Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!uwm.edu!gem.mps.ohio-state.edu!usc!pollux.usc.edu!papa
From: papa@pollux.usc.edu (Marco Papa)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Mymenu, ET and SF!
Message-ID: <20783@usc.edu>
Date: 25 Oct 89 02:48:55 GMT
References: <2259@nigel.udel.EDU> <7289@sdcsvax.UCSD.Edu> <20763@usc.edu> <165@ra.abo.fi>
Sender: news@usc.edu
Reply-To: papa@pollux.usc.edu (Marco Papa)
Organization: Felsina Software, Los Angeles, CA
Lines: 40

In article <165@ra.abo.fi> rosenber@ra.abo.fi (Robin Rosenberg INF) writes:
>Proposition: There is a program for setting preferences: Preferences. Setting
>the preferences from another program is like things behind the users' 
>back. AtalkIII (or any other program that needs saving preferences) should
>have its OWN configuration file.

A-Talk III does indeed have its own configuration file (actually one for 
each of the 60 hosts in the phonebook + 1 global one).

> It may accept default settings from 
>preferences but it should DEFINITELY NOT change the preferences. Saying MyMenu
>is a kludge is no excuse for a badly behaved program. And that other programs
>do the same misstake is no excuse either. I cannot swear on it, but I think
>MyMenu has to be a kludge with the current OS version.

Yes, and that is the problem with 'kludges' that act on 'private' data and not
through programming interfaces like SetPrefs/GetPrefs. Behaviour of the 
latter ones can be changed by newer releases of the system software; nothing
can be done of the former ones.

>Back to preferences: The RKM says you shouldn't do SetPrefs() since that is
>pulling the rug from beneath the users feet. Now we see what happens. (It 
>seems ATalk has its kludges too...)

Currently, "applications are discouraged to use SetPrefs/GetPrefs" (V 1.4
Preferences notes, DevCon'89), but their function is fully supported by the
system software. We allow saving/restoring of Workbench colors accross a
terminal session, and we added that feature on user's request.  The 1.4
docs mentions that 1.4 SetPrefs *MIGHT* be valid only once, at system startup.

As far as MyMenu is concerned, WB 1.4 will include an Application menuItem 
interface, which will allow to play MyMenu-type games in a compatible and
non-kludgy way (applications will be able to 'add' menu items to the WB Tool
menu).  Another good idea for 1.4.

-- Marco Papa 'Doc'
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