Proper use of panels and buttons

[MikeG]

From the help on my previous post, I will develop my application using Buttons for navigation. Now I want to ask about the design/layout approach to take. Again this is a tool for my service technicians as they run their route and do service work.

Can I create a short panel to show the Tech Name and Date across the top of the screen? Then a large panel to consume most of the screen; however there are actually many panels that I will toggle on/off based on user input. And finally a panel at the bottom with the navigation buttons. Stated differently, I am using a short panel for a common Heading for the application and another short panel for a common navigation-type Footing. Then the bulk of the screen will have large panels for display/data entry, but only one is visible at a time.

How do I control how the panels are stacked or ordered on the display?

Am I going down the right path here??

(note: this is being developed for a 7" tablet only; too much data for anything smaller)

 

[MikeG]

Let me see if I can answer my own question after searching the forum and reading the Beginner's guide again (and again). I think the AddView is how I control the positioning of the panel. The UserInterfaceButton example shows this and I think I can figure out how to make it work.

I'm going to play with this and see how it works.

 

[margret]

AddView creates the view and sets the size and location on the screen. After the view has been added you can call ViewName.Invalidate3 to reset the size / location.

 

[rfresh]

@Mike

When we use the term "View" we mean a screen object such as a button or text label or seekbar or panel, etc. I'm fairly new here myself but I have been developing in other languages for 20 years, but I must admit the term "View" was strange to me when I started using B4A.

To me, View implies something else, such as some kind of a screen or form "view" (portrait for example) but not so with B4A, it's a component screen object resource (button for example). So, AddView simply creates a button (View) object on the layout screen.

 

[klaus]

I wouldn't suggest you to have only one Activity and several Panels but instead work with several Activities.
That's the 'standard' Android working.
The management of the program flow is much easier.
Have a look at the ThreeActivityExample in the Beginner'sGuide.

Best regards.