ActiveX Controls and hWnds: Getting a Presenter "into" a Control - Smalltalk

"Eric Taylor" <estaylor@cgpaint.com> wrote in message
news:001c01c6d9dc$7a2cb2a0$6500a8c0@server...
> Hello Forum,
>
> We have an ActiveX control that allows us to create what the software
> designers have called a DialogBar (bring up any "task pane" in a
> Microsoft Office application and you'll see what a DialogBar is--a cross
> between a CommandBar and a Dialog).
>
> The content of the DialogBar is defined as an hWnd reference to [what
> other environments would call] a "form." Translated into Dolphin: the
> hWnd reference of a Presenter, which we know can be obtained in the
> following manner:
>
> p := ListPresenter create.
> contentHandle := p asParameter asInteger.
>
> (The DialogBar control expects the ChildHandle to be of type "long";
> hence the #asInteger send).
>
> We have no problem with the scenario above, except we seem to be unable
> to obtain an hWnd without actually opening the Presenter first. Now, we
> understand that first a connection to a view must be established in
> order to obtain the hWnd. But is there a way to create a Presenter that
> doesn't automatically open, yet provides a connected view?
> ...

Well yes, normally by using #create inside a parent that is not visible. The
reason that the presenter above is being automatically shown is because you
are creating it outside a top-level presenter, and the system "helpfully"
creates you a visible shell in order that you can use this kind of
expression for testing/investigation purposes. I suggest debugging through
'ListPresenter create' in order to see what happens - most of the action is
Presenter>>createView:

If you'd written your example like this, then the views would be created but
hidden:

s := Shell create.
p := ListPresenter createIn: s.
....

HTH

OA

Support at Object Arts,

I will give this a try later today. What you say makes perfect sense.

Thank you.


Cheers,

Eric


> -----Original Message-----
> From: Support at Object Arts [mailto:support@objectHYPHENarts.com]
> Posted At: Wednesday, September 20, 2006 10:58 AM
> Posted To: comp.lang.smalltalk.dolphin
> Conversation: ActiveX Controls and hWnds: Getting a Presenter "into" a
> Control
> Subject: Re: ActiveX Controls and hWnds: Getting a Presenter "into" a
> Control
>
> "Eric Taylor" <estaylor@cgpaint.com> wrote in message
> news:001c01c6d9dc$7a2cb2a0$6500a8c0@server...
> > Hello Forum,
> >
> > We have an ActiveX control that allows us to create what the
software
> > designers have called a DialogBar (bring up any "task pane" in a
> > Microsoft Office application and you'll see what a DialogBar is--a
cross
> > between a CommandBar and a Dialog).
> >
> > The content of the DialogBar is defined as an hWnd reference to
[what
> > other environments would call] a "form." Translated into Dolphin:
the
> > hWnd reference of a Presenter, which we know can be obtained in the
> > following manner:
> >
> > p := ListPresenter create.
> > contentHandle := p asParameter asInteger.
> >
> > (The DialogBar control expects the ChildHandle to be of type "long";
> > hence the #asInteger send).
> >
> > We have no problem with the scenario above, except we seem to be
unable
> > to obtain an hWnd without actually opening the Presenter first.
Now, we
> > understand that first a connection to a view must be established in
> > order to obtain the hWnd. But is there a way to create a Presenter
that
> > doesn't automatically open, yet provides a connected view?
> > ...
>
> Well yes, normally by using #create inside a parent that is not
visible.
> The
> reason that the presenter above is being automatically shown is
because
> you
> are creating it outside a top-level presenter, and the system
"helpfully"
> creates you a visible shell in order that you can use this kind of
> expression for testing/investigation purposes. I suggest debugging
through
> 'ListPresenter create' in order to see what happens - most of the
action
> is
> Presenter>>createView:
>
> If you'd written your example like this, then the views would be
created
> but
> hidden:
>
> s := Shell create.
> p := ListPresenter createIn: s.
> ...
>
> HTH
>
> OA