Controls hidden when creating a screen

[Eric Johannsen]

Hi,

I'm trying to create a UI screen along with its associated UI controls through automation and place them on a new diagram.  The controls are created just fine, but when I build the diagram, they seem to be "behind" the screen.  If I select them in the Project Browser and do "Locate in current diagram" I can see the arrow-shaped grab bar for the UI control in question, but he UI control itself remains hidden.

I can see no way in the API to change the Z-Order of the controls on the diagram, though I add them to the diagram in a way that seems logical... first I create the screen, then add the screen to the diagram, then create the first UI control, then add it to the diagram, then create the second UI control, ...

I'm using EA 6.5.805.

This is reproducable with a small sample app:

Code: [Select]


namespace Canonic.EAPlugin.DocumentParser
{
   class Testbed
   {

       public void MakeScreen(EA.Repository rep)
       {
           EA.Package pack = rep.GetTreeSelectedPackage();
           EA.Diagram diag = (EA.Diagram)pack.Diagrams.AddNew("Test UI Diagram", "Logical");
           diag.Update();

           EA.Element screen = (EA.Element)pack.Elements.AddNew("My Test Screen", "Screen");
           pack.Update();
           screen.Notes = "My Notes";
           screen.Update();

           string screenPosition = "l=100;t=100;r=600;b=700";

           EA.DiagramObject diagObjScreen =
               (EA.DiagramObject)diag.DiagramObjects.AddNew(screenPosition, "");
           diagObjScreen.ElementID = screen.ElementID;
           diagObjScreen.Update();

           CreateControl(screen, diag, "Label One", "label", 110, 200, 110, 120);
           CreateControl(screen, diag, "Textbox One", "textbox", 210, 300, 110, 120);
           CreateControl(screen, diag, "Label One", "label", 110, 200, 210, 220);
           CreateControl(screen, diag, "Textbox One", "textbox", 210, 300, 210, 220);

           CreateControl(screen, diag, "Button One", "button", 150, 180, 300, 320);

       }

       private void CreateControl(EA.Element screen, EA.Diagram diag, string name, string stereotype,
           int l, int r, int t, int b)
       {
           EA.Element ctl = null;

           ctl = (EA.Element)screen.Elements.AddNew(name, "UI Control");
           screen.Update();
           ctl.Stereotype = stereotype;
           ctl.Update();

           StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder();
           sb.AppendFormat("l={0};r={1};", l, r).AppendFormat("t={0};b={1};", t, b);
           string controlPosition = sb.ToString();

           EA.DiagramObject diagObjCtl =
               (EA.DiagramObject)diag.DiagramObjects.AddNew(controlPosition, "");
           diagObjCtl.ElementID = ctl.ElementID;
           diagObjCtl.Update();

           diag.Update();
       }
   }
}


Thanks!

Eric

[Eve]

If you look at the help page for DiagramObject you'll see that Sequence controls Z-order.

[Eric Johannsen]

Does a Sequence of "0" or "1" have any special meaning, or do you just compare the relative numbers?

[Eric Johannsen]

I modified my test code to set the sequence and still get the same result.  Any thoughts on what I'm doing wrong still?

Eric

Code: [Select]


   class Testbed
   {
       private int zorder = 1;

       public void MakeScreen(EA.Repository rep)
       {
           zorder = 1;

           EA.Package pack = rep.GetTreeSelectedPackage();
           EA.Diagram diag = (EA.Diagram)pack.Diagrams.AddNew("Test UI Diagram", "Logical");
           diag.Update();

           EA.Element screen = (EA.Element)pack.Elements.AddNew("My Test Screen", "Screen");
           pack.Update();
           screen.Notes = "My Notes";
           screen.Update();

           string screenPosition = "l=100;t=100;r=600;b=700";

           EA.DiagramObject diagObjScreen =
               (EA.DiagramObject)diag.DiagramObjects.AddNew(screenPosition, "");
           diagObjScreen.ElementID = screen.ElementID;
           diagObjScreen.Sequence = zorder++;
           diagObjScreen.Update();

           CreateControl(screen, diag, "Label One", "label", 110, 200, 110, 120);
           CreateControl(screen, diag, "Textbox One", "textbox", 210, 300, 110, 120);
           CreateControl(screen, diag, "Label One", "label", 110, 200, 210, 220);
           CreateControl(screen, diag, "Textbox One", "textbox", 210, 300, 210, 220);

           CreateControl(screen, diag, "Button One", "button", 150, 180, 300, 320);

       }

       private void CreateControl(EA.Element screen, EA.Diagram diag, string name, string stereotype,
           int l, int r, int t, int b)
       {
           EA.Element ctl = null;

           ctl = (EA.Element)screen.Elements.AddNew(name, "UI Control");
           screen.Update();
           ctl.Stereotype = stereotype;
           ctl.Update();

           StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder();
           sb.AppendFormat("l={0};r={1};", l, r).AppendFormat("t={0};b={1};", t, b);
           string controlPosition = sb.ToString();

           EA.DiagramObject diagObjCtl =
               (EA.DiagramObject)diag.DiagramObjects.AddNew(controlPosition, "");
           diagObjCtl.ElementID = ctl.ElementID;
           diagObjCtl.Sequence = zorder++;
           diagObjCtl.Update();

           diag.Update();
       }
   }


[Aaron B]

The sequence position when loading into diagram (affects Z order). The Z-order is one-based and the lowest value is in the foreground.

According to the documentation, the lowest value is in the foreground, so it looks like you need to do your sequence numbering in the opposite direction.  I.e. Start with a higher zorder value and do '--' instead of '++'.

[«Midnight»]

Eric,

I've not studied your code in depth, nor have I tried it out, but here's a possibility.

Try calling screen.Elements.Refresh(); right after ctl.Update();

This might cause EA to update it's internal (memory) list of Elements. I cannot say for sure it this will work, but give it a shot.

David

[Eric Johannsen]

SOLUTION:

I just had to set the zorder correctly.  There was no need to call screen.Elements.Refresh();

Thanks for everyone's help!