Form Design layout, can it re-open as was saved?

[BDennis]

I want to arrange so that when I reopen a saved form layout, it opens in the design mode with the same dimensions as it was saved in the design mode.
Now, when I reopen a saved form in the design mode, it opens in what is maybe the "standard" size (approx 50% screen size); even if I changed it�s size to fill the screen before saving. As the other changes are saved after the design mode, why are not the dimensions?
As a newcomer to this, I prefer to make few changes each time; and try them out, before moving on. Renewing size back to the previous change is annoying.
Any help will be appreciated.

Brian.

[Bill Warner]

RE: Form Design layout, can it re-open as was save

If you maximize the Control Panel, and then open a form in either design or view mode, the form will also be maximized. Is this what you want?

[BDennis]

RE: Form Design layout, can it re-open as was save

Bill,
Thanks for the advice. Yes, that will will do what I want at this time. I can foresee that I will want forms, of various sizes which I have adjusted and saved, to be changed; and it would be easier if they were to be displayed at the size they were saved at; which doesn�t happen now.
I guess my real question is why the form dimensions are not saved and used when the form is re-displayed in the design mode. Other changes are; colors, boxes, buttons, etc; why not dimensions? Am I missing a method of doing so.

Brian.

[Peter.Greulich]

RE: Form Design layout, can it re-open as was save

Edit the form, select Properties/Window and select Size: "Use form width", ditto for height. Also you could push the "Current size & position" button.

[BDennis]

RE: Form Design layout, can it re-open as was save

Peter,
Thanks for the response.
Have tried that, it sorts out how the form is sized and displayed in the view mode. But when I reopen the form in the design mode, it always comes back as the half-size (approx), which I then have to modify back to where it was as I previously saved it.
On what might be a similar topic, I want to have the displayed forms in the view mode full size, and so that they cannot be altered in size or position by our staff; preferably covering the tool bars at the top. I suppose I should have a password button to allow future editing. I thought I saw something previously on this board about that, but I can�t find it now.
Any hjelp will be appreciated.

Brian.

[Tom Cone Jr]

RE: Form Design layout, can it re-open as was save

Brian,

Part of what you are seeing is due to the way Windows is designed to work. Unless specifically told to do it differently Windows tends to open a new window using the same dimensions displayed by the previous form.

I recommend during development that you simply maximize the window displaying the Alpha Five control panel.

-- tom

[BDennis]

RE: Form Design layout, can it re-open as was save

Tom,
Thanks for the response.
Yes, it sounds ok to do that, and certainly simple. Do you know a way to ensure all forms are the same size and position, (have tried sizing them in properties, but doesn�t seem to work exactly), and also to avoid them being "dragged" by our users.

Brian

[Peter.Greulich]

RE: Form Design layout, can it re-open as was save

Have tried that, it sorts out how the form is sized and displayed in the view mode. But when I reopen the form in the design mode, it always comes back as the half-size (approx), which I then have to modify back to where it was as I previously saved it.

Brian,
That doesn't make sense. Are you sure that you saved the form after editing the window's properties? I can't imagine that it would not work - unless you are not hitting the save icon before going back to view mode.
Peter

PS. For some reason you always have to close the form, and then view it before the size change "takes place".

[Tom Cone Jr]

RE: Form Design layout, can it re-open as was save

You can design a template form, and then 'copy' and 'paste' it when you need to create another with the same dimensions.

Personally, I run the app with all forms maximized all the time, with occasional exceptions for dialog forms.

The system menu can be disabled in code, to prevent the user from minimizing or 'restoring' a form... in fact, these may be properties you can set on the form itself, now that I think about it.

-- tom

[BDennis]

RE: Form Design layout, can it re-open as was save

Tom,
Thanks for the response, and the idea. If maximising form design layouts sorts my problem, and it seems to, then great.
On the subject of position stability, pls see my reply to the response of Peter Greulich below.
Thanks
Brian

[BDennis]

RE: Form Design layout, can it re-open as was save

Peter,

Thanks for the help.
I�ve tried closing from the design mode using save, opening in view, close again, open again in view, close again, then open in design mode, with the same result.
I agree my question doesn�t make sense, yes I did save the form. It has always been the same since I had A5, I just made the question as I thought somebody would know a simple click-on button I missed saying "save dimension and position"!
I expect to use the suggestion above from Tome Cone Jnr, to resolve the problem, but when I was messing around with this I did notice something else; which may be make even less sense to you.
I started a new form, called test1. I put a button on it called test button 1. I maximised the form. I saved the form by closing frm the top RH close button, and save. I reopened it in view mode, it was maximised still. I closed it, reopened it in design mode, it was still maximised. So that works ok.

However if :-
I open the form in design mode, make the size "normal" ie. approx half screen size bu pushing the top RH page middle button (between the close and minimise buttons).
I then move the button on the form slightly, so the form has been changed.
I then close the form, and save it.
I then open the form in design mode, the form has slightly moved. Repeat the proceedure; move the button, close the form, save.
Do the same again. Each time when reopened in design mode the form moves, it goes frm top left of the screen to bottom right of the screen in approx eight opening, altering, save, and closings.
This doesn�t happen when it is maximised, maybe because it has nowhere to go to. But it makes designing a smaller forma bit puzzling.
I tried open in design mode, change, close, save; open in view mode, close, open in design, etc. same result.

It�s no big problem, but it�s made form designing strange sometimes.

Brian.

[csda1]

RE: Form Design layout, can it re-open as was save

Brian,

It is potentially possible (although I have not tried this) to do what you want. If you created a custom design time toolbar/menus, you could have it save the dimensions and postion of the form at save time (to global variables, a reference table, etc). Then when you entered design mode (again through a custom toolbar/menu), you could retore the window size and positions.

It is possible to go into design mode under XBasic, but I don't have the code immediately available.


Regards,

Ira J. Perlow
Computer Systems Design & Associates
[email protected]

[BDennis]

RE: Form Design layout, can it re-open as was save

Ira,
Thanks for the help.
As I said before, it really is no big deal. I was just wondering why I could not save the position and dimensions of forms and then have them open in the design mode in the saved situation. That happens with the other form design changes, why not size and position? I guess I should be asking if anybody knows any other things that are not saved in the same way, so that I can avoid asking the same stupid questions in the future.
Thanks again for the response,
Brian.