Scrollable Text Input?

[tmiranda]

How do I create a text input area that scrolls instead of disappearing off the right side of the text input box? I've tried various combinations of scrolling and wrapping in the properties for the panel that holds the text input area all to avail.

What am I doing wrong?

[BobPhoenix]

Originally Posted by tmiranda

How do I create a text input area that scrolls instead of disappearing off the right side of the text input box? I've tried various combinations of scrolling and wrapping in the properties for the panel that holds the text input area all to avail.

What am I doing wrong?

The only way I've ever done it is to create two fields. Then delete a character from the left and put it in the second field as characters are added to the right end of the visible field. Then do the opposite when characters are deleted from the right.

[PLUCKYHD]

Originally Posted by BobPhoenix

The only way I've ever done it is to create two fields. Then delete a character from the left and put it in the second field as characters are added to the right end of the visible field. Then do the opposite when characters are deleted from the right.

There are 2 ways to do this. I do it in smm list view if you want to look at that.

Basically I grow a panel and clip it with a repeating scrolling animation.

Or you can make a panel and send scroll commands to it.

Cutting text off one at a time doesn't scroll very well in my experience.

If you need more details let me know.

[tmiranda]

I'll need to experiment to see what works out better, thanks to both of you.

Good to know it wasn't me just missing something obvious. It shouldn't be so difficult to get text input!

[PLUCKYHD]

Originally Posted by tmiranda

I'll need to experiment to see what works out better, thanks to both of you.

Good to know it wasn't me just missing something obvious. It shouldn't be so difficult to get text input!

It's not difficult once you know how .

Just make sure your panel is scrolling horizontal or vertical and send the sagecommands to scroll that ui element. the hardest part is figuring out the math for it.

[tmiranda]

Originally Posted by PLUCKYHD

Basically I grow a panel and clip it with a repeating scrolling animation.

If you need more details let me know.

Can you show me a screen shot of the panel properties for this? I can't get it to work very well.

[PLUCKYHD]

Sure be tomorrow before I can get to it.

[tmiranda]

I appreciate it. I don't have your plugin installed or I'd go look at it myself.

[jaminben]

This is something that I've asked for before when version 7 was in private beta and it is possible like Plucky said above.......but be warned, its not all that impressive (my opinion).

Anyway here's how Narflex suggested doing it....

Originally Posted by Narflex

There's another alternative which would only require a minor update to the core to make it work properly (update done). I tested this out yesterday (and again now). What you do is make a horizontal scrolling panel which contains that text. Then you Fork() a thread elsewhere which sends Right/Left events to that component specifically to cause it to scroll. You'll then need to do things to make sure they can't navigate to that component (since scrollable components are focusable by default). This can then give you constant, smooth-scrolling text.

You can also use a variable to control the scrolling duration; and then set that to zero and send a bunch of Left events at once to scroll it back to the original position. You'll also need to ensure your Fork'd thread terminates itself somehow.

The main problem is that scrolling animations use a Quadratic timescale; which won't be smooth. But for the next build; the change we added was if you put an Attribute under a scrolling Panel or Table called "LinearScrolling" and set it to true; then it'll use a linear timescale so it all looks smooth. I got pretty good results with the tests I did. The attached screenshot showed the STV code I used for it. There were no attributes on that Text widget; and the Panel just add a normal size and Horizontal scrolling and a set scroll duration.

Enjoy!

I've made both a panel and table version and although they work they do tend to stutter.....there is also an extender limitation which might not end up looking that good since extenders use an integer coordinate system and a PC render uses floating point (not something that can be changed; the extender hardware only renders in integer coordinates).

This example is as good as I could get it but if you work something out which is better let me know..... just out of curiosity

Cheers

Ben

[tmiranda]

Thanks Ben,

I looked at the example and if I understand it properly it will scroll that large text string from left to right and then stop. Since what I want to do is use a text input panel does that mean I need to monitor every keystroke to determine if I need to scroll the panel right (when the user enters a character or presses the right key) or left (when the user erases a character or presses the left key)?

Do you need to set any special properties in the actual "Untitled" panel?

Tom

[jaminben]

Yes, if your using a panel you'd need to monitor the key strokes so you can push it back to the beginning and start over. As for the panel properties you'd need to set the scroll duration (about 350) and the drop down Animation to horizontal.....thats if I remember correctly.

I prefered using a table as you don't need to monitor anything..... it would naturally scroll around with table wrapping.

I believe Plucky uses a slightly different method so it maybe worth waiting to see what that is.

Cheers

Ben

[tmiranda]

Originally Posted by jaminben

I prefered using a table as you don't need to monitor anything..... it would naturally scroll around with table wrapping.

I never considered using a table for input. How do I go about doing that? Should the TextInput widget be a child of the Table widget or the TableComponent widget? Do I set the table to have 1 row and 1 column?

[jaminben]

Hmmm, I misread your post But in saying that it should still work with a table...... I've very quickly knocked this example up just to make sure we're talking about the samething?

If thats what your after let me know and I'll send over how I did it (in its very basic form).

Cheers

Ben

[tmiranda]

Yes, that's it!

[jaminben]

Sent you an email with some screenshots and instructions of how I made it.......its not perfect and maybe not the best method but it works

Cheers

Ben

[tmiranda]

Ben,

I received the email but have not looked at it yet. I appreciate the help.

Tom