wxPython MDI question

[Robert Amesz]

rockmuelle wrote:

> I am trying to create an MDI application that has a list control
> on the left side of the main MDI frame and the MDI client area on
> the right side, similar to the way Visual Studio has other windows
> surrounding its client area.
> 
> I've tried creating the list control and then adding it and the
> client area to a sizer, but the client area always takes up the
> whole main frame. The client area and the list control are
> situated at (0, 0), as if there was no sizer.  If I add more
> controls to the sizer, the non-client area windows get layed out
> correctly, but the sizer and client area still overlap.
> 
> [snip]
>
>     sizer = wxBoxSizer(wxHORIZONTAL)
>     sizer.Add(wxListCtrl(self, -1))
>     sizer.Add(wxListCtrl(self, -1))  # add another list
>     sizer.Add(self.GetClientWindow())

I can see what you're trying to do here, but it's obvious the 
wxMDIParentFrame doesn't cooperate, even after correcting the code (see 
caveats below).

This would seem a task for manual resizing, as sizers obviously don't 
work properly here. Modify your MyMDIFrame thus (tested with wxPython 
2.3.2, Python 2.1.1 and Win98):


class MyMDIFrame(wxMDIParentFrame):
    """
    Main frame that has list control and MDI client area.
    """
    
    def __init__(self, parent, id=-1, title='MDI Example'):
        wxMDIParentFrame.__init__(self, parent, id, title=title)
        self.list = wxListCtrl(self, -1)
        EVT_SIZE(self, self.onSize) 
        return

    def onSize(self, evt):
        width, height = self.GetClientSizeTuple()
        listwidth = self.list.GetSizeTuple()[0]
        self.GetClientWindow().SetDimensions(listwidth, 0,
                                width - listwidth, height)
        self.list.SetDimensions(0, 0, listwidth, height)


Note that I've removed the second wxListCtrl to make the calculation 
simpler. As such, it is simply a matter of dividing the available space 
into two parts, using SetDimensions() to resize and position both 
windows.


Robert Amesz
-- 
A few caveats concerning sizers: don't call Layout() before SetSizer(), 
for obvious reasons. And after SetSizer(), there's no need to call 
Layout(), that should happen automatically, but *do* put a 
self.SetAutoLayout(true) in your frame or panel, otherwise nothing will 
happen at all.