Re: Displaying multiple forms at the same time

[Thomas Dickey]

On Thu, Nov 26, 2015 at 08:50:22AM -0800, Elliot Li wrote:
> On Nov 25, 2015, at 5:29 PM, Thomas Dickey <address@hidden> wrote:
> > 
> > On Wed, Nov 25, 2015 at 12:38:15PM -0800, Elliot Li wrote:
> >> Hello!
> >> 
> >> I’m new to ncurses and am trying to develop a C/C++ program that should 
> >> look
> >> like HDCopy [1].  The content of the Messages box will be dynamically added
> >> and should be scrollable (no need to be editable).
> >> 
> >> I think each block should be programmed using a form and managed separately
> >> but please let me know if there’s an easier way to achieve that appearance.
> >> 
> >> I’m testing the dialog library because I like its style and widgets.  But 
> >> it
> >> seems not supporting showing multiple forms (or dialogs) at the same time 
> >> so
> >> I’m digging into the lower level and am trying to do it using dlg_*
> >> functions.
> >> 
> >> Do you guys think this is the right direction to go?  Or should I try CDK
> >> instead?  Or just use plain ncurses?
> > 
> > Both dialog and cdk have limited ability to use the tab-key for traversing
> > between widgets.  However - that is "limited", and it's easy to conceive
> > of user interfaces which require something more sophisticated (or 
> > specialized).
> > 
> > Likewise, the form- and menu-libraries in ncurses address a certain style.
> > So... if you really know what you want, and spend time on it, low-level
> > ncurses works well.  But if you want something quick which follows one of
> > the respective libraries' limitations, then the libraries are a good choice.
> 
> Thanks, Thomas. I should begin with something quick and dive into ncurses 
> probably later. Actually I don’t need traversal across widgets. One box will 
> have a menu that controls stuff in other boxes.
> 
> I’m comparing dialog and cdk now.  I feel like cdk is more developer friendly
> while dialog more focuses on providing single dialog functions.
> 
> Is there an easy hack to let cdk widgets draw their titles right on the upper
> box boundary to cover part of the boundary lines?  Right now it is shown one
> line bellow the box boundary, and I think that’s kinda wasting a line.

no - in both cases, the whole widget is laid out and drawn according to
built-in rules.  You could draw *outside* the widget, but drawing inside
means that something wouldn't be repainted as expected.

-- 
Thomas E. Dickey <address@hidden>
http://invisible-island.net
ftp://invisible-island.net

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