GUI Editor Woes
by Merfy · in Torque Game Builder · 02/20/2007 (7:00 am) · 4 replies
I have this idea of a GUI I wanted to build. I don't have alot of experience with the GUI Editor, but I assume it will let me do what I want, so I set out to try and build it, and this is my experience:
I need a control simialr to a List Box on windows. Nothing facy just let me add some text items to the list and let me be able to determine which item the user has selected. So I look thru the list of controls and see: GuiListBoxCtrl and GuiTextListCtrl. So then I try adding both to the GUI so I can get a look at them to see what they look like. That didn't work. One of them is a small invisible line, and the other is a small invisible dot.
1- Why don't either these look like a control and are merely invisible dots or lines?
2- Why can't I resize either of these controls?
3- How can I tell what the controls really supposed to look like?
4- Which control is really supposed to be similar to a windows ListBox control?
After fudging around in the GUI editor some more I am coming to the conclusion that the GUI editor isn't very useful since many of the controls are invisible, or won't let you resize them, and because surely you can't actually build a GUI if you can't even see the things.
5- Is all serious GUI work done from code, and not from the editor?
Maybe I should forget about the GUI Editor and just work from code, but then I still have the problem of not being able to tell what control I need, so I try looking online.
I find the TGB GUI Overview:
http://tdn.garagegames.com/wiki/TGB_GUI_Overview
It lists each controls but doesn't have any images to show what they really supposed to look like. It would be REALLY cool if someone that knew what the controls were supposed to look like could edit that page and put example images of the controls.
I assume it's GuiTextListCtrl is what I want, but I can't tell because I can't see it :(
6 Can anyone shed any light to my issues and maybe suggest a different way to approach GUI building? My approach isn't working out so well for me.
I need a control simialr to a List Box on windows. Nothing facy just let me add some text items to the list and let me be able to determine which item the user has selected. So I look thru the list of controls and see: GuiListBoxCtrl and GuiTextListCtrl. So then I try adding both to the GUI so I can get a look at them to see what they look like. That didn't work. One of them is a small invisible line, and the other is a small invisible dot.
1- Why don't either these look like a control and are merely invisible dots or lines?
2- Why can't I resize either of these controls?
3- How can I tell what the controls really supposed to look like?
4- Which control is really supposed to be similar to a windows ListBox control?
After fudging around in the GUI editor some more I am coming to the conclusion that the GUI editor isn't very useful since many of the controls are invisible, or won't let you resize them, and because surely you can't actually build a GUI if you can't even see the things.
5- Is all serious GUI work done from code, and not from the editor?
Maybe I should forget about the GUI Editor and just work from code, but then I still have the problem of not being able to tell what control I need, so I try looking online.
I find the TGB GUI Overview:
http://tdn.garagegames.com/wiki/TGB_GUI_Overview
It lists each controls but doesn't have any images to show what they really supposed to look like. It would be REALLY cool if someone that knew what the controls were supposed to look like could edit that page and put example images of the controls.
I assume it's GuiTextListCtrl is what I want, but I can't tell because I can't see it :(
6 Can anyone shed any light to my issues and maybe suggest a different way to approach GUI building? My approach isn't working out so well for me.
About the author
#2
It seems many of the cotrols won't resize in the editor without being on a scroll list control. I'm unsure about the proper nesting you talk about. I need to find more info about that. I think that's probably the key thing I'm missing.
I ordered the GPGT book.
02/20/2007 (10:50 am)
Thanks Ben. I got it working. It seems that GuiTextListCtrl needs to be a child of a scroll control. When I did that, it resized to fit it. It seems many of the cotrols won't resize in the editor without being on a scroll list control. I'm unsure about the proper nesting you talk about. I need to find more info about that. I think that's probably the key thing I'm missing.
I ordered the GPGT book.
#3
Most things should not need to be on a scroll list control.
02/20/2007 (12:12 pm)
Nesting = child so you are doing that ;)Most things should not need to be on a scroll list control.
#4
02/20/2007 (1:13 pm)
Merfy, something to remember is that controls get added to the currently selected parent container (indicated by the yellow ouline). Right clicking activates a control as the active container and any controls added will be added as a child of that container. 
Torque Owner Ben R Vesco
2. You should be able to resize any control, except the outermost control. Are you properly nesting your controls?
3. They should show up pretty well on the screen.
4. Can't help, don't know what a windows ListBox is.
5. No.
6. I really recommend checking out Maurina's GPGT book which has excellent info on gui stuff. In lieu of spending money I recommend going through all the gui building tutorials you can get your hands on. The gui builder is not the best piece of work on the planet but it has been adequate for every task I've ever tried to perform with it and I haven't built any guis "by hand" in code.