README.md

Part 3: Element Heirarchy

Window element has exactly one child, the layout root. It takes up the full bounds of the window. This way, creating a window does not make any assumptions about how the layout will start.

It is up to the user (of the library) to attach some elements to the window that will provide the layout they want, e.g. the layout root

 Window element
 └─ layout root (window->element->children[0])
 	└─ rest of UI

Part 4: Messaging Infrastructure

Do not use _WindowMessage for anything except the layout root element. Nakst will clarify the concept of "layouts" in later chapters but I've noticed the above.

Part 5: Messaging Infrastructure

Code flow when a window resize happens

User resizes -> platform layer update windows bounds and clip of the window element -> platform layer sends MSG_LAYOUT to window element -> an element receives MSG_LAYOUT message, it looks at its new bounds field, and updates the bounds and clip fields of all its children -> element sends MSG_LAYOUT mesage to all its children whose fields were modified

Step 1: Platform resize event

• Win32:

WM_SIZE

• Linux

ConfigureNotify

Step 2: Platform updates window element

• Win32

window->e.bounds = RectangleMake(0, window->width, 0, window->height);
window->e.clip = RectangleMake(0, window->width, 0, window->height);

Step 3: Platform sends layout message

ElementMessage(&window->e, MSG_LAYOUT, 0, 0);

This is the single entry point. Note, the window element's singlular layout root element is sent a MSG_LAYOUT message, not the window element.

Step 4: Window element handles MSG_LAYOUT

if (message == MSG_LAYOUT && element->childCount)
{
	ElementMove(element->children[0], element->bounds, false);
}

Window:

• Does not compute layout itself
• Delegates layout to its single child

Step 5: ElementMove on root child

element->clip = RectangleIntersection(element->parent->clip, bounds);

Then:

ElementMessage(element, MSG_LAYOUT, 0, 0);

Step 6: Each child handles MSG_LAYOUT

Each element:

• Reads its own bounds
• Positions its children
• Calls ElementMove on them

This repeats recursively

Step 7: Layout propagation completes

• Enture tree updates
• All bounds and clips are valid
• Rendering and hit-testing are now correct

Part 6: Painting

The layout bounds for Element A (the root layout elemnt) are not exactly equal to the window's bounds because Element A is limited to the client rect and the window's bounds is the outer bounds of the entire window

• A is pink rect covering entire screen
• B is grey rect centred mid
• C is blue
• D is green

Back buffer

• Each window owns a pixel baxk buffer window->bits representing the entire client area.
• UI elements render into this buffer
• Pixel (x, y) in window space maps directly to: bits[y * window->width + x] this is how we can pass the rect coords into stretchdibits directly without issue

Dirty rectangle (updateRegion)

• When elements change (layout, content, movement), they call ElementRepaint
• This does not repaint immediately
• Insteads, the affected rectangle is unioned (RectangleBounding) into window->updateRegion
• updateRegion is the smallest rectangle containing all changes for the current update cycle

Update phase (_Update)

• Called at controlled points (e.g. on Windows after WM_SIZE; in later tutorials, after input processing).
• If updateRegion is valid:
  1. A Painter is set up with clip = updateRegion.
  2. The element tree is recursively painted only within that clip, so only the pixels inside the dirty rectangle are modified in window->bits.
  3. The rendered result is written into the back buffer; all pixels outside updateRegion are left untouched.
  4. _WindowEndPaint copies only the dirty rectangle from the back buffer to the OS window (on Windows this is done via StretchDIBits), since updating anything else would be redundant.
• Afterward, updateRegion is cleared, ready for the next update cycle.