Using the same frame multiple times

[marcov]

I have had issues with reparenting frames (changing the parent to another form) under Delphi. Some components (like popupmenu) don't follow the hierarchy for their events.

[MarkMLl]

... For this reason, it is worth sticking to the default frame naming convention and having a panel on the form into which a frame can be dropped with client alignment.

It occurred to me overnight that, while using client alignment is pretty much unavoidable, it might be contributing to the problem: if the containing form is opened hence loads the frames, one of things it might try to save is the actual size and position of some of the components.

However, attempting to prove or disprove the above might have helped localise the problem. I'd got a "clean" collection of .lfms, i.e. no spurious inherited blocks. I opened the form that contains various frames, added a space to the corresponding .pas file, and closed the form.

On inspecting the form, it had gained inherited blocks for TCheckGroup, TRadioGroup, TCheckBox, TGroupBox and TStringGrid controls, but not for various page controls, buttons etc. The distinguishing feature of the CheckGroup and RadioGroup controls in particular is that they tend to have an ItemIndex and/or various checked states that are set to non-default values as part of the design process... however it is sizes rather than these which are being saved.

I think it's something to do with anchors: almost all of the inserted blocks look like this:

Code: [Select]

          inline FramePulse1: TFramePulse
            Height = 477
            Width = 691
            Align = alClient
            ClientHeight = 477
            ClientWidth = 691
            DesignLeft = 1320
            DesignTop = 166
            inherited CheckBoxPulseEnabled: TCheckBox
              AnchorSideRight.Control = FramePulse1                                             
              Left = 594                                                                         
            end                                                                                 
          end                                                                                   

Note the way that a component is anchored to a frame. and that frame has been aligned alClient.

MarkMLl