Advanced Docking System

Manages content widgets more like Visual Studio or similar programs. I also try to get everything done with basic Qt functionality. Basic usage of QWidgets an QLayouts and using basic styles as much as possible.

Tested Compatible Environments

• Windows 10 / Qt 5.5.1 / VC12
• Windows 10 / Qt 5.5.1 / MinGW
• Windows 10 / Qt 4.5.3 / VC9
• Ubuntu 15.10

Build

Open the build.pro with QtCreator and start the build, that's it. You can run the demo project and test it yourself.

Release & Development

The master branch is not guaranteed to be stable or does not even build, since it is the main working branch. If you want a version that builds, you should always use a release/beta tag.

Getting started / Example

MyWindow.h

#include <QMainWindow>
#include "ads/API.h"
#include "ads/ContainerWidget.h"
#include "ads/SectionContent.h"
class MyWindow : public QMainWindow
{
	Q_OBJECT
public:
	QMainWindow(QWidget* parent);
	
private:
	ADS_NS::ContainerWidget _container;
};

Developers

Manuel Freiholz, Project Maintainer

License information

This projects uses the WTFPL license (Do What The Fuck You Want To Public License)

Using it? Let us know by creating a new issue (You don't have to, of course).

Credits

• Drop indicator images from Code Project Article

ToDo List & Changelog

Items sorted by priority

Beta 0.2

• Use scrolling for SectionWidget tabs?
• It would be easier when the SectionTitleWidget and SectionContentWidget are created inside the "SectionContent::newSectionContent(..)" method. This would make sure, that those two objects always exists.
• ContainerWidget::showSectionContent needs to insert the SC at the correct preferred position of SW
• It should be possible to drop a floating widget directly into the SW's tab-bar.
• Empty splitters, if only 2 or 1 items are in container
• Restore: Handle out-of-screen geometry for floating widgets
• Better handling of sizes when dropping contents. Currently it's unpredictable. It might be good to use the same width/height as the parent content, if dropped on existing content. In case of outer-drop we might use the preferred size of the content.
• Floating widget should be a real window with all of its functionality (maximize and split by moving it to the edge of the screen)
• Dropping floating-widgets on the edge should be possible even if there is no margin/padding.

Beta 0.1

• Improve FloatingWidget (Remove maximize button, only support close-button which hides the widget)
• Serialize and Deserialize state/size/positions of dockings
• Make compatible with Qt 4.5 (*ROFL!*)
• Save and restore FloatingWidget states
• Restore: Manage new or deleted SectionContent objects, which are not available
• Working with outer-edge-drops sometimes leaves empty splitters #BUG
• Clean up of unused e.g. count()<=1 QSplitters doesn't work well #BUG
• Show close button on right corner of SectionWidget. How to safe last section position?
• Serialize state of _hiddenSectionContents
• Add "title" to SectionContent object, which will be used in visible areas to display contents name.
• It should be possible to catch the "activeTabChanged" signal for EXTERN_API users
• Add API function to set an SC as active-tab
• Move all lookup maps into ContainterWidget as non-static members, otherwise we can not have the same SC name inside another ContainerWidget instance. The uniqueness of a SectionContainer needs to be restricted to its parent ContainerWidget, not global!

Some day...

• Drop indicator images should be fully visible over the DropOverlay rectangle
• Pin contents: Pins a content and its title widget to the edge and opens on click/hover as long as it has focus
• API: Make it possible to use custom drop images
• API: Add possibility to make a SectionContent element floatable (ContainerWidget::setFloating(SectionContent*)?)

Notes

• SectionContent class may safe a "size-type" property, which defines how the size of the widget should be handled.
  • PerCent: Resize in proportion to other widgets.
  • Fixed: Width or height are fixed (based on orientation).

Handle content drops (Sizing)

• Case: Dropping A to the bottom or top of B (vertical split):

  • A will use the width of B
  • A will use it's own height, if it is not greater than the half height of B. Otherwise it will use the half height of B.

• Case: Dropping A to the left or right of B (horizontal split)

  • ... Same as before, but swap the words "height" with "width" :-)

• Case: Dropping A to the outer top or bottom edge (full vertical split):

  • A will use the full width of the container
  • A will use it's own height, if it is not greater than the half height of the entire container. Otherwise it will use the half height of the container.

• Case: Dropping A to the outer left or right edge (full horizontal split):

  • ... Same as before, but swap the words "height" with "width" :-)