Create a docking toolbox

[GreatGenius]

Hello, everyone.
My research on how Win32 apps working is getting good. Soon I will be ready to begin my first "real" Win application. First I want to make a clone of Paint and spend all my free time on bitmap format.
But first I'm want to know how I create a toolbox and you can move it around and docking on the left or bottom of the app. ( Just like in Paint in Vista ).
Wich way is best?

Register and Create a new window with CreateWindow().

or

Somehow create a new dialog with DialogBox().

Or is there a good homepages on how to create toolboxes in Win32 ( not MFC ).

[Ali Imran]

A dialog is either way created may be used as a docking window.
But better is read following links first before getting into development of paint.

http://catch22.net/tuts/docking1.asp
http://catch22.net/tuts/docking2.asp


regards

[GreatGenius]

Thanks, that was just I need. :)

[GreatGenius]

Ok, so far I have looked into these pages about floating toolbox but they where written in C and I rather put everything in a class. I uploaded a small exampel on how I build it and if anyone have suggestions on how to improve it or make it cleaner it would be greate. :)

[Ali Imran]

Cant say, this may or may not be what actually you wish to achieve, it depends on yur requirement.

What I can suggest you is include an independant handle to any window that may recieve commands forwarded from dockable window. Secondly if possible, then let there be a function through which the dock area / regions be defined in form of rectangles on parent dialog (means, more than ne place where it can dock).


regards

[GreatGenius]

Right now I want my toolbox to work in a way so I can put putton, edit ect by using CreateWindow in the toolbox. I can use a vector of HWND and store controls there. And of course make functions that send commands like WM_COMMAND and more.

But unfortently something has happend to the VS 7. I cleaned up my computer today by removing unused programs, virusscan, ad-aware scan and defrag and now when I try to compile a program in VS7 i get a lot of errors in XSTRING and UTILITY files. Even if I dont use std::string it appears.

Something is gone and I guess I have to install everything again :(