multiple splitter controls

[dotnetchic]

In vs 2003 we were able to place a container (panel) on the bottom of a
form, attach a splitter to the bottom, and place another container
panel up top, set to fill. Then within the top panel, you could add
two more panels, one docked to the left, attach a splitter to the left,
then set the other panel to fill. This gives you one main top/bottom
window with user resize capability, plus the ability to resize within
the upper portion of the window.

In vs 2005, this no longer works. Or at least it doesn't work the way
it used to. I haven't tried using the split containers yet, but I
don't understand why this functionality would be removed.

Is there another way ?

TIA, Sharon

[Bruce Wood]

dotnetchic wrote:

In vs 2003 we were able to place a container (panel) on the bottom of a
form, attach a splitter to the bottom, and place another container
panel up top, set to fill. Then within the top panel, you could add
two more panels, one docked to the left, attach a splitter to the left,
then set the other panel to fill. This gives you one main top/bottom
window with user resize capability, plus the ability to resize within
the upper portion of the window.

In vs 2005, this no longer works. Or at least it doesn't work the way
it used to. I haven't tried using the split containers yet, but I
don't understand why this functionality would be removed.

Is there another way ?

I'm still on 2003, so I can't comment on whether the behaviour has
changed. Are you sure that you are getting the Z-order right? Try using
"Bring to Front" on various controls to see if it affects your
arrangement.

That said, you really should use SplitContainer. It's one of the things
I most want that I don't have in the 2003 version (that and generics).
I haven't heard that Splitter changed its behaviour, but compared to
SplitContainer, Splitter sucks. SplitContainer is much easier to work
with in the Designer.

[dotnetchic]

Right that. I just tried it and SplitContainer definitely is the way
to go...I just wish when you get used to doing things a certain way,
they wouldn't change the functionality.

Cheers!

Bruce Wood wrote:

That said, you really should use SplitContainer. It's one of the things
I most want that I don't have in the 2003 version (that and generics).
I haven't heard that Splitter changed its behaviour, but compared to
SplitContainer, Splitter sucks. SplitContainer is much easier to work
with in the Designer.

[Bruce Wood]

dotnetchic wrote:

Right that. I just tried it and SplitContainer definitely is the way
to go...I just wish when you get used to doing things a certain way,
they wouldn't change the functionality.

Hey... they make mistakes, too.

Now I wish they'd just fix the stupid TabControl.... :-)

[Chris Dunaway]

Bruce Wood wrote:

dotnetchic wrote:

Right that. I just tried it and SplitContainer definitely is the way
to go...I just wish when you get used to doing things a certain way,
they wouldn't change the functionality.

Hey... they make mistakes, too.

Now I wish they'd just fix the stupid TabControl.... :-)

Well, since the TabControl is probably a wrapper around the Windows
native control, it probably can't be done in just the runtime. But
they now have the TabStrip but I'm not sure if that will address
whatever problems you've had with the Tab control

[Bruce Wood]

Chris Dunaway wrote:

Bruce Wood wrote:

dotnetchic wrote:

Right that. I just tried it and SplitContainer definitely is the way
to go...I just wish when you get used to doing things a certain way,
they wouldn't change the functionality.

Hey... they make mistakes, too.

Now I wish they'd just fix the stupid TabControl.... :-)

Well, since the TabControl is probably a wrapper around the Windows
native control, it probably can't be done in just the runtime. But
they now have the TabStrip but I'm not sure if that will address
whatever problems you've had with the Tab control

Probably not. I'm referring to annoying things such as:

1. There's no way to make a TabPage "disappear" when it doesn't apply
and reappear when it's relevant again. You have to remove it from the
TabControl and then reinsert it, and you can only reinsert it at the
end. MS's solution is to Enable = false the TabPage, but that's too
lame even for me (and I'm generally very tolerance of MS's
suggestions).

2. There's no way to do anything with the presentation of the tab
portion of a TabPage. You can't change the background colour, you can't
change the font. Nothing. Well, actually, you can, if you don't mind
changing the background colour / font of the _entire_ tab page contents
at the same time. This is particularly annoying in conjunction with
ErrorProviders, which work fine on TabPages, but there's no easy way to
indicate that a tab page contains an error.

3. I do hope that they fixed the Designer bug in VS2005... the one that
scrambles your tab pages when you save your form. Then I can remove the
&*#@ code in my constructors that removes all TabPages from each
TabControl and reinserts them in the correct order.

There's more, but I can't recall just now....