CSplitterWnd

The CSplitterWnd class provides the functionality of a splitter window, which is a window that contains multiple panes. A pane is usually an application-specific object derived from CView, but it can be any CWnd object that has the appropriate child window ID.

A CSplitterWnd object is usually embedded in a parent CFrameWnd or CMDIChildWnd object. Create a CSplitterWnd object using the following steps:

  1. Embed a CSplitterWnd member variable in the parent frame.

  2. Override the parent frame’s CFrameWnd::OnCreateClient member function.

  3. From within the overridden OnCreateClient, call the Create or CreateStatic member function of CSplitterWnd.

Call the Create member function to create a dynamic splitter window. A dynamic splitter window typically is used to create and scroll a number of individual panes, or views, of the same document. The framework automatically creates an initial pane for the splitter; then the framework creates, resizes, and disposes of additional panes as the user operates the splitter window’s controls.

When you call Create, you specify a minimum row height and column width that determine when the panes are too small to be fully displayed. After you call Create, you can adjust these minimums by calling the SetColumnInfo and SetRowInfo member functions.

Also use the SetColumnInfo and SetRowInfo member functions to set an “ideal” width for a column and “ideal” height for a row. When the framework displays a splitter window, it first displays the parent frame, then the splitter window. The framework then lays out the panes in columns and rows according to their ideal dimensions, working from the upper-left to the lower-right corner of the splitter window’s client area.

All panes in a dynamic splitter window must be of the same class. Familiar applications that support dynamic splitter windows include Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel.

Use the CreateStatic member function to create a static splitter window. The user can change only the size of the panes in a static splitter window, not their number or order.

You must specifically create all the static splitter’s panes when you create the static splitter. Make sure you create all the panes before the parent frame’s OnCreateClient member function returns, or the framework will not display the window correctly.

The CreateStatic member function automatically initializes a static splitter with a minimum row height and column width of 0. After you call Create, adjust these minimums by calling the SetColumnInfo and SetRowInfo member functions. Also use SetColumnInfo and SetRowInfo after you call CreateStatic to indicate desired ideal pane dimensions.

The individual panes of a static splitter often belong to different classes. For examples of static splitter windows, see the graphics editor and the Windows File Manager.

A splitter window supports special scroll bars (apart from the scroll bars that panes may have). These scroll bars are children of the CSplitterWnd object and are shared with the panes.

You create these special scroll bars when you create the splitter window. For example, a CSplitterWnd that has one row, two columns, and the WS_VSCROLL style will display a vertical scroll bar that is shared by the two panes. When the user moves the scroll bar, WM_VSCROLL messages are sent to both panes. When the panes set the scroll-bar position, the shared scroll bar is set.

For further information on splitter windows, see Technical Note 29. For more information on how to create dynamic splitter windows, see Adding Splitter Windows to Scribble in in Visual C++ Tutorials, and the MFC General sample .

#include <afxext.h>

Class MembersBase ClassHierarchy Chart

Sample   

See Also   CView, CWnd