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Bug 86607 - Ability to make context menu anchor selection check boxes standalone (not mutually exclusive) for Free Design layout
Summary: Ability to make context menu anchor selection check boxes standalone (not mut...
Status: NEW
Alias: None
Product: guibuilder
Classification: Unclassified
Component: Natural Layout (show other bugs)
Version: 5.x
Hardware: All All
: P3 blocker with 2 votes (vote)
Assignee: issues@guibuilder
URL:
Keywords:
Depends on:
Blocks:
 
Reported: 2006-10-05 17:20 UTC by _ wadechandler
Modified: 2008-04-29 15:04 UTC (History)
0 users

See Also:
Issue Type: ENHANCEMENT
Exception Reporter:

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Description _ wadechandler 2006-10-05 17:20:08 UTC 
Ability to make context menu anchor selection check boxes standalone.  Currently
when selecting a component, right clicking, and going to the "Anchor"
sub-context menu when using a Free Design layout the left and right and top and
bottom choices are mutually exclusive.  If they were not exclusive, and instead
could set either one then expanding UIs would be easier to create while still
not limiting design.  This might be better achieved by allowing modifier keys to
be used.  If SHIFT is down while clicking on an anchor then it is not mutually
exclusive, or maybe even add more options so instead of seeing:

Left
Right
Top
Bottom

we see

Left
Right
Left-Right
Top
Bottom
Top-Bottom

So instead of allowing only a design (JTextField example)
<---|________________________|
or
|________________________|----->

we could have a left and right expanding textarea

<---------|____________________|---------------->

Currently to do this we have to use the designer to layout the component edge,
then we have to go to properties and locate Layout and choose the Vertical
and/or Horizontal Resizable which isn't very intuitive, and is time consuming.
Comment 1 Tomas Pavek 2006-10-05 17:50:33 UTC 
> Currently to do this we have to use the designer to layout the component
> edge, then we have to go to properties and locate Layout and choose the
> Vertical and/or Horizontal Resizable which isn't very intuitive, and is
> time consuming.

No, there is Auto Resizing menu just below the Anchor menu. Moreover, there are 
buttons in the toolbar for the same thing (<->).

I think that in Anchor menu the left/right and top/bottom options should remain 
exclusive. I would not expect that changing (one) anchor would also change 
resizability. But we could perhaps add the additional option to anchor on both 
sides, so then we'd have 3 exclusive options for each dimension (we should also 
change the menu items to radio buttons).
Comment 2 _ wadechandler 2006-10-05 18:06:38 UTC 
Ah ok.  I haven't been using that feature too much.  I see now.  I think what
threw me off is it isn't so much about resizing as it anchors to relative
positions, but I see how it is a difficult concept to explain in both ways. 
Maybe instead of resize expand is a better word as expand deals with the fact
that there is an anchor in multiple relative places, and these are kept relative
as the UI expands so does the specific component.  Either way I don't suppose
either word is  more intuitive.  So, maybe it does make sense to deal with it as
anchors, and only deal with it as anchors.  Then we could actually do away with
the resize/auto-resize context menu, and I only say that because we are not
actually telling it to push the size out vertically or horizontally, but instead
we are actually telling it to anchor on both ends and to expand to keep those
anchors.  Yes I agree they should be radios.
Comment 3 _ wadechandler 2006-10-05 18:46:21 UTC 
I suppose I should add....along with the radios put a divider between the H and
V axis options to make it more visible.