListView. The latter has columns, the former has not - except for a glyph.
Second: What are your problems with the combobox?
Third: If you change the widget set, choose a widget set that is actually supported for the platform.
Fourth: If you do not want any border icons set the form type to Dialog.
Fifth: Do you have a current version of FPC (3.0.0 or higher) and Lazarus (1.6 or higher)?
Specialize a type, not a var.

Zoran

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Re: Bordericons amongst others
« Reply #2 on: September 01, 2016, 12:51:46 pm »
In Linux there are different window managers which take care of form decorations (like border icons). Some window managers just do not allow forms without border icons and I don't think that Lazarus can do anything to workaround this.

When you installed your Linux distro, you got some window manager installed as default. You can change the window manager, but the problem is that you cannot control which window manager is installed on your user's computer, so you can test your application and it will work as you want, but then on your user's desktop, the unwanted border icons might appear. I don' t think that you can do much about it.

Lazarus is trying to do its best to make the form behave as you want, it tells to window manager to remove icons, but some window managers just ignore this request, as they just do not allow applications to have any control on window borders.
« Last Edit: September 01, 2016, 12:54:14 pm by Zoran »

MikeFinch

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Re: Bordericons amongst others
« Reply #3 on: September 03, 2016, 03:07:31 pm »
Thankyou Zoran & Thaddy!

I forgot to mention that I use Mageia 5 as my favourite linux OS.

Re Thaddy's 5 points >>>
1st and 2nd : I posted posts round about 2009-2012 if you wish to inspect the combobox saga of the time. That's where I have (mainly) substituted ListBoxes. Yes, I know ListView is a different matter (columns).
3rd : I'm not sure what Mageia supports : I'm not knowledgeable on this topic..
4th : I will try changing the form type to Dialog. Does this mean no header and why am I currently getting '<2>' after the caption?
5th : I am using the latest Lazarus (FPC 3.0.0 & L 1.6.0).

Would Zoran have specific info on Mageia's window manager(s) and how I could possibly use one to advantage?
His overview doesn't seem promising.

Ta! Mike Finch  :-\

Zoran

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Re: Bordericons amongst others
« Reply #4 on: September 05, 2016, 10:35:02 am »
Would Zoran have specific info on Mageia's window manager(s) and how I could possibly use one to advantage?
His overview doesn't seem promising.

I don't know much about these things.

I just encountered the same problem some time in the past. Then I learned that, unlike Windows, Linux has separate layers which manage these things. You have windowing system (which is probably X Window System), then desktop environment (gnome, kde, xfce, ...), then there is window manager.

Another problem I encountered is that setting ShowInTaskbar property of the form to stNever can be ignored by desktop manager (so every form gets its own taskbar button, which I find annoying).

I have no idea about Mageia - first find out which is your desktop environment (gnome, kde, ...). Then try to find out how to manage window manager (search Mageia forum or ask there).
You will probably solve this quickly for you by changing window manager or just by changing your window manager's options. However, you still cannot be sure that the application will behave same for your users - if they have other window manager, they will have window icons.

Some Linux people will just say that it is what the user chose, so that is what he should get... But, come on, should all Linux users really be expected to know how to control this?
« Last Edit: September 05, 2016, 10:36:51 am by Zoran »

MikeFinch

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Re: Bordericons amongst others
« Reply #5 on: September 07, 2016, 08:34:44 am »
Zoran : I should get onto the Mageia forum re window managers as you suggest.

I mentioned '<2>' appearing in the captions. If a caption is created programatically then OK; the '<2>' appears when the caption is set in the Object Inspector. Presumably this is tied in with how my system is interacting with the window manager??

BTW, Mageia is KDE. Mageia 6 should be out very soon. I wonder if version 6 will solve the problems. Unlikely I guess.

I will have to swot up on ShowInTaskBar, something I have never considered.

Mike Finch  ::)

Zoran

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Re: Bordericons amongst others
« Reply #6 on: September 07, 2016, 09:16:59 am »
I mentioned '<2>' appearing in the captions. If a caption is created programatically then OK; the '<2>' appears when the caption is set in the Object Inspector. Presumably this is tied in with how my system is interacting with the window manager??

Probably this <2> on form caption is added by window manager when there is already open form with the same name - probably window manager does not allow two forms to have same name, even though they are in different application. And, when you run your application from the Lazarus IDE, there is already a design form opened in the IDE with the same name. Try to close Lazarus IDE and then run your application outside the IDE and see if <2> is still added.

MikeFinch

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Re: Bordericons amongst others
« Reply #7 on: September 17, 2016, 04:02:38 am »
Zoran & Thaddy : I thought I had replied to your last, Zoran. Apparently I haven't >> the <2> is still present in the standalone program, so it must be hardwired in! [I think I sent a note with attached jpgs - looks as if the website/editor rejected it].

I think I also mentioned that I do use ListBox in Windows and I get columns alright. I think I asked if anyone could furnish code for ListVIEW to create columns : I notice that the component has both scrollbars included.

I have been liaising with someone on the Mageia forum but his help has so far yielded nothing.

As mentioned in my note of 1 September (macro LCLWidgetType) I have tried different settings with no success.

Apart from my original setting the compiler stops and complains (I don't have something installed, etc). Do you have any ideas as to what I can try? It seems that window managing is a complex matter.

And then there is the scrollcode error message................

MikeFinch

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Re: Bordericons amongst others
« Reply #8 on: July 17, 2021, 02:40:19 am »
I decided to google search the ScrollBar problem : it is still there in the new 2.2.0RC1 version. - and found my old submission of 2016!

The very last line from 2016 is "And then there is the scrollcode error message................".

I don't think anyone directly answered this and, as stated above, the same old weird problem is still there!  :(

I just ignore the message (it's only a hint); but why does it occur at all?

Mike Finch

 

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