nanogui: Thread: Drawing Targets

Hi all,

This is probably a really stupid idea, but please feel free to shoot me
down in flames anyway.

I want to write an application, like a window manager sort of thing....
And i want to link it against other applications and when said routine
that is linked against "me" is called, it is called with a parameter
that points to a Graphics Area (Gc4, for example) and then said linked
routine can plot into that routine, calling all sorts of fancy Nano-X
functions to find out the bit-depth, and dimentions of that Graphics
Area.  Sound sane so far?

Think WinCE. Think the WinCE window. Applications plot to the screen,
minus the taskbar, not to the entire screen. I want similar to that,
except the applications are linked into the server and the size of that
"window" is variable depending what the server draws for it.  Make
sense? Can I do it?

	-Darran

--
 Darran D. Rimron            European Research & Development Manager
Real Data Services, 117-119 Marlborough Road, Romford, Essex, RM7 8AR
 ####@####.####                      http://www.getreal.co.uk/
 Phone:44-1708-70-44-33 Fax:44-1708-74-88-59 Mobile:44-7931-37-59-39

: Think WinCE. Think the WinCE window. Applications plot to the screen,
: minus the taskbar, not to the entire screen. I want similar to that,
: except the applications are linked into the server and the size of that
: "window" is variable depending what the server draws for it.  Make
: sense? Can I do it?

I'm confused:  aren't you just talking about a window id?  And applications
never assume anything but call GrGet* functions before drawing?

Regards,

Greg

> I'm confused:  aren't you just talking about a window id?
> And applications never assume anything but call GrGet*
> functions before drawing?

To a lesser extent, yes -- but what I need to do is stop the application
seeig anything parent to it's own window, therefore spoofing to the
application that the window it is in is actually the parent (root?)
window of an empty screen.... (ie, for example, write a parent app that
calls a modified version nterm.c in one window and, ok, um, say world.c
in another, yes?)

	-Darran

--
 Darran D. Rimron            European Research & Development Manager
Real Data Services, 117-119 Marlborough Road, Romford, Essex, RM7 8AR
 ####@####.####                      http://www.getreal.co.uk/
 Phone:44-1708-70-44-33 Fax:44-1708-74-88-59 Mobile:44-7931-37-59-39

: To a lesser extent, yes -- but what I need to do is stop the application
: seeig anything parent to it's own window, therefore spoofing to the
: application that the window it is in is actually the parent (root?)
: window of an empty screen.... (ie, for example, write a parent app that
: calls a modified version nterm.c in one window and, ok, um, say world.c
: in another, yes?)

Ahhh, you want session management...  This could be performed
by creating "session" windows that are no-border no-display
windows that are all z-order stacked on top of the real root window.
Then, whenever a new application is requested with a top-level
window, instead of creating it like the session windows with the
parent as the real root window, GrSetParent is called, to reparent
the new window onto one of the session windows.  To switch
sessions, just GrRaiseWindow the session window to the top
of the z order, and all it's children (now known as applications)
will be viewable....

A couple new API's for newing a session, and switching sessions,
and it's a done deal...

Regards,

Greg

Greg,

> Ahhh, you want session management...  This could be performed
> by creating "session" windows that are no-border no-display
> windows that are all z-order stacked on top of the real root window.
> Then, whenever a new application is requested with a top-level
> window, instead of creating it like the session windows with the
> parent as the real root window, GrSetParent is called, to reparent
> the new window onto one of the session windows.  To switch
> sessions, just GrRaiseWindow the session window to the top
> of the z order, and all it's children (now known as applications)
> will be viewable....

Sounds like that's what I want.  With the added advantage of creating a
"session window" for every "application" and allowing me to "task swap"
something I never thought of.... If a window is "hidden" the
"application" can still run and write to the invisible screen. Groovey.

> A couple new API's for newing a session, and switching sessions,
> and it's a done deal...

Well, I don't need this exactly now, just shouting off ideas as they pop
up so people can help me re-structure my ideas into logic.  I'll look
into writing the APIs when I need them, unless someone beats me to it
(we can but hope)

	-Darran
--
Darran D. Rimron -=- Madness takes it toll please have exact change
European Research & Development Manager - http://www.getreal.co.uk/
Phone:44-1708-70-44-33 Fax:44-1708-74-88-59 Mobile:44-7931-37-59-39
Beaten paths are for beaten men...     Bus Overflow Error Use Taxis