Understanding Overlays

What's an Overlay?

The client overlay was the foundation of the first version managers. All manager operation were initiated, calculated, enabled and disabled from overlays.

In the version 2 manager framework this has changed to a more encapsulated manager function. This means that the 'overlay' is not the only road to use a manager. Overlays are handy for quick and stylable resize and move enabled IUIComponents.

When is an overlay added?

The client overlay is added to the client when one of the following manager methods is called;

• addClient()
• addClients()
• addParentClient()

Once a method is called, the manager uses the client or parent's styleName to retrieve the relevant style data needed to render the client overlay. The move manager uses the moveClientOverlayRenderer style to get it's client overlay's class, the resize manager uses the resizeClientOverlayRenderer to get it's client overlay class. The default classes are as follows;

• MoveManagerFX :: com.teotiGraphix.managers.overlayClasses.MoveOverlay
• ResizeManagerFX :: com.teotiGraphix.managers.overlayClasses.ResizeOverlay

These default classes are included in the product's source files for you to examine if ever you want to create your own overlay type.

Overlay Layers

There are three layers to a client overlay;

1. IOverlay : overlayRenderer
2. IOverlayButton : overlayButtonRenderer
3. ProgrammaticSkin : overlayButtonSkin

You as the developer will usually not touch #1 or #2 because the renderers implement the buttons in a generic applied way. This is, most of the time their functionality should do the job fine. It's #3 that you will have interest in when skinning an overlay for a client.

The overlayButtonSkin can be set in the client's styleName, the manager's styleName or the nested clientStyleName style that is placed within a manager's styleName.

See the Understanding Styles section for more information about the cascading styles of the manager framework.

Overlay Types

There are two types of overlays in the manager's world. The client overlay is embedded inside the client component that was added to the manager. The popup overlay is a non optional overlay used during the manager's resize or move operation. You can make the popup overlay invisible during these operations by setting it's relevant manager style alpha to 0.

• MoveManagerFX :: movePopUpOverlayAlpha
• ResizeManagerFX :: resizePopUpOverlayAlpha

Using the two styles above you can essentially remove the overlay from sight.

Overlay Styles

When using overlays, you usually use the same styles for the popup overlay and the client overlay. Although the manager framework allows you to differ styles between the two if you need to.