WinFBE v3.0.2 (BETA-1)

[Paul Squires]

Here it is!

The first beta with the new visual designer changes.

WARNING: ONLY USE THIS BETA ON BACKUP VERSIONS OF YOUR VISUAL DESIGNER PROJECTS

https://github.com/PaulSquires/WinFBE/releases/tag/3.02-beta-1

** This Beta will do an automatic conversion/upgrade of your visual designer form files. **

Version 3.0.2 (beta 1)
Editor:
- Fixed bug where WinFBE 64-bit only would GPF if currently loaded file is edited by an external editor causing WinFBE to reload the file.
- Fixed bug where focus would be lost from the Find textbox as the user typed a search word and a corresponding match was found.

Visual Designer:
- MAJOR FILE FORMAT CHANGE: Form data separated from code file and is now saved to external file with *.design file extension.
- When selecting a control from the toolbox and then just clicking on a form (not "drawing" it), it creates a control with a height and width of 0. There are now default sizes for all controls that may be created too small.
- When double-clicking an event in the toolbox, automatically enable that event, create the placeholder (if needed) and switch to that event in the code view.
- When double-clicking a control in design view, automatically switch to the code view for the default event handler for that control (e.g.: the _Click handler if it's a button).
- Listview was not clearing columns/rows when a form is reused (e.g. via popup form).
- Added Listview property (HeaderThemed) to enable/disable theme drawing for the header portion of the Listview.
- The ability to set the default control font name and size for all new controls created for a project, rather than always defaulting to Segoe UI 9pt.
- Added Button control property (AllowFocusRect) to enable/disable drawing the rectangle around the button when it has focus. Only valid if Theme property is False.
- Added Button control property (TextForeColorHot) to set text color when mouse hovers over the button. Only valid if Theme property is False.
- Added Control property (Anchor) which allows you to specify layout resize/movement at design time (uses the WinFBX CLayout class behind the scenes).

[Petrus Vorster]

Hi Paul

The anchor method is having the same issues we had with Clayout.
If you start a form with Window State as Maximized, Clayout does not work.

You may remember helping me on a recent project where you asked why I placed

Code Select Expand

frmmain.windowstate = maximized in the FrmMain_formready function.

Clayout somehow does not fire its events if the settings is set to a from starting up as Maximized.
Any forms changes thereafter also goes terribly wrong.

If I add that line to the FrmMain_formready function, then the anchoring works perfectly the entire project.

The amount of work you put into this is staggering. Well done mate.

-Peter

[Petrus Vorster]

Something odd I noticed just now.

If there is a control with a problem e.g. Listview where the Designer throws an error on e.g. the elements TOP, HEIGHT, WIDTH it subsequently does that with some other controls as well.

I tried the example with the Listview (see the errors in the image) and then it suddenly complained about the elements in all the other controls as well, giving "too many errors-exciting"

Once I removed the Listview from the project, the other controls for which it gave errors were back to correct again.

May be the compiler?

-Peter

[Paul Squires]

"Listview"? My Panels example uses a "ListBox".

Are you just loading the Panels example project and trying to load it, or are you trying to take parts of that example project and put it into one of your existing projects? My example project did not have a "Button1".

[Paul Squires]

Also, if this is one of your existing projects, take a look at the project's folder to see if the designer files were created during the automatic file conversion process. You should see files with *.design file extensions. Just want to make sure that the file format updated correctly during the loading of one of your old projects.

[Petrus Vorster]

Hi

Late at night here. SHould rather try this in the morning.

I just changed it to an invisible frame, added a few Buttons and then it worked like a charm.

But why if I make a mistake like that, e.g calling the wrong elements on the wrong control (obvious errors coming), would it throw erros on other controls as well?
 
-Regards,

Peter

[Paul Squires]

"Invisible frame"?  You changed your Listview to a Frame control?

Subsequent errors is not uncommon and sometimes they make no sense at all given the context. Just write some code and forget to close a loop or an if statement. You'll see a string of subsequent "errors" that seem very strange due to the way that the compiler parses the code.

[Paul Squires]

I am happy to announce that I have successfully integrated my new parser into the version 3.02 code base. This parser is SIGNIFICANTLY faster than the existing hacks that I am using in the released WinFBE. The new parser uses a very fast tokenizer. I have now been able to totally remove the "Enable fast project cache" from Environment Options because now I can load and parse all project files on startup without having to resort to loading pre-chached files.

This new parser will hopefully allow me to craft a better more reliable codetip and autocomplete popup system that has been adequate at best in previous WinFBE versions.

[Joerg B.]

Hello Paul

I installed the new version on a trial basis to try out the new codetip and the autocompletion.
At least for me the codetip and the autocomplete popup doesn't show up anymore.

It has been taken care of.
I didn't use your Beta 1 version, but the "normal" WinFBE version from Github as of yesterday.
 

[Paul Squires]

Hi Joerg,

Yes, the entire parser is in the process of being replaced and I have disabled the codetips and autocomplete in the current github commits until I have the parser 100% working. I am also improving the code that triggers the codetips and autocomplete because both of those depends on the new parser.

So, yes, the unreleased github commit versions currently do not have codetips and autocomplete working.

[Joerg B.]

Hi Paul

One thought.....

If WinFBE 3.02 version already exists, wouldn't your beta version be better "WinFBE 3.03 Beta1"?

[Paul Squires]

  Version 3.01 is the latest public release from back in June 2022:  https://www.freebasic.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=25215

3.02 will be the newest upcoming public release so there will be a few Betas before that happens.