Setting the dimensions of all cards to match the stack

[donbrae]

Hi. I'm creating an iOS game and am configuring the layout of a card before actually going to it. However, the rect of the card reflects its rect when I last saved it in the IDE, when in fact I want it to match the rect of the actual device.

The card taking on the stack's dimensions appears to happen automatically when you actually go the card, but I need a way to have it happen before this stage, so I can lay elements out relative to the card's dimensions.

In the preOpenStack handler I have this directive:

Code: Select all

set the rect of this stack to the screenrect

It doesn't, though, appear to cascade down to cards until they are in view, and I believe you can't affect the dimensions of a card directly.

Anyone know if there's a quick way to do this?

Many thanks.

[jacque]

On mobile, all cards are automatically set to the size of the device; you don't have to set that in a script. To arrange the card objects, there are two approaches. If your stack has only a few cards, do the layouts in a resizeStack handler and cycle through all the cards at once. A resizeStack message is sent to the first card when the stack launches, and also every time the user rotates the device. The other option is to do the layout in a preOpenCard handler on each card. That message is sent on every card change.

I've used both methods.

[donbrae]

Many thanks, Jacqueline. Useful information. I only have a few cards so I can try cycling through them in a resizeStack handler.

As I loop through the cards, is there any way to say "make this card the same dimensions as the stack", so that when I refer to it (post-loop), the dimensions reflect the stack's? If not, I can modify my approach and do a bit of refactoring.

[jacque]

Cards are always the same size as the stack window. You don't have to do anything, it just happens.

[donbrae]

Thanks, Jacqueline. Interesting. A quick example...

When, in the iOS Simulator, I'm on card 1 and I read the width of card 2, the value I get back is whatever the width of card 2 was in the IDE. However, if I read the width of card 2 when card 2 has opened, it matches the width of the device. Is that what's supposed to happen?

Just wanted to be sure before I spend time rewriting my code

Many thanks.

[donbrae]

I may actually, in any case, be able to do the layout on a default screen size and use the new fullscreenmode feature in 6.5 rather than going through all my controls and sizing and positioning in relation to the device size.

[Jellicle]

It sounds like you are wanting to account for different device screen sizes? If so just test for the device - if it's an iPhone 4(s) lay out your objects for a 640 x 960 screen, iPhone 5s(s) use 640 x 1136 etc.

Gerry

[jacque]

When, in the iOS Simulator, I'm on card 1 and I read the width of card 2, the value I get back is whatever the width of card 2 was in the IDE. However, if I read the width of card 2 when card 2 has opened, it matches the width of the device. Is that what's supposed to happen?

Interesting, I've never tested that so it's news to me. That's a nice bit of trivia to know. In practice it doesn't matter though, because as you say, as soon as the card opens it will be the size you expect. That means you can place your objects where they will belong at any time, and when the card finally does report the correct device dimensions the objects will be arranged correctly.

That's assuming you don't use the auto-sizing we now have. If you do, then you don't need to lay out anything at all which is definitely easier if it fits your project scheme.

[donbrae]

Interesting, I've never tested that so it's news to me. That's a nice bit of trivia to know. In practice it doesn't matter though, because as you say, as soon as the card opens it will be the size you expect. That means you can place your objects where they will belong at any time, and when the card finally does report the correct device dimensions the objects will be arranged correctly.

That's assuming you don't use the auto-sizing we now have. If you do, then you don't need to lay out anything at all which is definitely easier if it fits your project scheme.

Thank you for your advice, Jacqueline. I started using the auto-sizing feature and it's working really nicely.