How to Add Multiple Tabs to a Dockable Window

[Anonymous]

More detail in the picture below.

I am wondering if it is possible to attach multiple tabs to a single Dockable Window. For my use, I am getting multiple txt files which I would like to have separate, however having a separate window for each txt file will quickly clutter the screen. Is it possible to group all of them into one?

(In the picture below, I am essentially looking to create "tab_2", "tab_3", etc.  all within the same Dockable Window)

[bradeneuropeArthur]

you can create a dockable window for each of them.

1 for the one

1 for the other.

regards,

[bradeneuropeArthur]

Or you can add a user control with tabs to the Dockable window of course.

Regrads

[Anonymous]

Of course, but this doesn't solve my problem. I want to avoid clutter, as I stated in the original post.

Say I have just 4 windows:

Now what happens if I have more? The part will barely be seen. I would like to group them into ONE dockable window, as stated.

To answer your post below, I want to know if this is possible within the Inventor API and not Win Forms, for cleanliness. The Inventor window already looks like it has space for more tabs so I would like to keep the interaction up there, and not create essentially 2 headers - one from Inventor (the "1", "2", etc above) and one from Win Forms (more tabs). 
If that's the route I have to go then I will, but for now I would like to know if it's possible to group them within Inventor.

[Anonymous]

@bradeneuropeArthur 

Take a look at the picture below. I see it is possible with the mouse to accomplish this. So I am wondering if I can do this with code.

[bradeneuropeArthur]

1. For inventor you can only add one control to a dockable window.

The picture shows separate dockable windows but stacked...

This is possible of course!

Regards 

[Anonymous]

Oh ok! I read that, but I originally took it to mean one control per tab - (this is not very clear: for example, in the picture above, I have one textbox per dockable window, so I took it to mean I cannot have two textboxes within that same window).

So is it possible to stack those separate dockable windows through the API?

[bradeneuropeArthur]

You can have more then one textboxes in a dockable window, sure.

You can only have on Control in the Dockable window.

Example:

Add one User-control/or Win-Form to the Dockable window.

And add as many textboxes as you need.

As already noticed earlier, you can also add a tab for each Textbox as you may prefer.

Regards,

[Dev_rim]

Hi Philip,

we add tabs on dockable windows with DockableWindow.AddChild method.  I tried a few moths ago add more then one User Control in single dockable window. But we cant add more then one child for a dockable window. And Inventor API help says,

"Method that adds a dialog or a control to the dockable window. Currently, you can only add a single child to a dockable window. So this method returns a failure if the dockable window already has a child. It is the responsibility of the client to destroy the dialog/control as and when appropriate."
So I think that's the reason why you cant do that...

Regards.

[bradeneuropeArthur]

Hi,

The only option is to add Tabs to your User Control.

And then add your textboxes to these tabs.......

Regards,

[Dev_rim]

You're right. Also we can close title bar of dockable window. 

oDockableWindow.ShowTitleBar = False

For better view...

Regards,

[Anonymous]

Thank you for all the replies.

Yes, I recall reading this in the API, only one child per dockable window. However now, strangely, since I have grouped the tabs together by mouse (as in my last picture), now every time I run the program, all the output is grouped into a single dockable window. Maybe it goes with the last used configuration? I'm not sure. But now, by accident, I am getting the desired behaviour, at least on my local machine.

[bradeneuropeArthur]

Hi,

What you see now is multiple Dockable Windows.

But these Dockable Windows are stacked.

You are mis-interpreting the situation on the screen, I think

Regards,

[Anonymous]

I see, I am just using the wrong terminology. Thanks for clearing that up.

Therefore, rephrased: I actually don't care about having a single dockable window, but having each window I create stacked together. Is it possible to do this consistently through Inventor? 

The program doesn't seem to care now whether I use kDockLastKnown or kDockLeft as the docking state - in each case they are grouped together. I guess now I am wondering how to make it so that they are un-grouped; I just want to know how to control the stacking myself without using the mouse.

[bradeneuropeArthur]

Hi,

Do I understand correct:

You need a code that stacks and a code that un-stacks the Dockable Windows?

Creating the Dockable windows is not the issue for you?

Regards,

[Anonymous]

@bradeneuropeArthur 

Yes! This exactly.

[Anonymous]

(bump for visibility)

[bradeneuropeArthur]

Maybe this:

 For Each d As Inventor.DockableWindow In m_inventorApplication.ActiveView
                d.Width = 0
 Next

[julian_sol]

Does anyone now if in Inventor 2022 you can stack dockablewindows (by code) already?

[g.georgiades]

Hi,

The answer is maybe yes, but it can be extremely buggy/inconsistent because it was implemented poorly... You may be able to achieve what you want, but it may take a lot of trial and error.

See GetDockingState/SetDockingState of the DockableWindow object.

https://help.autodesk.com/view/INVNTOR/2022/ENU/?guid=GUID-BBE4333E-494C-463E-BD49-DD7298C4834D

Here is an example picture from my testing last year where it was creating ghost windows. Moving viewframe tabs around has similar issues.