Setting DefaultFocus for large list?

[evilpenguin]

How do you set the DefaultFocus for a very large list. In playing around with that it looks like it only apply to the subset of list items currently displayed on the screen?

For example say I have a list of numbers 1-10, but only 5 are showed on the screen at a time. How do I set the default focus to be 7?

[Opus4]

Look into the MenuNeedsDefaultFocus hook and/or use SetFocusForVariable("VarName", value) for the table item to receive focus.

- Andy

[jaminben]

I prefer doing it slightly differently, mainly because I like to be able to re-use the same method for other items which need to gain focus at various times in my screens.

FocusItem = GetDataFromTableVisiblePosition(GetUIComponentForVariable("UIValue", "MediaFiles"), 0, true)
     EnsureVisibilityForVariable("MediaItem", FocusItem, 0)
          SetFocusForVariable("MediaItem", FocusItem)

Where 0 in the first line gets the item I want to focus and "MediaItem" is the table compenent.

Just an alternative to Andys method.

[PLUCKYHD]

And a harder way

[jaminben]

Can't be that hard if I managed to work it out.... he's still going to have to use two out of those three lines so one additional one isn't going to make too much difference.

[PLUCKYHD]

Originally Posted by jaminben

Can't be that hard if I managed to work it out.... he's still going to have to use two out of those three lines so one additional one isn't going to make too much difference.

you don't have to use ensure focus only you want it in a certain spot. SetFocus will scroll the table if the item isn't visible

[jaminben]

Originally Posted by PLUCKYHD

you don't have to use ensure focus only you want it in a certain spot. SetFocus will scroll the table if the item isn't visible

You sure about that? SetFocus as far as I know will only focus items that are actually visable on screen at that time.....so seeing as his table is 5 items long and he needs to focus item 7 he's going to have to use EnsureFocus to make sure the item is visable before he can SetFocus to that item.

I think anyway

[Opus4]

Originally Posted by PLUCKYHD

SetFocus will scroll the table if the item isn't visible

Originally Posted by jaminben

You sure about that?

Yes - it is in the API docs and is how I use it.

- Andy

[jaminben]

Originally Posted by Opus4

Yes - it is in the API docs and is how I use it.

Ok, that put me in my place then

[PLUCKYHD]

Originally Posted by jaminben

Ok, that put me in my place then

Come on Andy you know Ben doesn't RTFM

[jaminben]

Originally Posted by PLUCKYHD

Come on Andy you know Ben doesn't RTFM

Hmmm, there's a manual? Where's that then?

[razrsharpe]

Originally Posted by PLUCKYHD

SetFocus will scroll the table if the item isn't visible

Originally Posted by jaminben

You sure about that? SetFocus as far as I know will only focus items that are actually visable on screen at that time.....

Originally Posted by Opus4

Yes - it is in the API docs and is how I use it.

what about if your trying to set focus to a scollable panel with lots of item widgets in it but not a table? This doesn't seem to work. The focus gets set to the correct item widget but the panel does not scroll to make it visible... If i arrow down (I am trying to set focus to the first item in the vertically scrollable panel when i am displaying the bottom of the list) then the panel scrolls and i can see the focused item....

EDIT: If I issue a SageCommand("Down"), then a SageCommand("Up") after the SetFocusForVariable(), i can work around it without any real noticable effects....

[bialio]

Originally Posted by jaminben

You sure about that? SetFocus as far as I know will only focus items that are actually visable on screen at that time.....so seeing as his table is 5 items long and he needs to focus item 7 he's going to have to use EnsureFocus to make sure the item is visable before he can SetFocus to that item.

I think anyway

My experience is aligned with jaminben - I almost always have to ensure visibility in order for focus things to work. But I don't have plain vanilla tables that are filled with buttons (only) for each cell, so maybe that's it.

btl.

[PLUCKYHD]

Originally Posted by bialio

My experience is aligned with jaminben - I almost always have to ensure visibility in order for focus things to work. But I don't have plain vanilla tables that are filled with buttons (only) for each cell, so maybe that's it.

btl.

Doesn't matter what the table is filled with it should scroll. I have seen the issue with panels like Razor but my tables allows scroll. The ensure is only used to set a certain position.

[Opus4]

About the only time I use EnsureVisibilityForVariable() is when I want an item to be in a specific location in the table; otherwise, SetFocusForVariable() should scroll the to-be-focused item into view if it isn't already in view.

I confirmed how this is supposed to work, so if you have an example of code where it isn't working, you should look into submitting it to SageTV.

- Andy

[PLUCKYHD]

Originally Posted by Opus4

About the only time I use EnsureVisibilityForVariable() is when I want an item to be in a specific location in the table; otherwise, SetFocusForVariable() should scroll the to-be-focused item into view if it isn't already in view.

I confirmed how this is supposed to work, so if you have an example of code where it isn't working, you should look into submitting it to SageTV.

- Andy

I found in most cases when it doesn't work you aren't passing the right variables at least for me that was the issue.

[jaminben]

If I get time over the weekend I will knock together an STVi for Sage to test because like bialio and by the sounds of it evilpenguin its not doing what its supposed to do. Sometimes I can get it too work but the majority of the time it doesn't unless the item I want to focus is on-screen at the time.

I'm glad I'm not the only one that has had problems with this and its the reason I was convinced I needed to use an EnsureVisability, I can even remember sending Plucky a screen shot of my code to check and by all accounts he said it should work....but it didn't.

[PLUCKYHD]

Originally Posted by jaminben

If I get time over the weekend I will knock together an STVi for Sage to test because like bialio and by the sounds of it evilpenguin its not doing what its supposed to do. Sometimes I can get it too work but the majority of the time it doesn't unless the item I want to focus is on-screen at the time.

I'm glad I'm not the only one that has had problems with this and its the reason I was convinced I needed to use an EnsureVisability, I can even remember sending Plucky a screen shot of my code to check and by all accounts he said it should work....but it didn't.

If you are constricting focus to a center or something it won't work.

[jaminben]

Originally Posted by PLUCKYHD

If you are constricting focus to a center or something it won't work.

No, it was just a general focus for an item in a table list not a fixed focus for a menu item.

EDIT

Of course the quick test menu I just made worked fine...I'll have to see if I can remember what I was doing before where it wouldn't work.

[jaminben]

I've come across my problem again with SetFocusForVariable() and am looking for some guidance. I've attached two screenshots, one shows the item I want to focus being on the screen at the time I push the button... this works. The next screenshot shows the item not on screen at the time I push the button and it doesn't work.

How can I get my table to scroll to the correct position / item? You'll have the ignore the CreateArray as that's just for demonstrating what I want to do.... the normal data which feeds my table (an Array of Hash's) just doesn't work which is why I thought about using an Attribute widget with TableRow as the Value and trying to reference this for the SetFocus.