[TAZ]

When using a track bar on a Windows tablet with no mouse or keyboard, it is very difficult to grab the slider and move it. In fact on some of the skins the slider is very, very small and it is nearly impossible to move it.

Is there a way to project the slider's size like extending it several pixels around the slider (like a phantom zone) to increase the area to ensure proper sliding of the track bar?

[Support]

I think, you can use a second TsSkinManager component with Options.ScaleMode property changed to sm150

and define this second TsSkinManager for using in the TsTrackBar.SkinData property. Try it please.

[TAZ]

Tried what you suggested. Did not make much of a difference. One thing that you really have to do on a Windows tablet is to scale the application to a larger size just to use it.

Having an application on a tablet at sm100 is very laborious. You have to set it to sm150 which makes it better to use the controls with the exception of the track bar. This would negate your suggestion in that you would have to set a second SkinManager to sm200.

Again, the problem is that the slider part of the track bar does not work very well with touch screens. The built in track bar that is used by Windows tablets works great.

I will probably have to abandon the track bar and move on to another control. I tried the track edit, but it is no better.

This is not just an AlphaSkins problem. I have the old Raize components (before Embarcadero bought them) that has a track bar and it has the same problem.

I worked on a mobile application once using Fire Monkey and I remember the ability on some control to project its (phantom) size around it to help on a touch screen. Then again that was for both iOS and Android tablets.

[TAZ]

I did some experimenting. It all has to do with the ThumbLength property and this is misleading. During design you try to set the look of a control. Nope. That is not necessarily true.

I set “thumb length” to the height of the control. Makes it looks ugly in design; however, when the app is run, the “thumb length” channel is narrow. Wow. However, the track bar responds better when the “thumb length” is maximized to the height of the track bar.

I cannot explain it other than the fact that the “thumb length” part seems to control movement. You click on an area other than the slider and it will move one page (another property). Grab the slider and it moves until you release.

More investigation is needed. It is interesting that this is acting like a phantom control.

I have included two screenshots. The first shows the exaggerated “thumb length”. Notice the height and “thumb length” of the track bar. The second shows the “thumb length” much, much smaller (narrower) when the app is run.

Any thoughts?

[Support]

So, this “ThumpLength” property may be solution for this situation? Mouse events are processed by the Windows system and that's a reason why it works better with bigger ThumbLength.

Drawing of thumb is not depended from this property in AlphaSkins.

[Author]

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