Question

My application window can be resized to zero-size. I do not want to restrict the minimum window size. There are several widgets (QLineEdits, QLabels, QPushButtons) layoutet by a HBoxLayout.

At first, all widgets in the HBoxLayout were resized without respecting their sizeHint when the window was very small.
Then I used setFixedSize(sizeHint) on them. Now they do not get shrunk below their sizeHint, but instead they start overlapping when the window is very small.

What I want is what Thunderbird does (screenshots attached):
It smoothly hides the widgets by moving them out of the window border. Their size is unchanged.

How can I achieve that with the Qt Layouting system?

my application: normal window
https://i.stack.imgur.com/WLgLy.png

my application: small window
Dueling Network Screenshot

Thunderbird: normal window    
View post on imgur.com

Thunderbird: small window
https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZyQou.png

Answer 1

1. Put your widgets into a QScrollArea
2. Set the vertical and horizontal scroll bar policy’s to AlwaysOff
3. Layout your Scroll area as you wish

Done & done