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In winsys2 builds: 1. Open the Options window. 2. Click the Help button 3. Re-click the Options window (user would be trying to follow the instructions in the Help window here). The Help window disappears behind the main frame. This is a REGRESSION. Yes, this behavior is to be expected from using a modeless dialog for Options. However, this behavior is worse than the behavior that existed when Options was a window. I do not believe the new behavior is acceptable from a user point of view.
It is up to Jano to solve this. Since there can't be floating window in the new winsys... the Option window is shown in a modeless dialog.
This is not a regression. In new window system the Options is made as a modeless dialog, that's requested by HIDE since the floating TopComponents are not supported (in the "MDI"). Thus it is up to Help window (which is something separate from winsys) that is should remain also over modeless dialog windows, if really needed.
OK, I understand that there's nothing the winsys engineers can do about this now since the implementation is according to the UI spec, so I'll leave it assigned to help system. However, this *is* a user regression and I feel that it is best to eventually solve the issue on the winsys level. Jano has indicated that the spec is not complete and that the help system part will be filled in later.
Yes, you are right, he had something about the Help system in mind. But I don't know any details yet. I'm reassigning this to Jano directly so he will decide what to do with.
Dumb question, but why not open the Options window in the editor area? The only case where I might want to see the editor and Options at the same time is if I'm configuring editor colors (in which case, a preview component would be better anyway).
Other dialogs this affects: CVS Connection Manager Code Completion Database Manager Internationalization Wizard Internationalization Test Wizard Update Center Wizard dialog that is affected if the user presses F1 (there is no Help button) Run CVS Command dialogs not yet affected (as of the 030918 build) but that would be if those dialogs were made modeless (and some of them seem like candidates for being switched to modeless): New Wizard Mount Filesystem wizard Mount Version Control Find in Files Project Manager Set Arguments JSP Tag Library Repository Go to Class Javadoc Manager Import Management Tool Add to Component Palette
Oops, this is not a UI regression either. The same thing happens in 3.5 builds with where Options, etc. are windows. I still think it's a bug, but dropping to P3. Mea culpa.
Could we open Help page in non-modal dialog if any other non-modal dialog is already open (and presumabely the help page has been invoked from this dialog)? We are doing this for modal dialgos, so why not to do it for non-modal dialogs. I think this would prevent from hiding the help page behind the main window if user clicks into the non-modal dialog (Options). Reassign back please, if you find any issues why this would not work.
I'm currently evaluating a fix for the entire window modality problem from the JDK team. It works - the help window is no longer affected by modal dialogs - but causes a deadlock or two - if you open the Print dialog from the help window while a modal dialog is open, both windows get blocked and you have to kill NetBeans. Hopefully we can get that solved, with the JDK team's help, if not for 3.6, for promo D to completely solve all the dancing help window issues, at least for JDK 1.5.
Reassigning to Marek, new owner of output window and help system
Exclude modality fix in JDK does not solve this behavior. 1.Actually when exclude modality is supported Help window is displayed in frame ie. no possibility to set z-order regarding to main window. 2.When exlcude modality is NOT supported it depends if modal dialog is already opened or not. I would recommend to fix case 1 as case 2 is complicated and become obsolete as exclude modality fix will be available. Solution is to try to show Help in non-modal dialog with main window as parent. It will ensure that Help window cannot hide behind main window. Look where method isModalExcludedSupported is used JavaHelp.java.
As I went through old issues I found that there is #24995 P2 DEFECT Help window is non modal dialog. It is exactly opposite requirement. There is also #20262 P4 ENHANCEMENT to be able to keep Help window on top. In the end there was consensus that it should be OS Window Manager responsibility to allow some window to stay on top (user can set it for any window). Eg. Gnome 2.6 allows to set On Top fro window. One reason why Help window is not shown in nonmodal dialog is that nonmodal dialog cannot be minimized. Closing this issue as DUPLICATE of #20262. *** This issue has been marked as a duplicate of 20262 ***
verified in NB4.1(200501241900)