Location/size of Mac dock & Windows status bars?

[David Nelson]

I got the window sizing I think.  But How can I tell the size and location of someone's bar?  We will have people using both OS.  I have researched and I am still completely stumped.

 

I figure I need some sort of custom function, right?  Even a nudge will probably get me moving again. Thank you.

[Vaughan]

Ultimately all you can do is design for the default sizes and positions of windows and OS widgets, or if you're keen, take into account the window size when the dock/taskbar is on the side rather than the bottom.

 

If I want to make my task bar half the height of the window, there is nothing you (as developer) can do about it.

 

Decide what the *smallest* screen your solution will support. For me it's Apple Macbook Pro 13 inch 1280 by 800. Make a test file with a layout and size this so the window just fits without the scroll bars appearing. Now move the dock to the side and resize the width of the window so it still fits.

 

Load this same file onto a machine running Windows 7 (and/or 8) and resize the layout so it fits. Only make a dimension smaller, not larger.

 

The resulting layout is now cross-platform.

[David Nelson]

Oh this is incredible information, Vaughan, I can't thank you enough!!  This is what I shall do then; I was struggling with sizing overall.

 

I was hoping there was a way I could use Send Event and Applescript to find the position and size of the bars and adjust accordingly.  If someone is stupid then there is no script which would help them and I think they would understand if they screwed it up but I just want the best I can give them out of the box.

 

You are a legend on this forum.  I appreciate you taking your time to assist me.  

[Vaughan]

The Get( WindowDesktopHeight ) and Get( WindowDesktopWidth ) functions will return something close to what you ask for, but what will you do with the information: have several different sets of layouts and switch between them based on whether the user has the dock on the bottom or top?

 

You could I suppose, but it's be a HUGE amount of work to create and even MORE to maintain, and it still won't really solve the problem that there is an infinite variety of screen sizes and OS interface user preferences that the solution could run on, and for which you have no control.

 

Any solution that uses applescript will not be cross-platform. The majority of FMP licenses are for Windows.

 

Ultimately, the size and position of a solution's windows are under the control of the user, not the developer.