Popup window with focus inside.

[balabuev 102]

Still understand nothing. What is "viewer"?

[Pat Foley 51]

Sorry viewer = "UI" "UX".  Correctly the term should be viewport.  Memo1.text  :=    'Allows this text to be viewed'

 

Since the CB has a text and dropdown we need pass string and strings to keep it updated.  The improvement is

rather than passing the information each time.  We simply update using the references provided in the creation of form.

 

I suspect some programs use timers to provide updates.  I will try to improve naming of the examples say 30 hours out.

 

    

[balabuev 102]

Combo box drop-down window is not a pure "viewport". The user can actively interact with it using mouse (which is outside of the discussed topic) and keyboard. So, the user can press Up/Down arrow keys to change selected item in opened drop-down.

So, from the user perspective (*) drop-down window is focused. Even in simple standard combo box.

 

(*) User - means simple user, not technically educated. For him, the concept of focus is - simply the area, which reacts to key presses.

[Pat Foley 51]

Quote

drop-down window is focused. Even in simple standard combo box.

Most users do not know that they can edit in combo box but they do know that they can see old 'text messages' with dropdown.  It depends on purpose in application.     

[balabuev 102]

5 minutes ago, Pat Foley said:

Most users do not know that they can edit in combo box

1) I did not said "edit". I've said - press Up/Down arrow keys to change selected item.

2) I did not said "in combo box". Instead I've said - in currently opened drop-down.

 

That's a big difference in logic.

[Pat Foley 51]

Quote

1) I did not said "edit". I've said - press Up/Down arrow keys to change selected item.

2) I did not said "in combo box". Instead I've said - in currently opened drop-down.

 

That's a big difference in logic.

Good points.  Where I am the users don't use keyboards or even have them in some rooms. the application writes messages to combo boxes.  So over the years forgot some applications would allow user to change information in a combo box.     

[balabuev 102]

So, returning to the idea, I've formulated for you:

 

1) The user sees "focused" opened drop-down window.

2) And the main form is "active" at the same time.

 

And, this violates following your proposal:

23 hours ago, Pat Foley said:

focus on active window is best

 

Edited January 5, 2021 by balabuev

[Pat Foley 51]

These forms show using CB items being created once referred then after.
Showing the CB dropdown using messages.
Using the CB to navigate other forms using only one list.
Most of it is done by creating the ancillary form(s) in runtime.

 

unit mainFocused;

interface

uses
  Winapi.Windows, Winapi.Messages, System.SysUtils, System.Variants, System.Classes, Vcl.Graphics,
  Vcl.Controls, Vcl.Forms, Vcl.Dialogs, Vcl.StdCtrls;
type
  TForm1 = class(TForm)
    Button1: TButton;
    Button2: TButton;
    Edit1: TEdit;
    Memo1: TMemo;
    mainCB: TComboBox;
    procedure Button1Click(Sender: TObject);
    procedure FormClick(Sender: TObject);
    procedure FormMouseMove(Sender: TObject; Shift: TShiftState; X, Y: Integer);
    procedure Button2Click(Sender: TObject);
    procedure Memo1Change(Sender: TObject);
    procedure Edit1Change(Sender: TObject);
    procedure FormCreate(Sender: TObject);
    procedure mainCBChange(Sender: TObject);
  private
    { Private declarations }
  public
    { Public declarations }
    formsSL, Headings: Tstrings;
    destructor Destroy; override;
  end;

var
  Form1: TForm1;

implementation
uses
  formAncillary;
{$R *.dfm}

procedure TForm1.Button1Click(Sender: TObject);
begin
  Headings.text := edit1.Text;
  UF.IniZ(self, formsSL, Headings);
end;

procedure TForm1.Button2Click(Sender: TObject);
var
  I,C: integer;
  F: TForm;
  Ctrl: Tcontrol;
begin
  with Screen do begin
    for I := 0 to formCount - 1 do // downto 0 do
      begin
        F := Forms[I];
        for C := 0 to F.ComponentCount - 1 do
          if F.Components[C] is TCombobox then
            begin
              Ctrl := F.Components[C] as Tcontrol;
              F.Show;
              Ctrl.parent.Show;
              Ctrl.Show;
              caption := F.Name;
              sleep(20);
              Ctrl.Perform(CB_ShowdropDown,1,0);
              application.ProcessMessages;
              sleep(1200);
              Ctrl.Perform(CB_ShowdropDown,0,0);
              application.ProcessMessages;
              Break;
            end;
    end;
    Headings.Text := Headings.Text + format(' %d',[I]);//I.ToString;
  end;
end;
destructor TForm1.Destroy;
var
  I: integer;
begin
  onclick := nil;
  with Screen do begin
    for I := formCount - 1 downto 0 do
      begin
        Forms[I].close;
      end;
  end;
end;

procedure TForm1.Edit1Change(Sender: TObject);
begin
  Headings.Text := Edit1.Text;
end;

procedure TForm1.FormClick(Sender: TObject);
begin
  Caption := 'clicked by ' + (Sender as TForm).Name;
  Self.Show;
  Button1.SetFocus;
end;

procedure TForm1.FormCreate(Sender: TObject);
begin
  Headings := TStringList.Create;
  formsSL := mainCB.items; //borrowing created list
  formsSL.Add(self.Name);
end;

procedure TForm1.FormMouseMove(Sender: TObject; Shift: TShiftState; X,
  Y: Integer);
begin
  Caption := 'Mouse over ' +  (Sender as Tcontrol).Name;
end;

procedure TForm1.mainCBChange(Sender: TObject);
var
  I: integer;
  S: String;
begin
  for I := 0 to Screen.FormCount - 1 do begin
    S := mainCB.Items[mainCB.ItemIndex];
    if S <> Screen.Forms[I].name then
      continue
    else
      Screen.Forms[I].show;
  end;
end;

procedure TForm1.Memo1Change(Sender: TObject);
begin
  beep;
end;

end.

Runtime created

unit formAncillary;

interface

uses
  Winapi.Windows, Winapi.Messages, System.SysUtils, System.Variants, System.Classes, Vcl.Graphics,
  Vcl.Controls, Vcl.Forms, Vcl.Dialogs, Vcl.StdCtrls, Vcl.ExtCtrls;

type
  TfrmAncillary = class(TForm)
    Button1: TButton;
    Image2: TImage;
    remoteCB: TComboBox;
    procedure Button1Click(Sender: TObject);
    procedure remoteCBChange(Sender: TObject);
    procedure remoteCBDropDown(Sender: TObject);
  private
    { Private declarations }
  public
    { Public declarations }
    myHeadings,
    myLines: Tstrings;
    rfrmBoss: TForm;
    procedure IncomingTextUpdate(Sender: TObject);
    procedure ForwardFocus(Sender: TObject);
    procedure IniZ(bossForm: TForm; someLines, Headings: Tstrings);
  end;

var
  UF : TfrmAncillary;

implementation

{$R *.dfm}

procedure TfrmAncillary.Button1Click(Sender: TObject);
begin
  beep;
end;

procedure TfrmAncillary.remoteCBChange(Sender: TObject);
var
  I: integer;
  S: String;
begin
  for I := 0 to Screen.FormCount - 1 do begin
    S := remoteCB.Items[remoteCB.ItemIndex];
    if S <> Screen.Forms[I].name then
      continue
    else
      Screen.Forms[I].show;
  end;
end;

procedure TfrmAncillary.remoteCBDropDown(Sender: TObject);
begin
  remoteCB.Items := myLines;
  remoteCB.Text := myHeadings.Text;
end;

procedure TfrmAncillary.ForwardFocus(Sender: TObject);
begin
  rfrmBoss.OnClick(self);
end;

procedure TfrmAncillary.IncomingTextUpdate(Sender: TObject);
begin
  remoteCB.Invalidate;
end;

procedure TfrmAncillary.IniZ(bossForm: TForm; someLines, Headings: Tstrings);
begin
  Application.CreateForm(TfrmAncillary, UF);
    with UF do
      begin
        mylines := someLines;
        myHeadings := Headings;
        remoteCB.Items := someLines;
        name := 'UF_' + Screen.FormCount.ToString;
        myLines.Add(name);
        Caption := name;
        setbounds(10,20,360,270);
        rfrmBoss := bossForm;
        onclick := ForwardFocus;
        onmousedown := nil;
        onmouseMove := bossForm.OnMouseMove;
        Color := RGB(random(255),random(255),random(255));
        show;
    end;
end;
end.

 

[balabuev 102]

I see nothing interesting in your code. You still not even trying to explain what exactly you want to show? At least, how this code should be used step by step, and what should we see as a result?

Just for fun: attach zipped sources.

[Pat Foley 51]

 

Here's a screen shot of code realized.