%WS_GROUP (or grouping Controls)

[Cliff Nichols]

If I read correctly

%WS_GROUP
Define the start of a group of controls. The first control in each group should also use %WS_TABSTOP style. The next %WS_GROUP control in the tab order defines the end of this group and the start of a new group.

Fine and good, but how do I end a group without starting a new group???
Or do I have to hold off any option buttons till last??? (or aka, do they have to be the highest values for my equates to work?

I tend to like to layout my Dialogs/Windows/Forms from the top down left right, and to me ending a group should end, not start a new group till I say to do a new group.

Is ther a Api equivelent that works me around this problem???

[William Burns]

Starting a new group will not hurt anything even if you don't use it. Just use one %WS_GROUP on the next item to end the group and then use another %WS_GROUP when you are ready to start the group you want.

Can you show code that explains why it would hurt to have an extra unused group?

[Cliff Nichols]

I suppose I could, but quicker to describe
I had a group of 4 radio buttons (have to group so only one can be chosen) and then either create a 5th (and hide it to ungroup) or if my ungroup is on my next control (which is a combobox), It makes my combobox a part of the group (which it is NOT part of the group, just telling PB that I no longer need a group.

[Michael Mattias]

Don't think of the WS_GROUP style as being some kind of 'attribute' of a control, like WS_BORDER or WS_VISIBLE; the WS_GROUP style does not do anything specific to the control at all.

Think of it as a "start of group marker" and it becomes a lot easier to understand.

If a control does NOT have WS_GROUP style, it's NOT the start of a new group, so it must be part of the current group... the group which started on the last control (in the tab order) which DID have the WS_GROUP style.

MCM

[Michael Mattias]

FWIW, you can use the WS_GROUP style to navigate the screen just as with the WS_TABSTOP style.

See doc for the Windows API functions GetNextDlgTabItem() and GetNextDlgGroupItem for details.

[Michael Mattias]

A lot easier than remembering all this stuff if you ask me...

Set up a couple of equates in your 'master' program template ....

 
%STYLE_OPTION_FIRST = %WS_CHILD OR %WS_VISIBLE OR %BS_AUTORADIOBUTTON _ 
           OR %WS_TABSTOP OR %WS_GROUP
%STYLE_OPTION_OTHER = %WS_CHILD OR %WS_VISIBLE OR %BS_AUTORADIOBUTTON

... and code your option button groups using those equates...

CONTROL ADD OPTION  hdlg, %ID_1, "Option 1", x, y, cx, cy, %STYLE_OPTION_FIRST 
CONTROL ADD OPTION  hdlg, %ID_2, "Option 2", x, y, cx, cy, %STYLE_OPTION_OTHER 
CONTROL ADD OPTION  hdlg, %ID_3, "Option 3", x, y, cx, cy, %STYLE_OPTION_OTHER 
OR 
hCtrl = CreateWindowEx (Exstyle, "Button", "Option 1", %STYLE_OPTION_FIRST, _
        x, y,cx, cy, hDlg, %ID_1,hInst, lparam) 

hCtrl = CreateWindowEx (Exstyle, "Button", "Option 2", %STYLE_OPTION_OTHER, _
        x, y,cx, cy, hDlg, %ID_2,hInst, lparam) 

hCtrl = CreateWindowEx (Exstyle, "Button", "Option 3", %STYLE_OPTION_OTHER, _
        x, y,cx, cy, hDlg, %ID_3,hInst, lparam) 

...

MCM

[Edwin Knoppert]

I think a group is often used to make a goup of radiobuttons and therefore only one WS_GROUP is set.
While this works for the selecting process it does not for the arrowkeys.
If you create a group of radiobuttons have the first rb and the next control not belonging to the group have this style so arrowkeys will work as intended.