biroadam
asked on
Larger components than 32768 in ScrollBox
I want to view large objects in a ScrollBox (in my particular case only a PaintBox which might be larger than 32768*32768 pixels, but the problem is the same for any kind of VCL components).
I don't know whether is the fault of the Delphi or the Win95, but there is some software bug handling components larger than 32768. To try it, do the following (even design time);
1. Put a ScrollBox, Panel or any kind of component which is able to contain components;
2. Put a PaintBox, Shape, Panel or any other sizeable object in the component above.
3. Set the width of this component to 32000 -- it must work OK;
4. Set the width to 33000 -- the object will disappear or will be displayed in a wrong way.
My questions:
1. Is there a way to correct/avoid this software bug?
2. If not, what ideas do you have for my particular case? (I want on my form a ScrollBox containing a large PaintBox, the OnPaint events will be handled by my application.)
I don't know whether is the fault of the Delphi or the Win95, but there is some software bug handling components larger than 32768. To try it, do the following (even design time);
1. Put a ScrollBox, Panel or any kind of component which is able to contain components;
2. Put a PaintBox, Shape, Panel or any other sizeable object in the component above.
3. Set the width of this component to 32000 -- it must work OK;
4. Set the width to 33000 -- the object will disappear or will be displayed in a wrong way.
My questions:
1. Is there a way to correct/avoid this software bug?
2. If not, what ideas do you have for my particular case? (I want on my form a ScrollBox containing a large PaintBox, the OnPaint events will be handled by my application.)
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kretzschmar
hi igor :-)
ASKER
Hi meikl and Igor!
Thanks for the comment.
meikl:
If it's not a bug, than it's stupidity. 16-bit limitations on a 32-bit OS seems to be quite stupid for me, as well as the fact that the Delphi lets me to use 32-bit values for a 16-bit one.
Igor:
I was thinking on this kind of tricks, but my conclusion is that they won't work.
Your example would work if the scrollbox would allow me to do the repainting after scrolling.
Unfortunately it doesn't.
Let's see an example. I have a 320000*320000 pixel object. Conforming to your idea, I should put a (320000/10=) 32000*32000 pixel PaintBox in the ScrollBox. Then, when I press the scrollbar arrow, I will consider that the image must be scrolled with 80 pixels instead of 8 pixels.
The only but big problem is that the scrollbox has scrolled the image on the screen with 8 pixels already (instead of 80), on the other hand my program has been notified that only an 8 pixel band should be repainted.
Correct me if I'm wrong.
I had another idea: putting a ScrollBox-size PaintBox OVER (and not IN) the ScrollBox, to fit exactly in its client area. So I should use only the scrollbars of the scrollbox, and the actual scrolling should be handled by my program.
My problem is that it is very ugly.
So I'm waiting for some elegant suggestions.
Best regards,
Adam
Thanks for the comment.
meikl:
If it's not a bug, than it's stupidity. 16-bit limitations on a 32-bit OS seems to be quite stupid for me, as well as the fact that the Delphi lets me to use 32-bit values for a 16-bit one.
Igor:
I was thinking on this kind of tricks, but my conclusion is that they won't work.
Your example would work if the scrollbox would allow me to do the repainting after scrolling.
Unfortunately it doesn't.
Let's see an example. I have a 320000*320000 pixel object. Conforming to your idea, I should put a (320000/10=) 32000*32000 pixel PaintBox in the ScrollBox. Then, when I press the scrollbar arrow, I will consider that the image must be scrolled with 80 pixels instead of 8 pixels.
The only but big problem is that the scrollbox has scrolled the image on the screen with 8 pixels already (instead of 80), on the other hand my program has been notified that only an 8 pixel band should be repainted.
Correct me if I'm wrong.
I had another idea: putting a ScrollBox-size PaintBox OVER (and not IN) the ScrollBox, to fit exactly in its client area. So I should use only the scrollbars of the scrollbox, and the actual scrolling should be handled by my program.
My problem is that it is very ugly.
So I'm waiting for some elegant suggestions.
Best regards,
Adam
Hi biroadam,
yes, you are right. You should support scrolling by yourself. Do not put PaintBox over the ScrollBox, create your own control with scrollbars instead. Or place vertical and horizontal scrollbars on form and use it's events to scroll an image.
------
Igor.
yes, you are right. You should support scrolling by yourself. Do not put PaintBox over the ScrollBox, create your own control with scrollbars instead. Or place vertical and horizontal scrollbars on form and use it's events to scroll an image.
------
Igor.
ASKER
Hi Igor!
Of course this was my first idea, but there will be thousands of other problems. Just a few of them:
1. There is no proportional scrollbar in the Delphi's standard components (even if there are free components on the web);
2. With of a vertical and height of a horizontal scrollbar: I will have to use the GetSystemMetrics API function as well as handling the system metrics change messages; dirty and ugly stuff;
3. Wheel mouse events;
4. Repainting problems on resizing: I have no idea how should I repaint these objects avoiding the Delphi's annoying "everyting is repainted hundred times" philosophy.
5. Rewriting the block copy mechanism for scrolling;
6. There are chances to not be compatible with the further versions of Windows (stuffs like smooth scrolling, wheel mouse, which will be handled by further versions of the standard windows scrollboxes, but not by mine);
etc.
So it will be great to use the existing ScrollBox component, but tricking this limitation somehow.
Best regards,
Adam
Of course this was my first idea, but there will be thousands of other problems. Just a few of them:
1. There is no proportional scrollbar in the Delphi's standard components (even if there are free components on the web);
2. With of a vertical and height of a horizontal scrollbar: I will have to use the GetSystemMetrics API function as well as handling the system metrics change messages; dirty and ugly stuff;
3. Wheel mouse events;
4. Repainting problems on resizing: I have no idea how should I repaint these objects avoiding the Delphi's annoying "everyting is repainted hundred times" philosophy.
5. Rewriting the block copy mechanism for scrolling;
6. There are chances to not be compatible with the further versions of Windows (stuffs like smooth scrolling, wheel mouse, which will be handled by further versions of the standard windows scrollboxes, but not by mine);
etc.
So it will be great to use the existing ScrollBox component, but tricking this limitation somehow.
Best regards,
Adam
Hi biroadam,
something strange. I just did an experiment.
1. new application
2. drop scrollbox
3. drop paintbox on scrollbox
4. paintbox.width = 100000, height = 100000
5. paintbox.OnPaint
procedure TForm1.PaintBox1Paint(Send
var
I: Integer;
begin
for I := 0 to PaintBox1.Width div 50 do
PaintBox1.Canvas.TextOut(I
end;
run project and seems all fine, it scrolled to 100000 without any problems.
-----
Igor
something strange. I just did an experiment.
1. new application
2. drop scrollbox
3. drop paintbox on scrollbox
4. paintbox.width = 100000, height = 100000
5. paintbox.OnPaint
procedure TForm1.PaintBox1Paint(Send
var
I: Integer;
begin
for I := 0 to PaintBox1.Width div 50 do
PaintBox1.Canvas.TextOut(I
end;
run project and seems all fine, it scrolled to 100000 without any problems.
-----
Igor
hmm, interesting, which os, igor?
ASKER
Hi Igor!
I'm too tired to analyse your example, but two things are sure:
1. 'Normal' components such as Shapes can't be larger than 32768 for sure, you can try it at design time;
2. I've tried my bitmap viewer program with a ScrollBox and a PaintBox on Delphi 5 ('couse I thought this problem was a Delphi 4 bug), and the situation was very clear: it worked perfectly for bitmaps smaller than 32768, but the PaintBox disappeared at all for larger bitmaps.
However, I was thinking about your last idea and I decided to build my own scrollbox.
Now it works well, there are only two problems:
1. I don't know how my program/component can realise that the scrollbar width has been changed. I can read the scrollbar width with the GetSystemMetrics function, but I don't know how am I notified when the user modifies the display settings, changing the scrollbar width.
2. When resizing, the repainting works a bit ugly. Do you have any idea how can I prevent the components to be displayed more than once when resizing? I've tried the DisableAlign and EndAlign methods, but no results.
Best regards,
Adam
I'm too tired to analyse your example, but two things are sure:
1. 'Normal' components such as Shapes can't be larger than 32768 for sure, you can try it at design time;
2. I've tried my bitmap viewer program with a ScrollBox and a PaintBox on Delphi 5 ('couse I thought this problem was a Delphi 4 bug), and the situation was very clear: it worked perfectly for bitmaps smaller than 32768, but the PaintBox disappeared at all for larger bitmaps.
However, I was thinking about your last idea and I decided to build my own scrollbox.
Now it works well, there are only two problems:
1. I don't know how my program/component can realise that the scrollbar width has been changed. I can read the scrollbar width with the GetSystemMetrics function, but I don't know how am I notified when the user modifies the display settings, changing the scrollbar width.
2. When resizing, the repainting works a bit ugly. Do you have any idea how can I prevent the components to be displayed more than once when resizing? I've tried the DisableAlign and EndAlign methods, but no results.
Best regards,
Adam
Watch out, the normal Delphi TScrollBar also has the problem with values greater than 32767...
Hi Adam,
>> 1. I don't know how my program/component can realise that the scrollbar width has been changed.
Should be message WM_WINDOWPOSCHANGED, not sure.
>> 2. When resizing, the repainting works a bit ugly. Do you have any idea how can I prevent the
>> components to be displayed more than once when resizing?
Every time you need to paint, place custom message into message queue and lock painting mechanism:
// prevent control from painting
LockPaint := true;
// post message to the queue, you will receive this message
// after all current processes was finished
PostMessage(Handle, WM_YOURMESSAGE, .....);
Write WM_YOURMESSAGE handler
var
M: TMsg;
begin
while PeekMessage(M, Handle, WM_YOURMESSAGE, WM_YOURMESSAGE, PM_REMOVE) do;
LockPaint := False;
// call painting mechanism here
end;
Logic above is usefull to prevent multiply painting while windows process one event. To prevent multiply painting on resizing (few windows events) use additional logic:
Start timer with some dealy value (e.g. 300 ms) on every paint request instead of painting and do paint on WM_TIMER message. Once painting finished you should kill timer.
In additional I can tell you that creating your own scrolling control is really good idea.
----
Igor
>> 1. I don't know how my program/component can realise that the scrollbar width has been changed.
Should be message WM_WINDOWPOSCHANGED, not sure.
>> 2. When resizing, the repainting works a bit ugly. Do you have any idea how can I prevent the
>> components to be displayed more than once when resizing?
Every time you need to paint, place custom message into message queue and lock painting mechanism:
// prevent control from painting
LockPaint := true;
// post message to the queue, you will receive this message
// after all current processes was finished
PostMessage(Handle, WM_YOURMESSAGE, .....);
Write WM_YOURMESSAGE handler
var
M: TMsg;
begin
while PeekMessage(M, Handle, WM_YOURMESSAGE, WM_YOURMESSAGE, PM_REMOVE) do;
LockPaint := False;
// call painting mechanism here
end;
Logic above is usefull to prevent multiply painting while windows process one event. To prevent multiply painting on resizing (few windows events) use additional logic:
Start timer with some dealy value (e.g. 300 ms) on every paint request instead of painting and do paint on WM_TIMER message. Once painting finished you should kill timer.
In additional I can tell you that creating your own scrolling control is really good idea.
----
Igor
ASKER
Hi Igor!
> Should be message WM_WINDOWPOSCHANGED, not sure.
Quoting the Win32 Programmer's Reference:
"The WM_WINDOWPOSCHANGED message is sent to a window whose size, position, or place in the Z order has changed as a result of a call to the SetWindowPos function or another window-management function."
So it looks like a completely different thing.
Maybe there isn't a special message for this (but for sure there is one for the system color change), only some generic message which makes the window components to repaint.
>Every time you need to paint, place custom message into
>message queue and lock painting mechanism
It might be a little misunderstanding. I don't want to paint anything, I just want to avoid the Delphi-style multiple component displaying.
Let's see a concrete example:
Form1.Color:=clLime;
put a Panel on the Form1
Panel1.Align:=alClient;
Now, you shouldn't see any Lime color on the screen. However, if you resize the window (even design time), you can see the Lime backgroung under the clBtnFace panel for a few milliseconds (depending on the speed of your PC).
How can you avoid this?
Best regards,
Adam
> Should be message WM_WINDOWPOSCHANGED, not sure.
Quoting the Win32 Programmer's Reference:
"The WM_WINDOWPOSCHANGED message is sent to a window whose size, position, or place in the Z order has changed as a result of a call to the SetWindowPos function or another window-management function."
So it looks like a completely different thing.
Maybe there isn't a special message for this (but for sure there is one for the system color change), only some generic message which makes the window components to repaint.
>Every time you need to paint, place custom message into
>message queue and lock painting mechanism
It might be a little misunderstanding. I don't want to paint anything, I just want to avoid the Delphi-style multiple component displaying.
Let's see a concrete example:
Form1.Color:=clLime;
put a Panel on the Form1
Panel1.Align:=alClient;
Now, you shouldn't see any Lime color on the screen. However, if you resize the window (even design time), you can see the Lime backgroung under the clBtnFace panel for a few milliseconds (depending on the speed of your PC).
How can you avoid this?
Best regards,
Adam
Hi Adam,
WM_SETTINGCHANGE may be?
Ok, I understood now. You should prevent from painting background and content of parent control while resizing. There is two messages WM_PAINT and WM_ERASEBKGND. You can do the same as described in my comment above but use both message handlers.
-----
Igor.
WM_SETTINGCHANGE may be?
Ok, I understood now. You should prevent from painting background and content of parent control while resizing. There is two messages WM_PAINT and WM_ERASEBKGND. You can do the same as described in my comment above but use both message handlers.
-----
Igor.
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