How to change the minimum CAppDialog panel size of the panel when minimized?

David Anthony Gonsalves 2023.01.12 13:12

Below in the coded section, I have a CGraphicalPanel class representing my Panel.

But I see when minimized the panel in X dimension, bit too narrow.

How would I change the the size of the panel when minimized?

Would like the panel to be large in X dimension when minimized.

All I know that CAppDialog >> CDialog has a `m_min_rect` variable, I presume this has to do with the size when minimized, but it would like to change this during the initialization of my panel called CGraphicalPanel.

//+------------------------------------------------------------------+
//|                                             MT5_GB_GUI_Panel.mqh |
//|                                  Copyright 2022, MetaQuotes Ltd. |
//|                                             https://www.mql5.com |
//+------------------------------------------------------------------+
#property copyright "Copyright 2022, MetaQuotes Ltd."
#property link "https://www.mql5.com"
//+------------------------------------------------------------------+
//| Include 1                                                        |
//+------------------------------------------------------------------+
#include <Controls\Defines.mqh>

//+------------------------------------------------------------------+
//| Define statements to change default dialog settings              |
//+------------------------------------------------------------------+
#undef CONTROLS_FONT_NAME
#undef CONTROLS_DIALOG_COLOR_CLIENT_BG
#define CONTROLS_FONT_NAME "Consolas"
#define CONTROLS_DIALOG_COLOR_CLIENT_BG C'0x20,0x20,0x20' // hex color

//+------------------------------------------------------------------+
//| Include 2                                                        |
//+------------------------------------------------------------------+
#include <Controls\Button.mqh>
#include <Controls\Dialog.mqh>
#include <Controls\Label.mqh>

//+------------------------------------------------------------------+
//| Inputs                                                           |
//+------------------------------------------------------------------+
input string group = "==== Panel Inputs ====";
static input int InpPanelWidth = 450;           // width of panel
static input int InpPanelHeight = 350;          // height of panel
static input int InpPanelFontSize = 16;         // font size
static input color InpPanelTxtColor = clrWhite; // text color

//+------------------------------------------------------------------+
//| CGraphicalPanel                                                  |
//+------------------------------------------------------------------+
class CGraphicalPanel : public CAppDialog
        {
private:
        // Declare private variables
        bool m_f_color;

        // Declare buttons
        CButton m_bChangeColor;

        // Declare labels
        CLabel m_l_NumberOfActiveTrades;

        // Declare private methods
        void OnClickChangeColor();
        bool CheckInputs();
        bool CreatePanel();
        template <typename T>
        void CreateElement(T &label, string name, int x1, int y1, int x2, int y2, string text, color clr, int fontSize);

public:
        // Declare Public Methods
        void CGraphicalPanel();
        void ~CGraphicalPanel();

        bool OnInit();
        void Update();

        // chart event handler
        void PanelChartEvent(const int id, const long &lparam, const double &dparam, const string &sparam);
        };
//+------------------------------------------------------------------+
//|                                                                  |
//+------------------------------------------------------------------+
// Constructor
void CGraphicalPanel::CGraphicalPanel() {

}
// Destructor
void CGraphicalPanel::~CGraphicalPanel() {}
// For creating labels, buttons, etc.
template <typename T>
void CGraphicalPanel::CreateElement(T &element, string name, int x1, int y1, int x2, int y2, string text, color clr, int fontSize)
        {
        element.Create(
                NULL, // chart id
                name, // name
                0,    // chart subwindow, 0 = main window
                x1,   // X coordinate of the upper left corner
                y1,   // Y coordinate of the upper left corner
                x2,   // X coordinate of the lower right corner
                y2    // Y coordinate of the lower right corner
        );
        element.Text(text);
        element.Color(clr);
        element.FontSize(fontSize);
        this.Add(element); // add label to panel
        }
//
bool CGraphicalPanel::OnInit()
        {
        // check inputs
        if (!CheckInputs())
                {
                return false;
                }
        // create panel
        if (!this.CreatePanel())
                {
                return false;
                }

        return true;
        }
//+------------------------------------------------------------------+
bool CGraphicalPanel::CheckInputs(void)
        {
        if (InpPanelWidth <= 0)
                {
                Print("Panel width <= 0");
                return false;
                }
        if (InpPanelHeight <= 0)
                {
                Print("Panel height <= 0");
                return false;
                }
        if (InpPanelFontSize <= 0)
                {
                Print("Panel font size <= 0");
                return false;
                }

        return true;
        }
// Update Panel Elements
void CGraphicalPanel::Update(void)
        {
        m_l_NumberOfActiveTrades.Text("Number of active trades: " + (string)SymbolInfoDouble(Symbol(), SYMBOL_ASK));
        }
// Create Panel
bool CGraphicalPanel::CreatePanel(void)
        {
        /// Create Dialog Panel
        this.Create(NULL, "Panel Test", 0, 0, 0, InpPanelWidth, InpPanelHeight);

        /// Create Dialog Panel Labels
        // Input Label
        CreateElement(m_l_NumberOfActiveTrades, "l_NumberOfActiveTrades", 10, 10, 1, 1, "Number of active trades: " + (string)SymbolInfoDouble(Symbol(), SYMBOL_ASK), clrLime, InpPanelFontSize);

        /// Create Dialog Panel Buttons
        // Change Color Button
        CreateElement(m_bChangeColor, "bChangeColor", 10, 250, 100, 180, "Change Color", clrWhite, InpPanelFontSize);
        m_bChangeColor.ColorBackground(clrDarkRed);


        // run panel
        if (!Run())
                {
                Print("Failed to run panel");
                return false;
                }

        // refresh chart
        ChartRedraw();

        return true;
        }
//
void CGraphicalPanel::PanelChartEvent(const int id, const long &lparam, const double &dparam, const string &sparam)
        {
        // call chart event method of base class
        ChartEvent(id, lparam, dparam, sparam);

        // check if button was clicked
        if (id == CHARTEVENT_OBJECT_CLICK && sparam == "bChangeColor")
                {
                OnClickChangeColor();
                }
        }
//+------------------------------------------------------------------+
void CGraphicalPanel::OnClickChangeColor(void)
        {
        Print("Button Clicked");
        ChartSetInteger(NULL, CHART_COLOR_BACKGROUND, m_f_color ? clrWhite : clrAqua);
        m_f_color = !m_f_color;
        ChartRedraw();
        }
//+------------------------------------------------------------------+

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2023.01.12
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David Anthony Gonsalves 2023.01.13 10:36 #1

David Anthony Gonsalves:

Below in the coded section, I have a CGraphicalPanel class representing my Panel.

Well, figured it out, by redefining:

CONTROLS_DIALOG_MINIMIZE_WIDTH

//+------------------------------------------------------------------+
//| Include 1                                                        |
//+------------------------------------------------------------------+
#include "MT5_GB-Logger_static.mqh"
#include <Controls\Defines.mqh> // IMPORT THEN REDEFINE BEFORE OTHER CONTROL IMPORTS

//+------------------------------------------------------------------+
//| Define statements to change default dialog settings              |
//+------------------------------------------------------------------+
// Undefine before re-defining
#undef CONTROLS_FONT_NAME
#undef CONTROLS_DIALOG_COLOR_CLIENT_BG
#undef CONTROLS_DIALOG_MINIMIZE_WIDTH
// Re-defining
#define CONTROLS_FONT_NAME "Consolas"
#define CONTROLS_DIALOG_COLOR_CLIENT_BG C'0x20,0x20,0x20'
#define CONTROLS_DIALOG_MINIMIZE_WIDTH 200 // THIS CHANGES MINIMIZED PANEL WIDTH

Tobias Johannes Zimmer 2023.01.13 12:55 #2

In MQL5 Standard Library in documentation there is a method Minimized() from CAppDialog (which you are using), you can set it to true or false.

David Anthony Gonsalves 2023.01.13 22:44 #3

Tobias Johannes Zimmer #:
In MQL5 Standard Library in documentation there is a method Minimized() from CAppDialog (which you are using), you can set it to true or false.

That is Method is called by clicking the minimize button on the panel. What I wanted to do was alter the width of panel in the minimized state, I figured it out eventually be redefining "CONTROLS_DIALOG_MINIMIZE_WIDTH" before importing the controls libraries. (In my first reply above)

Discussion of article "Graphical Discussion of article "MQL5 Is it possible to

Sayed Ali Ordibehesht 2026.10.05 13:30 #4

A note for anyone who finds this thread later: the #define changes the default minimized width, but two problems can still remain.

1. The first Minimize jumps to the top-left corner. If m_minimized is already true when you call Create() (for example when you restore a saved minimized state after a timeframe change), CAppDialog::Create() calls Minimize() at the end, and for an EA m_min_rect still holds the default bounds set in CreateExpert() (10,10,110,36). m_minimized is now true, so an if(!m_minimized) guard blocks your own Minimize() with the correct size.

2. After a timeframe change the minimized width shrinks, because the width is taken from m_rect, which is already small in the minimized state.

What worked for me (tested on MT5 build 6230). Minimize() is protected, so it is called from a method of the derived class:

class CStableDialog : public CAppDialog
  {
public:
   void ResetMinimizedFlag(void) { m_minimized = false; }
   void MinimizeWithNormalWidth(void)
     {
      int w = m_norm_rect.Width();   // width of the normal state, not m_rect
      m_min_rect.SetBound(m_rect.left, m_rect.top,
                          m_rect.left + w, m_rect.top + CONTROLS_DIALOG_MINIMIZE_HEIGHT);
      if(!m_minimized)
         Minimize();
     }
  };

Order:

Create the dialog in its normal state, then call ResetMinimizedFlag().
Move the dialog to its final position, so m_rect holds the right left/top.
Then call MinimizeWithNormalWidth().

Full example with timeframe changes and saved state: https://www.mql5.com/en/blogs/post/776908

Panels and Dialogs - Constructors and destructors Managing the object state

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