modeless dialog in the client area of MDI-application

[Franken]

Hi everybody, I try to create a modeless dialog in the client area of a MDI application. It should display some data form the app class (not the document). When I create the dialog:

pmyDlg = new CmyDialog;
pmyDlg->Create(IDD_DIALOG_mydlg)
pmyDlg->ShowWindow(SW_SHOW)

it always appear on top of the application, not in the client area of the child frame. I tried things like pmyDlg->Create(IDD_DIALOG_mydlg, theApp.m_pMainWnd) to set a parent for this dialog but it was alway dragable over the whole desktop and was not restricted to the client area. Can someone send me a hint? Many thanks. Cheers, Frank.

[toxcct]

did you have a look at this[^] ?

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[VisualCalc][Binary Guide][CommDialogs] | [Forums Guidelines]

[Franken]

yes, but it doesn't help me because Nishant Sivakumar suggest to use the desktop window as a parent for the modeless dialog. When I do this, the modeless dialog is even more independent of my application. What I want is a modeless dialog, which behaves like a MDIView but without the overhead of the document. It should be moveable only inside the client area of the application and not on the whole desktop.

[Arman S]

Subclass your childview[of MDI] and create a child[WS_CHILD] dialog on it.

-- ====== Arman

[Maximilien]

Franken wrote:

What I want is a modeless dialog, which behaves like a MDIView but without the overhead of the document.

yuck.

Franken wrote:

It should be moveable only inside the client area of the application and not on the whole desktop.

double yuck. but I'm a good sport. Can't you create the modeless dialog with the MainFrame as a WS_CHILD of the main frame ? or something similar ? I think I remember that you can set of the dialog style to do this.

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Maximilien Lincourt Your Head A Splode - Strong Bad

[David Crow]

Maximilien wrote:

...the MainFrame as a WS_CHILD of the main frame ?

:confused:

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"Approved Workmen Are Not Ashamed" - 2 Timothy 2:15

"Judge not by the eye but by the heart." - Native American Proverb

[Franken]

I also thought that it should be possible to set WS_CHILD style but haven't found a way to do this.

[Maximilien]

ok, that was bad! :doh:

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Maximilien Lincourt Your Head A Splode - Strong Bad

[Mark Salsbery]

Do you want the MDIFrame window to be the parent or do you want to place the dialog in a MDIChild frame? Either way, the dialog needs to be a child and you need to specify the parent in the Create() call. You can set the child style in the resource editor, properties, style. Mark

"Great job, team. Head back to base for debriefing and cocktails." (Spottswoode "Team America")

[David Crow]

You could do something like:

BOOL CModelessDlg::OnInitDialog()
{
CDialog::OnInitDialog();

CRect rc;
GetWindowRect(rc);
m\_lWidth = rc.Width();
m\_lHeight = rc.Height();

AfxGetMainWnd()->GetWindowRect(m\_rcParent);

return TRUE;

}

void CModelessDlg::OnMoving(UINT fwSide, LPRECT pRect)
{
CDialog::OnMoving(fwSide, pRect);

// keep the child's left edge inside the parent's right edge
pRect->left = min(pRect->left, m\_rcParent.right - m\_lWidth);
// keep the child's left edge inside the parent's left edge
pRect->left = max(pRect->left, m\_rcParent.left);

// keep the child's top edge inside the parent's bottom edge
pRect->top  = min(pRect->top, m\_rcParent.bottom - m\_lHeight);
// keep the child's top edge inside the parent's top edge
pRect->top  = max(pRect->top, m\_rcParent.top);

// keep the child's right edge inside the parent's right edge
pRect->right = min(pRect->right, m\_rcParent.right);
// keep the child's right edge inside the parent's left edge
pRect->right = max(pRect->right, m\_rcParent.left + m\_lWidth);

// keep the child's bottom edge inside the parent's bottom edge
pRect->bottom = min(pRect->bottom, m\_rcParent.bottom);
// keep the child's bottom edge inside the parent's top edge
pRect->bottom = max(pRect->bottom, m\_rcParent.top + m\_lHeight);

}

It works regardless of whether WS_POPUP or WS_CHILD is used. A parent can be specified or not.

---

"Approved Workmen Are Not Ashamed" - 2 Timothy 2:15

"Judge not by the eye but by the heart." - Native American Proverb

[Franken]

I set the style to child in the dialog editor properties and did the following during the creation of the dialog:

CMainFrame* pFrame = (CMainFrame*)GetMainWnd();
CChildFrame* pChild = (CChildFrame*)pFrame->GetActiveFrame();

CmyDlg* pDlg = new CmyDlg;
pDlg->Create(IDD_DIALOG_myDlg, pChild->GetParent());
pDlg->ShowWindow(SW_SHOW);

This is almost what I wanted but it shows some weird behaviour. When a region of the dialog is covered by another child window this region shows still the part of the child window even if I drag the dialog to another place. It only restores the correct dialog, when I resize the dialog. Is there somewhere a flag like redraw or something? Many thanks :), Frank.

[Mark Salsbery]

hmm I'm not sure if there's different invalidation with MDI windows (which differ from other windows because they're controlled by an "MDICLIENT" class window). I have a feeling it's due to activation issues. Mixing a non-MDI child window in a MDI client window isn't necessarily going to work properly. I still think it's much easier to make the dialog a client window of a CMDIChildWnd frame. There shouldn't be any issues then. Mark

"Great job, team. Head back to base for debriefing and cocktails." (Spottswoode "Team America")

[Mark Salsbery]

Here's some more info: Using the Multiple Document Interface[^] As you can see in the Window Procedure sections, the MDI windows use different default window procs so they can/will behave differently than normal parent/child windows. Mark

"Great job, team. Head back to base for debriefing and cocktails." (Spottswoode "Team America")