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Wavelength - Half-Life 2 - Coding - Client Side Tutorials

GameUI [Print this Article]

Posted by: ts2do
Date posted: Jun 23 2005
User Rating: 4 out of 5.0

Number of views: 6539
Number of comments: 10

Description: Explanation on handling VGUI without having a connection to a game.

Here's an example of a panel you want to show when a command is issed at any time:

	CODE
	"Resource/UI/TestPanel.res" { "testpanel" { "ControlName" "CTestPanel" "fieldName" "testpanel" "title" "Test Panel" "xpos" "0" "ypos" "0" "wide" "200" "tall" "200" "autoResize" "0" "pinCorner" "0" "visible" "1" "enabled" "1" "tabPosition" "0" } "Label1" { "ControlName" "Label" "fieldName" "Label1" "xpos" "8" "ypos" "32" "wide" "200" "tall" "175" "wrap" "1" "autoResize" "0" "pinCorner" "0" "visible" "1" "enabled" "1" "tabPosition" "0" "labelText" "An example label inside of an example frame" "textAlignment" "north" "dulltext" "0" "brighttext" "0" } "close" { "ControlName" "Button" "fieldName" "close" "xpos" "68" "ypos" "168" "wide" "64" "tall" "24" "labelText" "#GameUI_Close" "Command" "Close" "autoResize" "0" "pinCorner" "0" "visible" "1" "enabled" "1" "tabPosition" "0" } }

To start off, add these defines into vgui_helpers.h:

	CODE (C++)
	#define DeclarePanel(className,panelClassName,globalPanel)\ class I##className\ {\ public:\ virtual void Create( vgui::VPANEL parent ) = 0;\ virtual void Destroy( void ) = 0;\ };\ class className : public I##className\ {\ private:\ panelClassName myPanel;\ public:\ className(void)\ {\ myPanel = NULL;\ }\ void Create( vgui::VPANEL parent )\ {\ myPanel = new panelClassName( parent );\ }\ void Destroy( void )\ {\ if(myPanel)\ {\ myPanel->SetParent( (vgui::Panel )NULL );\ delete myPanel;\ }\ }\ };\ extern I##className globalPanel //Allows access to the panel through globalPanel #define DeclareAccessiblePanel(className,panelClassName,globalPanel)\ class I##className\ {\ public:\ virtual void Create( vgui::VPANEL parent ) = 0;\ virtual void Destroy( void ) = 0;\ virtual vgui::Panel GetPanel(void) = 0;\ };\ class className : public I##className\ {\ private:\ panelClassName myPanel;\ public:\ className(void)\ {\ myPanel = NULL;\ }\ void Create( vgui::VPANEL parent )\ {\ myPanel = new panelClassName( parent );\ }\ vgui::Panel GetPanel(void)\ {\ return myPanel;\ }\ void Destroy( void )\ {\ if(myPanel)\ {\ myPanel->SetParent( (vgui::Panel )NULL );\ delete myPanel;\ }\ }\ };\ extern I##className globalPanel //Doesn't use panelClassName but has it to base code on copy and paste work #define PanelGlobals(className,panelClassName,globalPanel)\ static className g_##className##Panel;\ I##className globalPanel = (I##className )&g_##className##Panel #define ToggleVisibility(panel)\ panel->SetVisible(!panel->IsVisible()) //only the prototype for AlignPanel exists #define CenterThisPanelOnScreen()\ int x,w,h;\ GetBounds(x,x,w,h);\ SetPos((ScreenWidth()-w)/2,(ScreenHeight()-h)/2) #define CenterPanelOnScreen(panel)\ int x,w,h;\ panel->GetBounds(x,x,w,h);\ panel->SetPos((panel->ScreenWidth()-w)/2,(panel->ScreenHeight()-h)/2)

testpanel.h

	CODE (C++)
	#ifndef TESTPANEL_H #define TESTPANEL_H #ifdef _WIN32 #pragma once #endif #include "vgui_helpers2.h" #include <vgui_controls/Frame.h> using namespace vgui; class CTestPanel : public Frame { DECLARE_CLASS_SIMPLE(CTestPanel,Frame); public: CTestPanel( vgui::VPANEL parent ); }; DeclareAccessiblePanel(CTest,CTestPanel,test); #endif // TESTPANEL_H

testpanel.cpp

	CODE (C++)
	#include "cbase.h" #include "testpanel.h" // memdbgon must be the last include file in a .cpp file!!! #include "tier0/memdbgon.h" PanelGlobals(CTest,CTestPanel,test); CON_COMMAND(ToggleTestPanel,NULL) { ToggleVisibility(test->GetPanel()); } CTestPanel::CTestPanel( vgui::VPANEL parent ) : BaseClass( NULL, "testpanel" ) { SetParent(parent); vgui::HScheme scheme = vgui::scheme()->LoadSchemeFromFile("resource/SourceScheme.res", "SourceScheme"); SetScheme( scheme ); LoadControlSettings("Resource/UI/TestPanel.res"); CenterThisPanelOnScreen();//keep in mind, hl2 supports widescreen SetVisible(false);//made visible on command later }

See how much the defines reduced the coding for testpanel.cpp and testpanel.h?

Now that we have the framework for the panel...
Go to the includes in vgui_int.cpp and add testpanel.h
Scroll down to VGui_CreateGlobalPanels and add this after the second line:

	CODE (C++)
	VPANEL uiParent = enginevgui->GetPanel( PANEL_GAMEUIDLL );

The GameUI panel is what we're going to be making our panels in

In the same function, add this to the list of Creates:

	CODE (C++)
	test->Create( uiParent );

Scroll down a little until you get to VGui_Shutdown and add this to the list of Destroys:

	CODE (C++)
	test->Destroy();

Now we have a panel that's created during startup, destroyed on shutdown, and accessible through a command.
Keep these in mind though:
You don't have to use a frame for the panel
You can make it so the command to show it can't close it also
You can make it so the panel is created once the command is issued, and destroyed once it's closed, so it doesn't take up RAM

Here's an example of what I did based on this code
user posted image

The hotkeys for opening the build menu for the selected EditablePanel, which can also be a Frame or Frame subclasses, are Ctrl+Shift+Alt+B
The build menu makes creation easier by allowing you to dynamically edit a resource file by creating controls and moving them.

Related Files

Filename: gameui.jpg
File Size: 41.3 KB

User Comments Showing comments 1-10

Posted By: PelzigesWaldtier on Apr 17 2006 at 06:18:08

I get the following error:

vgui_int.obj : error LNK2001: unresolved external symbol "class ICTest * test" (?test@@3PAVICTest@@A)
.\cl_dll___Win32_HL2_Release/client.dll : fatal error LNK1120: 1 unresolved externals

What am I doing wrong?

Posted By: ts2do on Apr 17 2006 at 23:57:10

Do you have your panel declared?

Posted By: PelzigesWaldtier on Apr 18 2006 at 02:29:47

Yes, I think so.. I followed every step of the tutorial.

Posted By: ts2do on Apr 18 2006 at 15:21:17

After reviewing the error, it seems that you didn't do PanelGlobals

Posted By: PelzigesWaldtier on Apr 19 2006 at 14:21:11

I didn't remove anything from the code from above ("PanelGlobals(CTest,CTestPanel,test);" remains in testpanel.cpp). The only thing I changed is "#include "vgui_helpers2.h"" in testpanel.h to "#include "vgui_helpers.h"".

Posted By: ts2do on Apr 19 2006 at 18:26:10

HERE'S YOUR PROBLEM:
Go to the includes in vgui_int.cpp and add testpanel.h

Posted By: PelzigesWaldtier on Apr 20 2006 at 02:27:52

I already did that.. That doesn't solve the problem.

Posted By: nuno12345 on Nov 20 2006 at 15:57:27

well...i got the same problem...i just included my "testpanel.cpp" to vgui_int.cpp and it compiled fine :D but there is no vgui panel showing :(

Posted By: G.I. Jimbo on May 19 2007 at 23:06:20

where is the .res file supposed to go? In ui?

Posted By: Evil_j on Oct 29 2007 at 09:01:47

RES file goes into the resource directory under your mod

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