Inserting a Doc/Frame/View in a dialog using a custom control

• Download demo project - 29 Kb
• Download source - 9 Kb

Introduction

MFC architecture is often based on Doc/View/Frame architecture. Sometimes, it may be useful to have a doc/view/frame architecture in a dialog frame, or a formview. For example, if we want to edit a file (text, image, table, ...) in a dialog, or whatever. The set of class presented here can be useful.

For the time being, I never seen a such architecture, it is why I decided to implement it. If you have to use it and have a bit of time, please add a comment at the bottom of this page and tell in which context you decided to use this code. I would be interested.

How That works

The class CDFVCtrl is a custom control. Its Create Method takes the following information:

• Parent pointer (dialog/formview/...), the ID of the custom control (defined with the dialog editor - see below)
• Doc/View/Frame class,
• style and extended style of the frame.

The custom control create a document template (CDFVDocTemplate). That allows us to benefit all the MFC implementation. Some of this implementation had to be reimplemented in order to satisfy our need. That's why we have the following class:

• CDFVDocument (base class: CDocument)
• CDFVFrameWnd (base class: CFrameWnd)
• CDFVDocTemplate (base class: CSingleDocTemplate)

How to use it

Files needed:

• DFVDocument.h and DFVDocument.cpp
• DFVFrameWnd.h and DFVFrameWnd.cpp
• DFVDocTemplate.h and DFVDocTemplate.cpp
• DFVCtrl.h and DFVCtrl.cpp

Of course, you need to have Doc/Frame/View classes. In the demo project, these classes are called:

• CSampleDoc/CMainFrame/CSampleView (I simply created a SDI project named "Sample")

A sample...

1. Create a SDI project and add the DFV files. If you want to see these files in the ClassWizard, close the project, delete the .clw and .ncb files, reopen the project, and open ClassWizard, Click 'yes' on the first dialog, 'Add All' on the second and 'OK'.
2. Create a dialog resource and add PICTURE control on it (this method to create custom control is - I think - the simplest way to create a custom control)

   

   For each picture control, uncheck the "visible" style, and name these control IDC_DFVCTRL1, IDC_DFVCTRL2, IDC_DFVCTRL3, ...

   

3. Create the dialog class associated with this resource (CSampleDialog).
4. In the Application class (SampleApp.cpp), remove the ONCOMMAND line :

     ON_COMMAND(ID_FILE_NEW, CWinApp::OnFileNew)
     ON_COMMAND(ID_FILE_OPEN, CWinApp::OnFileOpen)
     ON_COMMAND(ID_FILE_PRINT_SETUP, CWinApp::OnFilePrintSetup)
   

5. In the InitInstance Method, remove the DocTemplate instructions, and the others following instructions. Add the initialization dialog instructions. You should have something like :

   BOOL CSampleApp::InitInstance()
   {
       AfxEnableControlContainer();
   
       // Standard initialization
       // If you are not using these features and wish to reduce the size
       //  of your final executable, you should remove from the following
       //  the specific initialization routines you do not need.
   
   #ifdef _AFXDLL
       Enable3dControls();    // Call this when using MFC in a shared DLL
   #else
       Enable3dControlsStatic(); // Call this when linking to MFC statically
   #endif
   
       // Change the registry key under which our settings are stored.
       // TODO: You should modify this string to be something appropriate
       // such as the name of your company or organization.
       SetRegistryKey(_T("Local AppWizard-Generated Applications"));
   
       LoadStdProfileSettings();  // Load standard INI file options (including MRU)
   
       // Register the application's document templates.  Document templates
       //  serve as the connection between documents, frame windows and views.
       CSampleDialog Dlg;
       Dlg.DoModal();
   
       return TRUE;
   }
   

   (of course, #include "SampleDialog.h")

6. In the Dialog Class (CSampleDialog), #include "DFVCtrl.h" and add the following attributes:

   CDFVCtrl m_DFVCtrl1, m_DFVCtrl2, m_DFVCtrl3;
   

   (corresponding to the quantity of DFV control you want to add)

7. With the ClassWizard create an InitDialog method for the dialog and add the following code:

   BOOL CSampleDialog::OnInitDialog() 
   {
       CDialog::OnInitDialog();
       
       // TODO: Add extra initialization here
       m_DFVCtrl1.Create(this, IDC_DFVCTRL1,
           IDR_MAINFRAME,
           RUNTIME_CLASS(CSampleDoc),
           RUNTIME_CLASS(CMainFrame),       // main SDI frame window
           RUNTIME_CLASS(CSampleView),
           WS_CHILD | WS_BORDER | WS_VISIBLE, 0L);
   
       m_DFVCtrl2.Create(this, IDC_DFVCTRL2,
           IDR_MAINFRAME,
           RUNTIME_CLASS(CSampleDoc),
           RUNTIME_CLASS(CMainFrame),       // main SDI frame window
           RUNTIME_CLASS(CSampleView),
           WS_CHILD | WS_BORDER | WS_VISIBLE, 0L);
   
       m_DFVCtrl3.Create(this, IDC_DFVCTRL3,
           IDR_MAINFRAME,
           RUNTIME_CLASS(CSampleDoc),
           RUNTIME_CLASS(CMainFrame),       // main SDI frame window
           RUNTIME_CLASS(CSampleView),
           WS_CHILD | WS_BORDER | WS_VISIBLE, 0L);
       return TRUE;  // return TRUE unless you set the focus to a control
                     // EXCEPTION: OCX Property Pages should return FALSE
   }
   

   of course, you have to include the doc/frame/view files

   #include "SampleDoc.h"
   #include "SampleView.h"
   #include "MainFrm.h"
   

8. Replace the base class for the following classes (do not forget to replace all the occurrences of the base class, you can reupdate the ClassWizard like seen previously in Step 1):
   • document class (CSampleDocument): CSampleDocument inherits from CDFVDocument.
   • frame class (CMainFrame): CMainFrame inherits from CDFVFrameWnd

   of course, you have to include the according files.

9. Compile and execute. Funny, huh ?

Known Bugs:

• some keys seems not working in the second CEditView (Return, Tab, ...). May be it is a bug inside CEditView regarding this application.
• the menu bar does not appear when the frame has a parent (if someone can tell me why...)

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