Find window is opened as a "top level" window

[AndyM48]

I have two issues with the Find dialogue:

If I have immediate search (Im) selected then the search starts immediately when I start typing. While this is strictly in accordance with the requested action it s somewhat distracting. For example if I enter "Search" then firstly the next "S" is found, then the next "Se" and so on. I would suggest starting "immediate" after a minimum of three characters is entered to avoid this. This may also be a partial fix for #5473 :)

The find widow is opened as a "top level" window, by which I mean that the window will appear over other unconnected windows.

Can it be opened as a 'sibling' of the Cudatext 'parent' window?

[Alexey-T]

Do you suggest to ignore the typed text when len<=2? bad! identifiers of len=1 also exist. so I cannot change it.
To avoid search for 'S' and 'Se' (in 'Search') you can decrease the option "find_hi_max_lines". when option is e.g. "100" all documents with line_count > 100 will be searched by timer (typing 'www' fast will search only for 'www').

[Alexey-T]

Can it be opened as a 'sibling' of the Cudatext 'parent' window?

Form style should be "stay on top of ALL windows" if Cud's main window has 'View / Toggle always on top" checked. do you have it checked?

[AndyM48]

Do you suggest to ignore the typed text when len<=2?

Yes, exactly, I do not want to search for a single letter, ever, ( and if I should want to I can press Enter :)
This applies to any document, even short ones.

Form style should be "stay on top of ALL windows" if Cud's main window has 'View / Toggle always on top"

Not necessary in linux, I can simply toggle "Always on top". Don't know about windows.
In either case it should be sufficient to keep the Find window always on top of the Cuda window and not on top any others (see screenshot above)
PS: I do not have View>Always on top selected

[Alexey-T]

Yes, exactly, I do not want to search for a single letter, ever, ( and if I should want to I can press Enter

Ok example is SublimeText, it searches for single char. VSCode too. they do not have an option for this, I guess.

[Alexey-T]

Not necessary in linux, I can simply toggle "Always on top". Don't know about windows.
In either case it should be sufficient to keep the Find window always on top of the Cuda window and not on top any others (see screenshot above)
PS: I do not have View>Always on top selected

I guess it is the Lazarus Qt5-version bug, that on-top works like system-on-top. I will study it.

[AndyM48]

Ok example is SublimeText, it searches for single char. VSCode too. they do not have an option for this, I guess.

May be, I don't use either. There are plenty of examples where find works after the third character is entered. :)

on-top works like system-on-top.

Yes, I see that the find window is set as "Always on Top" in the window manager, and I can reset it to "Normal". But that will put the window below Cuda, which is no use at all. Don't know about Lazarus :(

[pintassilgo]

From what I can remember, every app with find-as-you-type I know process from the first char and I think that's right. Including web browsers, the most universally popular software class with find-as-you-type.

I'm not against providing an option for those who don't like it, the more customizing options the better, but surely current behavior should remain as default.

[Alexey-T]

2 issues were reported:

• wish to only search (by 'Im' option) from input len = 3 chars. declined, sorry. I don't think we need an option, too many opts already.
• report about incorrect work of 'stay on top' style of the Find window. it is the Lazarus issue so I put the lebel 'Lazarus/FPC issue'. will report it to Lazarus team.

[AndyM48]

OK, thank you

[MiroslavMatas]

@AndyM48 - please try to use on this cases cmd Find in Lines (part of CudaExt), here I have minimum 3 characters… works fine for me the years… some options available…
(on my case - dedicated Ctrl+Q for start to search… floating dialog, vs standard Find/Search is docked for me)

[AndyM48]

Cannot find 'Find in Lines'?

I prefer floating find dialogue to docked, hence my issue.

[Alexey-T]

'Find in lines' - can be found in the Command Palette when plugin CudaExt is installed.

This 'find in lines' dlg can be DOCKED into the top or bottom of the main Cud window. Press '=' button in 'find in lines', you will see that option.

[AndyM48]

Sounds promising, I will take a look

Thank you

[AndyM48]

I don't know pascal I'm afarid, but is this not an issue with FindWindow.Parent:= Self or similar, instead of FindWindow.Parent:= MainWindow or similar?

I see that this occurs with all the sibling windows opened by CudaText.

[Alexey-T]

No, it is not the problem with FindWindow.Parent. It is problem of the 'top most' window style, how it works.

[AndyM48]

report about incorrect work of 'stay on top' style of the Find window. it is the Lazarus issue so I put the lebel 'Lazarus/FPC issue'. will report it to Lazarus team.

Is there any progress from the Lazarus team on this issue? If it is not possible to make the 'find' window a sibling of the main Cuda window then I might suggest an alternative approach.

[Alexey-T]

Is there any progress from the Lazarus team on this issue?

not yet. I just posted additional demo to the same Lazarus bugreport:
https://gitlab.com/freepascal.org/lazarus/lazarus/-/issues/40933

[AndyM48]

The Pascal/Lazarus report does not seem to have offered any solutions to this problem:

Would you consider this solution?
Simply close the Find window when both Cudatext and the Find window lose focus. It is simple enough to reopen the Find window, with exactly the same contents, if it is needed, by either clicking on the Find button or Ctrl-F.
Note that it is necessary to close the Find window since minimising it and the using Ctrl-F or the Find button to raise it has unexpected consequences.

[Alexey-T]

on opening the Find dlg, rules for "find_suggest_" options apply / options are changed too for current document (it can be picture or binary viewer or too big text file). so sometimes it's not easy to reopen Find dlg with the same text and options (options change too).

[AndyM48]

But that is an option, which can be selected/changed.
Not that I am only referring to the Find window.

[Alexey-T]

If you test it on Windows you Will see the topmode works ok? So its much better to fix it in the gtk2 and-or qt5 widgetset.

[AndyM48]

Honestly, I doubt that it is a problem with gtk or qt, since, apparently/as far as I know, it does not affect any other programmes. I would imagine it is a problem with how Pascal/Lazarus interacts with gtk/qt. Either way, since I will not be going back to windows, and there is a possible fix for the problem, I would prefer that Cudatext worked on Linux.

Please read this knowing that I really like Cudatext and appreciate all your hard work.

May be add what I suggested as an option??

[Alexey-T]

You misread this. I mean "problem in gtk-qt widgetset (ie wrapper) in lazarus". Lazarus issue.

[AndyM48]

OK, so back to my comment would you consider implementing this work-around?

[AndyM48]

No

The problem seems to be that when the main window receives the focus again, then the Find window is shown again without any user intervention. Presumably some side effect of if FPrevFindDlgVisible then fmFind.Hide;

May be this should be fmFind,Close or equivalent?

[Alexey-T]

i guess fmFind.Close will work the same as fmFind.Hide.

[AndyM48]

Well it should not restore after a close

[Alexey-T]

Can you compile the app? Please try it then.

[AndyM48]

Sorry, I don't have the time to work out how to compile it at the moment.
I suggest removing the code

{$if defined(LCLQt5) or defined(LCLQt6)}
  //workaround for issue https://gitlab.com/freepascal.org/lazarus/lazarus/-/issues/40933
  if FPrevFindDlgVisible and Assigned(fmFind) and not fmFind.Visible then
    fmFind.Show;
  {$ifend}

and changing

 {$if defined(LCLQt5) or defined(LCLQt6)}
  //workaround for issue https://gitlab.com/freepascal.org/lazarus/lazarus/-/issues/40933
  FPrevFindDlgVisible:= Assigned(fmFind) and (fmFind.Parent=nil) and fmFind.Visible;
  if FPrevFindDlgVisible then
   // fmFind.Hide;
     fmFind.Close;
  {$ifend}

[Alexey-T]

made it. beta qt5:
cudatext.zip

[AndyM48]

fmFind.Close seems to work fine now. Find windw closes when parent loses focus and reappears when Ctrl-F or button pressed.
Moving the Find window still does not work though. You did not remove the code

{$if defined(LCLQt5) or defined(LCLQt6)}
  //workaround for issue https://gitlab.com/freepascal.org/lazarus/lazarus/-/issues/40933
  if FPrevFindDlgVisible and Assigned(fmFind) and not fmFind.Visible then
    fmFind.Show;
  {$ifend}

I don't know why this would cause the problem, but since it is the only other change that you made in this fix I suppose it may be the cause.

[Alexey-T]

You did not remove the code

i commented it out! with pascal comment chars (* ...*). IDE shows block as comment

[AndyM48]

Sorry, I did not know that.

So the problem must be with the code

{$if defined(LCLQt5) or defined(LCLQt6)}
  //workaround for issue https://gitlab.com/freepascal.org/lazarus/lazarus/-/issues/40933
  FPrevFindDlgVisible:= Assigned(fmFind) and (fmFind.Parent=nil) and fmFind.Visible;
  if FPrevFindDlgVisible then
    fmFind.Close;
  {$ifend}

{$if defined(LCLQt5) or defined(LCLQt6)} ... {$ifend} : only apply to Qt5 and Qt6 versions
FPrevFindDlgVisible:= : set a variable, if the following are true then close Find
Assigned(fmFind) : Find window has been called?
(fmFind.Parent=nil) : main window does not have focus?
fmFind.Visible : Find window exists?

If this might, in any way, be an approximation of the sense of the code, then DND will close the Find window since the window will not exist as it is being dragged.

[Alexey-T]

FPrevFindDlgVisible:= : set a variable, if the following are true then close Find

yes

Assigned(fmFind) : Find window has been called?

has been created in memory

(fmFind.Parent=nil) : main window does not have focus?

find-dlg is not docked to main dlg

fmFind.Visible : Find window exists?

find-dlg is shown

[AndyM48]

So if fmFind is not docked and is shown, close it.

In essence this will close the fmFind window whenever it is called.

It is called by the procedure TfmMain.AppPropsDeactivate which in turn, I am assuming, is called when the programme is deactivated. So why is the fmFind window closed by DND?

If DND is an external application, then may be Cudatext is deactivated when DND is called?

[Alexey-T]

Yes, its possible.

[AndyM48]

Can you establish when DND is called, and the omit it from the deactivate procedure.

How is DND called?

[Alexey-T]

what DND? what do you drag, file from OS file manager? text inside editor?

[AndyM48]

DND = Drag aNd Drop the fmFind window in the main window.

[Alexey-T]

DND of the find dlg is not supported. What are trying to do? Add it? I dont like the idea.

[AndyM48]

Fair enough. So where is the fmFind widow opened?

[Alexey-T]

Wait, i mean that dropping of find dlg to dock it into main dlg, is not supported. Usual mouse dragging of the find dlg must work. You have problems with the mouse dragging of the find dlg?

Does it work on Windows?

[AndyM48]

At present DND of the find window, within the main window, does not work for me. I don't use windows.
Checked in all versions available to me.

I think I may need to wipe out my all the Cudatext from my system and restart from clean. Or do you have a debgug method?

[Alexey-T]

So its DND into main Window. Its not supported.

No, you dont need to wipe the app.

[AndyM48]

No, it is DND within the main window which is not working for me.

I do not need or want DND into the main window

[Alexey-T]

Its not supported too.

[AndyM48]

I have no idea where you are going?

Usual mouse dragging of the find dlg must work. You have problems with the mouse dragging of the find dlg?

Now you say it is not supported.

Never mind. I don't think that anyone else is interested so I will move on.

[Alexey-T]

sual mouse dragging of the find dlg must work. You have problems with the mouse dragging of the find dlg?

Now you say it is not supported.

DND of dlg is not supported (within main window). the quote is about usual dragging of UNDOCKED find-dlg by mouse - ie reposition of dlg. so we used different terms - usual dragging is not DND.

[AndyM48]

OK, same difference, usual mouse dragging of the find dlg does not work for me.

[Alexey-T]

Reported the Lazarus bug:
https://gitlab.com/freepascal.org/lazarus/lazarus/-/issues/41039

[Alexey-T]

i disabled new workaroud which hides find-dlg on deactivate. because of lazarus qt5 bug this workaround makes things worse. i will update 1.216.0 linux-qt5 release files today.