Buttons

So, I am trying to learn to create buttons. But I get a big problem. I want to create the button on the main screen. And I can't. There are no decent instructions for this. I am supposed to create the button as part of a group. I want the button to be on my main window. So far, the only group I have figured out exists is a new window. But I don't want a new window. What are the possible groups? Is it possible to have just a button without any group?
The code I used was:

SetBuffer BackBuffer()
Cls
While Not KeyHit(1)
;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;Interface;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;

;SetFont LoadFont("Arial",14)
Color 200,100,80
Rect 0,0,640,480,1
Color 150,200,225
Rect 0,0,640,20,1
;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; Buttons ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;


k1=0
kx=30
ky=80
Color 0,0,200
CreateButton( "First Button",100,100,100,20,MAINWINDOW,1)
Flip
Wend

End
;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;

I have to create a window called MAINWINDOW to make this work. I don't want that.

Thanks for helping with this!

Guillermo

You cannot create a button that's not part of a window...

hm.. looks like you're mixing up 2d and gui here ..

create a mainwindow, put a canvas on it, that'll be your drawing area for all your old 2d functions. next to the canvas you can put your buttons ..

If you don't want to see the window border (the _[]x and the dragbar etc.), then use flag 0 for createwindow. and put a canvas on it, the size of the window you created.

for full-screen: you could (1) define a window as big as your screeen with a similar sized canvas on it.
Or (2) create a window as big as your screen, put a canvas on it which equals the size of your preferred 'output' and stretch it to the size of the window. e.g. in a 1024x768 window you can place a 640x480 canvas and stretch it to 1024x768. Now you can draw for 640x480, and still see it at 1024x768.

If you make a game which should have a user-customizable resolution, without supporting special resolution-optimized gfx, use option 2.

Thank you this helps somewhat. But I still end up with an original window that I don't use. Can't I just create my gui and every thing else in a single window? I do end up with two open windows, one black and one with my graphics and buttons. The code I used was:

Graphics 800,600,0,3
w=CreateWindow( "Title1",0,0,600,400)
cv=CreateCanvas( 5,5,590,390,w)
SetBuffer CanvasBuffer(cv)
Cls
While Not KeyHit(1)
;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;Interface;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;

SetFont LoadFont("Arial",14)
Color 200,100,80
Rect 0,0,640,480,1
Color 150,200,225
Rect 0,0,640,20,1
;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; Buttons ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;


k1=0
kx=30
ky=80
Color 0,0,200
CreateButton( "First Button",100,100,100,20,cv,1)
Flip
Wend

End

'graphics' does indeed open another window..

I'd say, ditch that whole 'graphics' command, and use a gui window with a canvas from now on.

When I try ditching the praphics command, the computer requests it. I get a "you are not in graphics mode" message when I try to run the program. How do I solve this?

For gfx commands you need to set the current drawing buffer to a canvas.

setbuffer canvasbuffer(mylousydorkycanvas)
; your gfx commands here
flipcanvas mylousydorkycanvas

here, try this: (it's a fullscreen gfx-app based on a canvas, with all the advantages of the GUI stuff)
notice: in the beginning I define a canvas, the size of 640x480. This means: the amount of pixels in the canvas, if you stretch the canvas (setgadgetshape, using setgadgetlayout settings), then you get bigger blurred pixels.

Global sw=ClientWidth(Desktop())
Global sh=ClientHeight(Desktop())

Global APP=CreateWindow("",0,0,sw,sh,0,0)

Global APPcanvas=CreateCanvas(0,0,640,480,APP)

SetGadgetLayout APPcanvas,1,0,1,0

SetGadgetShape APPcanvas,0,0,sw,sh

yourbutt=CreateButton ("quit!",64,32,32,32,APPcanvas)

; make a starfield!
SetBuffer CanvasBuffer(APPcanvas)
	For t=0 To 1000
		b#=Rnd(0,1)
		r#=b# * b# * b#
		g#=b# * b#
		b#=b#
		Color r#*255,g#*255,b*255
		Plot Rnd(0,640),Rnd(0,480)
	Next
FlipCanvas APPcanvas

Confirm "u like it ? :)"

quit=False

timer=CreateTimer(50)

Repeat

	f=f+1

	WaitEvent()
	
	
	If EventID()=$803 ; alt f4
		quit=True
	EndIf
	
	
	If EventID()=$401 ; button pressed
		quit=True
	EndIf

	
	If EventID()=$4001 ; timer event
	
		SetBuffer CanvasBuffer(APPcanvas)
		
			If (f Mod 100)=0
				Cls
				
				SetGadgetShape yourbutt,Rnd(0,sw-32),Rnd(0,sh-32),32,32
			EndIf

			Color Rnd(0,255),Rnd(0,255),Rnd(32,255)
			
			amp=Sin(f*11)*100
			x=Sin(f*3)*(100-amp)
			y=Cos(f*2)*(100+amp)
			
			Line 320+x,240+y,0,0
			Line 320+x,240+y,639,479
			Line 320+x,240+y,639,0
			Line 320+x,240+y,0,479
		
		FlipCanvas APPcanvas
		
	EndIf

	
Until quit

; opportunity to free images, banks, etc. here..

End