MFC docking windows and where they dock

Question

Hi,

I have created (generated) a MDI project with tabbed documents with VS2008 Pro. Visual Studio generates an application with the File/Class view window, properties window, output window and the first MDI document/ view.

I want to control the sides on which the windows dock. I thought this was done in BOOL CMainFrame::CreateDockingWindows() , i changed the CBRS_TOP to CBRS_BOTTOM and CBRS_RIGHT to CBRS_LEFT , but the windows still come out the same in the client area. It makes no difference what is use for a window style attribute of CBRS_xxxx. Where and how can i control where in the client area these windows dock ? I changed then in :

BOOL CMainFrame::CreateDockingWindows() { BOOL bNameValid;

    // Create class view 
    CString strClassView; 
    bNameValid = strClassView.LoadString(IDS_CLASS_VIEW); 
    ASSERT(bNameValid); 
    if (!m_wndClassView.Create(strClassView, this, CRect(0, 0, 200, 200), 

TRUE, ID_VIEW_CLASSVIEW, WS_CHILD | WS_VISIBLE | WS_CLIPSIBLINGS | WS_CLIPCHILDREN | CBRS_LEFT | CBRS_FLOAT_MULTI)) { TRACE0("Failed to create Class View window\n"); return FALSE; // failed to create }

    // Create file view 
    CString strFileView; 
    bNameValid = strFileView.LoadString(IDS_FILE_VIEW); 
    ASSERT(bNameValid); 
    if (!m_wndFileView.Create(strFileView, this, CRect(0, 0, 200, 200), 

TRUE, ID_VIEW_FILEVIEW, WS_CHILD | WS_VISIBLE | WS_CLIPSIBLINGS | WS_CLIPCHILDREN | CBRS_LEFT| CBRS_FLOAT_MULTI)) { TRACE0("Failed to create File View window\n"); return FALSE; // failed to create }

    // Create output window 
    CString strOutputWnd; 
    bNameValid = strOutputWnd.LoadString(IDS_OUTPUT_WND); 
    ASSERT(bNameValid); 
    if (!m_wndOutput.Create(strOutputWnd, this, CRect(0, 0, 100, 100), 

TRUE, ID_VIEW_OUTPUTWND, WS_CHILD | WS_VISIBLE | WS_CLIPSIBLINGS | WS_CLIPCHILDREN | CBRS_BOTTOM | CBRS_FLOAT_MULTI)) { TRACE0("Failed to create Output window\n"); return FALSE; // failed to create }

    // Create properties window 
    CString strPropertiesWnd; 
    bNameValid = strPropertiesWnd.LoadString(IDS_PROPERTIES_WND); 
    ASSERT(bNameValid); 
    if (!m_wndProperties.Create(strPropertiesWnd, this, CRect(0, 0, 200, 

200), TRUE, ID_VIEW_PROPERTIESWND, WS_CHILD | WS_VISIBLE | WS_CLIPSIBLINGS | WS_CLIPCHILDREN | CBRS_RIGHT | CBRS_FLOAT_MULTI)) { TRACE0("Failed to create Properties window\n"); return FALSE; // failed to create }

    SetDockingWindowIcons(theApp.m_bHiColorIcons); 
    return TRUE; 

}

Could someone please help explain to me how to control the sides where these windows dock? Thanks.

Answer 1

IIRC, CBRS_TOP etc. are for where they can dock, not for where they are docked when you start the application. That is saved in the registry, basically it will show up where it was when the application was shut down the last time.

In the past (this was not with the Feature Pack docking framework) if you wanted to dock on startup to a specific side you had to set the side where you wanted the toolbar to be docked as the only one allowed (e.g. on the right), create the toolbar, dock it (there was a SetDocked() or something like that) and then modify the allowed dock sides to the directions you wanted to allow. I'm not sure if that behavior persists in the current version but I think it does, as that was something build on low level docking toolbar functionality which the feature pack stuff just builds on.

Not a real answer but hopefully it'll set you on your way...