Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!uwm.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!usc!snorkelwacker!apple!bc
From: bc@Apple.COM (bill coderre)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.hypercard
Subject: Re: Background Button Problems
Message-ID: <44286@apple.Apple.COM>
Date: 26 Aug 90 16:14:08 GMT
References: <15824@s.ms.uky.edu> <1990Aug18.113207.2073@vaxa.cc.uwa.oz.au> <MASINTER.90Aug26001123@omnibus.parc.xerox.com>
Organization: Consultant to Apple Computer Inc, Cupertino, CA
Lines: 37

Larry Masinter:
|It is much more reliable to hide background buttons and fields by
|putting something in front of them (a card painting or opaque
|iconless, nameless button without script).
|
|Among the advantages over scripting "hide" and "show" commands is the
|reduction in screen flashing (the buttons don't temporarily appear on
|the screen until the script kicks in) and in disk access (hypercard
|normally writes the disk if you change the 'visible' property
|of an item.)

I'll argue the other way, just for fun.

True Fact: Remember that a bg btn has "x ray eyes" and can see a
mouseclick right thru the cd pict. This means that the only "reliable"
way to cover a bg btn is with a cd btn, since the cd btn will get the
mouseclicks instead. Make sure to test this before shipping.

Now the pedantry:

I have used both methods extensively, and I find it simpler and faster
to hide and show buttons, by writing a function UpdateButtons to show
and hide the appropriate set, based on your "gestalt" variables
("JobRunning," "EditingJob", etc). It's more secure than covering over
stuff, concentrates all the update knowledge into one function, and is
actually quite fast if you lock/unlock the screen. Doing so seems to
cause HC to cue up all the disk work to be done at once, removes
flashing, and provides the opportunity to do a tasteful visual effect.
It also only takes a tiny fraction of a second more than wallpapering,
and allows for you to have arbitrarily many modes on the same card.
You only get one cd pict.

Please remember that despite my posting site, I am ONLY a consultant
to Apple, and therefore my opinions are even more my own than those of
the Apple Employees who post THEIR opinions here.

mr HEINOUS
final and ultimate arbiter of all matters of style and taste