MORE INFORMATION
The
following files are available for download from the Microsoft Download
Center:
SwSplit.exe For additional information about how
to download Microsoft Support files, click the following article number to view
the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
119591 How to Obtain Microsoft Support Files from Online Services
Microsoft scanned this file for viruses. Microsoft used the most
current virus-detection software that was available on the date that the file
was posted. The file is stored on security-enhanced servers that help to
prevent any unauthorized changes to the file.
The MFC AppWizard can create two basic
frameworks for applications that have document/view architecture support:
single document interface (SDI) and multiple document interface (MDI). SDI and
MDI are starting points for you to build an application that can look different
from AppWizard-produced applications.
Microsoft Outlook 98 is an
example of a popular user-interface (UI) structure. The Outlook 98 UI structure
has a multi-pane splitter window, where different views can appear in different
panes. The particular views displayed can depend on which items are selected in
other UI objects (for example, a tree view). Certain selections can bring up a
splitter window within an existing splitter window.
This type of
application UI design is not really MDI because it only has one frame window.
MDI applications have multiple child frame windows within the main frame
window. However, the Outlook 98 design can display one or more different types
of views. It is not usually clear how to achieve this type of interface with
the SDI framework. The SwSplit.exe sample shows you how to create this type of
a UI design using MFC and the SDI framework produced by the MFC AppWizard.
NOTE: Outlook 98 does not use MFC.
SwSplit.exe uses static
splitter windows. A static splitter window has a fixed number of panes. This
differs from a dynamic splitter window where you can change the number of
panes. If a user wants to change the number or the orientation of the panes in
SwSplit.exe, the splitter window is destroyed and a new splitter window with
the desired pane structure is created in its place. In this process, the
original views are also destroyed and new views are created to fill the new
splitter panes.
SwSplit.exe uses a list view, edit view, tree view
and three different form views. The code that switches the views makes it easy
to switch to other types of views. Here is an example of part of the code that
creates a splitter view, its panes, and the views that fill those panes.
CSplitterView has a member object of the CSplitterWnd-derived class,
represented by the variable m_wndSplitter. Two views are created to fill a
window that is split by a vertical splitter bar. These views are based on the
run-time classes passed into the CreateView function. The left pane gets a view
based on CMyTreeView, and the right pane gets a view based on
CFormView1.
int CSplitterView::OnCreate(LPCREATESTRUCT lpCreateStruct)
{
if (CView::OnCreate(lpCreateStruct) == -1)
return -1;
m_wndSplitter.CreateStatic(this, 1, 2);
CCreateContext* pContext = (CCreateContext*)lpCreateStruct->lpCreateParams:
m_wndSplitter.CreateView(0, 0, RUNTIME_CLASS(CMyTreeView), CSize(0,0), pContext);
m_wndSplitter.CreateView(0, 1, RUNTIME_CLASS(CFormView1), CSize(0,0), pContext);
return 0;
}
SwSplit.exe demonstrates how to create, persist, and display
data in this type of a multi-view SDI application. A file is opened and the
data is saved on a transaction basis. This is similar to the CHKBOOK MDI sample
that comes with Visual C++. In addition to showing transaction-based saving of
data in an SDI application, SwSplit.exe automatically loads the most
recently-used file at start up. SwSplit.exe reads the application's registry
entries for the most recently-used files. Although some users may need to save
the data on a transaction basis, it complicates things. It is much easier to
let the MFC framework persist the data in the standard way. The standard way
involves saving the data all at once when the user chooses to save it or when
closing the document. You can use the standard way by implementing the document
class' Serialize function. When you can, it is best to let MFC do the work for
you. You get a more robust and maintainable solution that way.
This
sample demonstrates how to alter the menu and toolbar to suit the active view.
The only view-specific items that are altered for a particular view are the
toolbar buttons and menu items that show and remove FormView3. All other menu
items and toolbar buttons are displayed for all views. The framework's command
UI updating takes care of enabling or disabling them. For example, the menu
items and toolbar buttons that pertain to the editview in this sample (that is,
undo, cut, copy, paste, and print) are displayed for all views. This is the
typical way to handle it. The menu items and toolbar buttons are unavailable
when the appropriate view is not displayed or does not have the focus.
NOTE: The same could have been done for the toolbar buttons and menu
items that show and remove FormView3.
SwSplit.exe also demonstrates
how to display non-standard background colors in views and certain controls.
You need to be careful when using this feature in your own application. Some
users might not like your colors. By changing the background colors you
restrict the users ability to apply a personal color scheme by changing these
settings in the Control Panel. In addition, playing with colors might affect
the accessibility of your application. For example, some users might be color
blind.
The VIEWEX and COLLECT samples might also be helpful. Both
samples come with Visual C++. VIEWEX uses the MDI architecture, and shows you
how to use different types of static splitter windows in separate child frame
windows. The COLLECT sample illustrates the MFC collection classes, and it
demonstrates how to display different views in an SDI application. However,
none of the views in COLLECT involve splitter windows.