docking IDE

[Paolo]

Hello,

if docking IDE is active any time I click on the object inspector the form siwtch to textual mode, is this the intended working logic ?. (win64/Laz 4.8 fpc324RC1)

for example if  I add a button on the form and click on the object inspector to change its caption then the editor switch to textual mode, and I have to reclick on the textual "form" and press F12...this not happen if dock ide is disabled (win64/Laz 4.6 fpc324RC1). So any visual change  requires this loop...

[Martin_fr]

if docking IDE is active

Anchor docking, or docked-form-editor, or both?

As for the rest, no it doesn't sound like what it should be...
Though not sure...

If you have anchor dock and the OI is docked with the editor, but the form editor is not docked, then the editor comes to the front (like any window that you click on).  That kind of combination only works if you have screen space to place the form designer somewhere where it wont be hidden.

Otherwise what does "textual mode" mean? The source editor (that has tabs: Code, Form, Anchor) switches to "Code"? Or you do get a view of the LFM (the actual TForm as text)? Or something else?

[zeljko]

What do you mean switch to textual mode ? Screenshoot maybe ?

[Paolo]

here the two sequences

floating editor (undocked)

form in front of you (fig.1) ---> click on the obj-inspector (still form in fornt of you) (fig.2) --> editing the caption + enter (fig.3) ---> stop

docked editor

form in front of you (fig.1)--> click on obj-inspector (form dissapers (fig.2)) --> editing the caption (still as fig.2) --> click on the code (fig.3) --> F12 (Fig.4) --> .. end finally see the result

[Paolo]

the other files

[dsiders]

If you're using Anchor Docking WITHOUT the Docked Form Editor, shuffling the designer surface behind the Docked IDE is normal behavior.

[EDIT]
Do you have Tools > Options > Environment > Docking/Anchor Docking > Floating Windows on top enabled?
I just tried the undocked form editor with anchor docking and it does not matter. The floating designer surace is obscured by the docked source editor.

[kapibara]

Here, (win11) with Anchordocking, AnchordockingDesign and DockedFormEditor installed and settings as in the "Configure Lazarus IDE" (see pic) I can drop a button on the form, press F11 and view the Object Inspector while keeping the designer also in view.

Btw, in the other picture the component palette is removed, components are added from the component list docked with object inspector. I use project inspector, also docked with object inspector, to navigate large projects  All windows normally docked with compiler Messages are docked together with source editor instead. I find this setup very effective. no more assembler window popping up, easy access to searches, breakpoints and other stuff from the tabs to the right of source editor.

[Paolo]

If you're using Anchor Docking WITHOUT the Docked Form Editor, shuffling the designer surface behind the Docked IDE is normal behavior.

It is a bad behavior, making the IDE not usable. I don't understand...

[dsiders]

If you're using Anchor Docking WITHOUT the Docked Form Editor, shuffling the designer surface behind the Docked IDE is normal behavior.

It is a bad behavior, making the IDE not usable. I don't understand...

The form design is a separate window when it is not docked.... and subject to the exact same behavior as any other form. It's not a modal dialog.

[Martin_fr]

It is a bad behavior, making the IDE not usable. I don't understand...

You have 2 add ons.
1) anchordocking
2) docked form editor.

The "docked form editor" can be used on its own.

However anchordocking is meant to be used only in certain combinations:
- Usually with "docked form editor".
- Or If you don't dock the Object inspector, and you don't dock the "all components" window, and don't dock any other window needed for design.
- Or in exceptional cases when you have the screen space to put the designer somewhere were it wont be a problem.


Out of curiosity (not currently going to work on it), but how else would you solve it?
- Make the designer window "always on top"? Then you have trouble editing sources... And if you don't it is normal that other windows go on top
- Even if you made some extra rule "Click OI brings designer to front" => what if you want to copy a value from OI, so you can use it in source editor?

Even if you said "if OI is clicked and form already was in front then keep that" => what if the form partly covers the OI? If you click OI then OI must go to the front (that happens in an undocked IDE too, and if it did not it would be a problem).

But if you dock OI together with Source edit, then bringing OI to front will bring the source edit to front too. No way around that.

So really, if you don't want docked-form-edit, then undock the OI from the rest of the IDE.
And use the (undocked) "view components" instead of the palette on the main bar.

If you have an idea that would actually really work (in general, not just for your personal use case)... maybe someone volunteers to do it. Maybe not, I don't know.

[Paolo]

Ciao Martin,
I am trying to be more precise as I can

Env : Win64/Laz4.8/fpc324RC1
Installed packages
AnchorDokingDesgn 1.0
DockedFormEditor 0.0
(but I see there is also available: anchordocking 1.0, I have to install this one?)

I have considered 3 possibilities
1)   No docking at all. It is my current environment
2)   Docking All
3)   Docking Anchor but not Docking Form Editor

1)   All went fine: working on a form I can put any visual component on it and then selecting one by one I can change (eg caption) in sequence simply click on it -> go to Obj-Insp -> type enter, all this seeing the change in the form that remaining on top (See two picture).

2)   A part some issue in this configuration all went fine as per point above. But I don’t like it and in case of complex/large forms it is not so easy working on a reduced portion of the form, so I thought to next option (See picture).

3)   This should be the most effective for me, but playing with visual component is crazy, again move to Obj-inp -> the form disappear, typing in it (blindly, maybe I have selected the wrong component) -> then come back to the code editor and click on it -> finally F12. Try yourself this just for 4 buttons in sequence… (NB: the form hiding happen even clicking on other area of the IDE, and to resee the form I have to click two times in the code editor, one time is not enough then F12) (See two more picture in the subsequent replay).

I report another issue I see now for option-3. I have noticed that when I put a visual component on the form it flashes well visibly, it happens when you click on a component in the component palette (did you confirm this ?) .
What do you suggest to me to accomplish this task : docked elements (obj-inp, message, code..) to keep the desktop well ordered by leaving the form floating at its full size as per option-1 above (and not disappearing when working on it)?

[Paolo]

the other screen shots

[LeP]

There is no way to organize the layout in this way ? may be this can help, see image ...

[Paolo]

ok, you have split code editor and form editor, how do you implement this ?

[LeP]

ok, you have split code editor and form editor, how do you implement this ?

Not in Lazarus, I don't try ... I show you with Delphi as suggestion ...