I'm programming in Delphi (BDS 2006) and the JVCL library, using the docking modules. I have one problem - if the control has properties DragKind = dkDock and DragMode = dmAutomatic, then inexplicably TJvDockServer component takes the controls are both clients and provides docking. This is wrong, because, as I found out, JVCL's docking functions normally only control class TForm which contain a component class TJvDockClient. I would like to know whether it is possible in some way to prevent TJvDockServer from docking controls whose class is different from TForm? During a typical docking in Delphi for each event is called OnGetSiteInfo dock and it is possible to filter clients, but there is no such event in TJvDockServer.
2 Answers
The property DragKind and DragMode are standard VCL properties. Docking is built into the VCL, and from looking at it, it seems to work pretty good without any Jedi Code involved.
The ability to dock something other than a form, is already built into the VCL. Therefore that you find this inexplicable suggests to me that you thought Jedi added docking to the VCL. No, it just added some pretty things like "tabbed notebook docking" and "conjoined areas" with fake window titlebars.
That being said, Forms are also inheriting from TCustomControl, and any TCustomControl can in fact, be docked. And just like the VCl lets you drag and dock and land on top of TPanels. Okay it's a quirky feature, that your panel can turn into a form on you at runtime, but if you don't believe me, try it. It's the VCL doing this to you, not Jedi.
If in your wisdom, you want to block anything that is not a TForm, I thought that you can. Surely you can right? Update. Yes you can. OnDockOver works fine to block docking on any panel you want to block docking on. The trick with the Jedi JvDockPanels is that you don't see them at designtime, so you need to access their events by hooking them up in code, at runtime.
Just like regular TPanels, JvDockPanels have a TPanel.OnDockOver event, and if you want to check the thing you're docking, and set the Accept to false, it will be prevented from docking.
Okay, this works:
type
TCustomControlAccess = class(TCustomControl);
procedure TMainForm.FormCreate(Sender: TObject);
begin
TCustomControlAccess(dockServer.TopDockPanel).OnDockOver := MyDockOverEvent;
TCustomControlAccess(dockServer.CustomDockPanel).OnDockOver := MyDockOverEvent;
...
end;
The JvDockPanel.OnDockOver panel events DO fire, but you need to resort to a hack like the above hack, to actually handle the events yourself.
Update previously thought there was no way to block this. But I was wrong. Figured it out.
while i cannot reproduce exactly your behaviour in Delphi XE2, generally i seem manage to block VCL-frag-n-drop for JediVCL components.
Maybe it is not the best possible way, but i don't know which were original ideas of the framework creator.
http://wiki.delphi-jedi.org/wiki/JVCL_Help:TJvDockServer claims only forms should be docked. Did not enforced that, just hardwired JVCL check routine to be always called.
unit JvDockSupportControl;
....
TJvDockCustomControl = class(TJvCustomControl)
....
protected
procedure GetSiteInfo(Client: TControl; var InfluenceRect: TRect;
MousePos: TPoint; var CanDock: Boolean); override;
...........
function TJvDockCustomControl.GetJvDockManager: IJvDockManager;
begin
// Result := IJvDockManager(DockManager);
DockManager.QueryInterface(IJvDockManager, Result);
end;
procedure TJvDockCustomControl.GetSiteInfo(Client: TControl; var InfluenceRect: TRect; MousePos: TPoint; var CanDock: Boolean);
var jdm: IJvDockManager; idm: IDockManager;
begin
idm := DockManager;
if nil <> idm then
idm.QueryInterface(IJvDockManager, jdm);
if nil = jdm
then CanDock := false
else jdm.GetSiteInfo(Client,InfluenceRect, MousePos, CanDock);
end;
unit JvDockTree;
.....
procedure TJvDockTree.GetSiteInfo(Client: TControl;
var InfluenceRect: TRect; MousePos: TPoint; var CanDock: Boolean);
begin
CanDock := IsDockable(DockSite, Client);
If CanDock then begin
GetWindowRect(DockSite.Handle, InfluenceRect);
InflateRect(InfluenceRect, DefExpandoRect, DefExpandoRect);
end;
end;