Re: [gnome-db] I'm still alive and here

[Dru <andru treshna com>]

Vivien Malerba wrote:

> On Sat, 19 Mar 2005 20:55:38 +1300, Dru <andru treshna com> wrote:
>  
>
> > Rodrigo Moya wrote:
> >
> >    
> >
> > > On Fri, 2005-03-18 at 12:32 +1300, Dru wrote:
> > >
> > >
> > >      
> [...]
>  
>
> > I'm currently working on updating my gtk support and removing
> > everything thats depreciated from my projects.  Has anyone
> > had experence with GtkComboBox? I'm finding it less friendly
> > than the older GtkCombo code with lots of little issues.  Has
> > anyone else used it in databases and know how to make
> > combo boxes more user friendly to people who spend there
> > entire day entering records.  I modify the listings a lot
> > before display so i am not really interested in using something
> > that binds directly to a database object.
> >    
>
> Just for information, I wrote the GnomeDbCombo widget with the purpose
> of displaying and remaining up to date with a GdaDataModel contents
> (which can be modifed in any way you want). That widget does not by
> itself allow modifications to the GdaDataModel, but that could be
> added.
>  
I'm still trying to work though my ComboBox problems.

I've found a header for GtkDbCombo and going though it now.
I dont know what it looks on the screen, any apps you can think
of the top of your head that use it? I will give it a try it

Heres my current rant of GtkComboBox/GtkComboBoxEntry problems
from a database user perspective. Sorry for whinning so much. 
I dont like been beaten by a problem.  If GtkDbCombo doesnt some of these
issues let me know.

GtkComboEntry issues are:
* Does not do selection, you dont know what at all you have selected in 
the list.
The popup list does not scroll to currently selected cell.  This is 
proberly
the biggest thing that makes GtkComboEntry unuseable.
* Takes 2 tab stops when it should be one. I can work around this with 
signals.
* Difficult to work with autocompletion to jump to record. (I tried using
GtkEntryCompletion but very slow and segfaults on UTF-8). I think i will 
try GCompletion next)
* If you type a value into the GtkEntry that matchs a list item. it 
doesnt recongise
what you have selected in that list item.  This is a debatable if its a 
good or bad
thing and i can work around it.
* Entry box should retain focus after selection not the list activiation 
button.
* UTF-8 causes a few problems with blank population under some situations.

GtkComboBox issues are:
* Not keyboard input friendly, need to be able to start typing and it 
jumps to the row in a ComboBox.
(As you can do with other widgetsets like html). 
* For larger lists (20 + items) it looks unfriendly with it taking up 
all the veritical space.
* Shows blank space fillers when near window edge.
* The popup list covers up widgets above it. A person doing data entry may
often have to check back to what they typed into a field previsouly but
they can't see it because there pop up list covers what they type. (if 
list pops up
below it doesnt matter because they havn't filled in data below them yet)
* If you have a number of GtkComboBox's on the form close together the 
user very
quickly confuses them and has no idea on what field they are actually 
entering
data into.

I should really only use GtkComboBox for very small fixed record sets of 
less than 8
items but because GtkComboBoxEntry issues I'm trying to use it in places 
i shouldnt.

These items may seem minor, but if your doing a lot of data entry it is 
quite
critical.

Should I be writing my own widget using GtkEntry and GtkTreeView to 
accomplish
these things and works correctly? Try using GtkDbComboBox? Switch back 
to GtkCombo? 
Or try make GtkComboBox/ComboBoxEntry work correctly?