Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!CS.WM.EDU!csrobe
From: csrobe@CS.WM.EDU (Chip Roberson)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Argh!  MWC Resource & TEDINFO
Message-ID: <8909140457.AA22627@cs.wm.edu>
Date: 14 Sep 89 04:57:44 GMT
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Organization: The Internet
Lines: 66

I am trying to create a simple form with editable strings, such as:
	Name: ______________________
using MWC's Resource construction set.  I was able to create the
complete form and even test it using Resource.  The cursor moved
from field to field just as it should and it even let me type in
dummy text.  

However, when I compiled the program, form_do() wouldn't let me
type in a single character.  So I go back and forth between my
code and Resource and I can't figure out why.  The template looks
correct:
	"Name: XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX"
and the text is blank ("": I don't want anything in there that I have
to erase before I type in my input.  I want a virgin field!).  No go!
form_do() only lets me type in as much text as is in the te_ptext
field.  (This makes since form_do() seems to use the same place to store
the new input.)

Ok, so I see the following in the MWC lexicon pp. 357-8:  "te_ptext
points to a string to be displayed within the object.  The text typed
by the user will be written over this string.  [The first time I read
this I thought "written" meant "on the screen" not "in memory". -csr]
If you do not want text to be displayed, replace it with a string of
`@' characters as long as the maximum length of the string of input."

Seems reasonable, just get back into Resource and put 20 @'s in the
text field of NAME.  But NO!  Resource won't let me enter @'s into
the text field.  Ok, I'll do it the long way.  I'll decompile the
.rsc using Resdecom edit it manually and then compile it back using
Rescomp.  I go to recompile my source and it bombs out saying it
doesn't know the name of my EXIT Button.  What!?!  So I look at the
.h file and the last 6 or 7 objects in the form have all had their
C Names changed to things like BTN_027C!  Whydju do that?  I didn't
tell you to do that!

Ok, back to Resource to put my names back in.  I check on the object
with the @-signs in it, but I don't see them.  I go down to the text
field and try typing a few characters in frustration.  Hey wait a minute!
The @'s are there.  I can see them as I type, Resource just doesn't want
to show them to me.  Can I type '@'s in now?  NO!  Ok, so I cancel
and get out and compile the damn thing.

Well, the underscores are still there indicating that nothing is in
the field.  I try typing.  It takes the text.  Oh Boy, no what!?!
The underscores and the characters of the text merge into a new
character set.  The underscores aren't going away as I over them!

So what the farce am I to do now?  I'm tired.  I'm frustrated.  And
I'm not in a very good mood.  

Now I know this can be done because I have some resource files that
do exactly what I'm trying to do.  I even put one into Resource and
their object looks identical to mine!  How do I get around this
stupid problem?  How do I give the object the storage for the string
and still get an empty field?

Why isn't this straight-forward?  Please somebody give me a simple
answer that will fix this prolem.

Thanks for listening.
-c
| Chip Roberson                ARPANET:  csrobe@cs.wm.edu           |
| VA Remote Sensing Study                                           |
| Dept of Comp. Sci.                     csrobe@icase.edu           |
| College of William and Mary                                       |
| Williamsburg, VA 23185       UUCP:     ...!uunet!cs.wm.edu!csrobe |