Menus and dialog boxes

[tester]

Is there any way to add a menu to an SFML window? And is it possible to show dialog boxes with control elements on them? If no, is it possible to get the platform dependent data for the window (in Windows: HWND)?

[Laurent]

No, no and no. Sorry :wink:

[tester]

Why not? How shall I create my menus now?

[Mindiell]

Have a look to GUIs

[Nexus]

Why not?

Because developping a GUI library involves a huge effort. Currently, there are more important, multimedia-related basic features to implement in SFML 2.

[tester]

Because developping a GUI library involves a huge effort. Currently, there are more important, multimedia-related basic features to implement in SFML 2.

Well, I can of course understand why SFML doen't support it directly. But there should be at least a function to get the platform-dependent data of a window. Something like:

Code: [Select]

class Window
{
#ifdef WIN32
    HWND GetHwnd();
#elif defined UNIX
    UnixSomething1 GetThisStuff();
    UnixSomething2 GetThatStuff();
#elif ...
    ...
#endif
};In this case, even if certain functions are not supported, the programmer can still use them by working with the native frameworks of their operation system.

[panithadrum]

Because developping a GUI library involves a huge effort. Currently, there are more important, multimedia-related basic features to implement in SFML 2.

Well, I can of course understand why SFML doen't support it directly. But there should be at least a function to get the platform-dependent data of a window. Something like:

Code: [Select]

class Window
{
#ifdef WIN32
    HWND GetHwnd();
#elif defined UNIX
    UnixSomething1 GetThisStuff();
    UnixSomething2 GetThatStuff();
#elif ...
    ...
#endif
};In this case, even if certain functions are not supported, the programmer can still use them by working with the native frameworks of their operation system.

I agree, but this also makes the API a bit more complicated. Let's read Laurent reply.

[Mindiell]

The problem is that your app is no loosing compatibility... Why use SFML therefore ?

What do you want to do exactly ?
Can't you use an existent GUI ?
EDIT : What about Qt or wxWidget ?

[Laurent]

I agree, but this also makes the API a bit more complicated. Let's read Laurent reply.

It's a very simple function to write. It doesn't exist for design reasons, not technical ones.

The problem is that your app is no loosing compatibility... Why use SFML therefore ?

Not everybody wants to write cross-platform programs

[Mindiell]

Not everybody wants to write cross-platform programs

Gasp !  :shock:

[tester]

The problem is that your app is no loosing compatibility... Why use SFML therefore ?

What do you want to do exactly ?
Can't you use an existent GUI ?
EDIT : What about Qt or wxWidget ?

Well, I do want to write a game, yes. A GUI is not the primary goal, so Qt or wxWidgets are not necessary. It's just that Windows users don't want to enter command line parameters to configure the game options. That's why I would add a native menu and some modal dialog boxes to the Windows version. The game would still be platform independent since I'd enclose every Windows-specific stuff with #ifdef WIN32. And it would still behave identical on every operation system, only that the Windows users have a menu above the window and Linux users don't and need to use command line parameters to change options.
That's similar to the NES emulator FCE Ultra: Compile it as a native Windows and DirectX version and you get a typical Windows interface with a menu and dialog boxes. Compile it as the SDL version and, in Windows and Linux alike, you only have that crappy standard window and you have to enter the options at the command line. Everything from the same source package and with the same configure script.

But it's o.k. I found out a way to do the menu anyway: I'll just use EnumWindows, GetWindowThreadProcessId and GetCurrentProcessId. That will give me the application window as a HWND.

[Mindiell]

And what about a menu inside the SFML window ?
With one of the multipe existing GUIs projects ?

With this solution, the menu will be inside the window, but all the app will be the same on each platform and need only one project and no specific platform things...

[tester]

In this case you wouldn't have the correct look-and-feel. If I intended to use a GUI inside the game area, I would program my own stuff anyway. After all, it won't be much: Keyboard input, screen resolution etc.

[Mindiell]

As you wish, and good luck

[tester]

O.k., I did the menu now, but then I remembered that I somehow have to catch the events. That's why here's my next question: Does SFML provide anything like that?

Code: [Select]

SDL_EventState(SDL_SYSWMEVENT, SDL_ENABLE);

switch (event.type)
{
case SDL_SYSWMEVENT:
switch (event.syswm.msg->msg)
{
case WM_COMMAND:
if (LOWORD(event.syswm.msg->wParam) == ID_MENU_ITEM)
{
// ...
}
break;
}
break;
}