andrea-magni/tframestand/tframestand-development

Developing with TFrameStand / TFormStand

TFrameStand (https://github.com/andrea-magni/TFrameStand, docs https://andrea-magni.github.io/TFrameStand/) shows FMX frames (TFrameStand) or the content of forms (TFormStand) on a stand: a style item (from a TStyleBook) that wraps the subject with decorations and OnShow*/OnHide* animations. Minimum Delphi version: 10.4. All the calls run in the main thread.

Mental model

• Component: TFrameStand / TFormStand on a form or data module. Key properties: StandBook (the TStyleBook with the stands), DefaultStandName (framestand / formstand), DefaultParent, AnimationShow/AnimationHide masks (OnShow*/OnHide*), CatchBackKey, PushMode, ResponsiveMode.
• Subject: the frame or form shown. Stand: a clone of the style item named like the stand; the subject goes in its element with StyleName = 'container'. A missing stand name gives a plain layout (no decoration).
• Info: TFrameInfo<T> / TFormInfo<T> (base TSubjectInfo), the handle of one subject on its stand: Frame/Form, Stand, Container, Show, Hide, HideAndClose, Close, ShowModal, ModalResult. Keep the info, not the frame (the frame can be replaced by ResponsiveMode = rmLive).

uses FrameStand, SubjectStand;
 
LInfo := FrameStand1.New<TDetailsFrame>(ContentLayout, 'lightbox'); // created and owned, not shown
LInfo.Frame.Customer := LCustomer;
LInfo.Show;
...
LInfo.HideAndClose; // hide animations, then free stand, frame and info

Choosing the API

Rules that avoid the common bugs

• Dismiss with `HideAndClose`, not `Close`, from inside the subject's own event handlers. Close frees the frame (and the control being clicked) at once; HideAndClose and ModalResult close after DefaultHideAndCloseDeferTimeMS.
• After `Close` / `HideAndClose` the info is freed: set fields that reference it to nil (or use ShowModal with AClose = True and keep no reference).
• Register Common Actions before `New`/`Use`: they are bound when the subject is created. A matching control's OnClick is replaced.
• `ModalResult` only dismisses subjects shown with `ShowModal`; the FMX TButton.ModalResult property does not apply (it sets the host form's result): set FInfo.ModalResult in OnClick or in a Common Action.
• Injection: [FrameInfo] FInfo: TFrameInfo<TMyFrame> must use the frame's own class or a base class it descends from; with responsive substitution, type it on the base class requested to New.
• Responsive substitutes must descend from the base class passed to New<T>.
• Do not cache `Info.Frame` with `ResponsiveMode = rmLive`; copy state to the new frame in OnResponsiveChange.
• `Use` frames are not owned: closing detaches them; if their parent is destroyed while shown, FMX destroys them too.
• Animations: names must match AnimationShow/AnimationHide (OnShow*/OnHide*); Hide waits for the longest OnHide* animation. In a style, put size-dependent values in a TStyleTag child (TagString = 'StartValue=-ParentHeight'), not in the animation's TagString (not stored in styles).
• Background work: run tasks with TTask.Run and touch the components only through TThread.Synchronize/TThread.Queue; the Show(ABackgroundTask...) overload is deprecated. StyleBook/DefaultStyleName are deprecated names of StandBook/DefaultStandName.
• Follow the style of the existing code (frames vs forms, Common Actions vs OnClick, stands in the form's style book or in a separate file).

References

Read the reference matching the task:

• references/api.md — exact declarations (types, enums, units, signatures, events) and behaviors the declarations don't tell: read it before writing code against an API you are not sure about.
• references/lifecycle.md — New/Use/Show/Hide/HideAndClose/Close, ownership, timing, events, lifecycle methods ([BeforeShow]...), context injection, Common Actions.
• references/stands.md — designing stands, the stand gallery, animations, values from the stand size (TStyleTag).
• references/dialogs-and-navigation.md — ShowModal/ModalResult, Back/Esc (CatchBackKey, BackKeyAction), navigation stack (Push/Pop, PushMode, StackOperation).
• references/responsive.md — breakpoints, definitions, OnGetSubjectClass, ResponsiveMode = rmLive, OnResponsiveChange.
• references/formstand.md — TFormStand: forms as subjects, [Align]/[ClipChildren], differences from frames.