Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!apple!jdevoto
From: jdevoto@Apple.COM (Jeanne A. E. DeVoto)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.hypercard
Subject: Re: Q: replacing the selection on a button click ?
Summary: use "the selectedChunk"
Message-ID: <47794@apple.Apple.COM>
Date: 6 Jan 91 15:44:56 GMT
References: <1991Jan5.232644.29647@csn.org>
Organization: Apple Computer Inc., Cupertino, CA
Lines: 55

In article <1991Jan5.232644.29647@csn.org> wilde@boulder.Colorado.EDU
(Nick Wilde) writes:
>I have this field, ya see. The user clicks on said field, sets the
>insertion point, maybe selects some text. Now,  said user goes over
>and clicks one of several buttons. Depending upon which button is
>pushed, I want to replace whatever was selected in the field with
>some text. The problem is as soon as the user clicks on the button,
>"the selection" goes away, and I have no idea where to put the 
>text.... 

Let me guess: the button's autohilite property is turned on.
When a button is hilited, the text selection is lost. You can get around
the problem by turning off autohiliting, of course, but this solution
is unappealing: for one thing, it removes an important element of user
feedback.

>                                       Is there some way to get a 
>"description" of the selection, vs the selection itself ? Why is the
>sky blue ? Do toilets really flush in the opposite direction due
>to coriolis force in the southern hemisphere ? Does anybody care ?

The function you're looking for is "the selectedChunk". This function
returns a chunk expression such as "char 5 to 14 of card field ID 5".
The basic strategy is to store the selectedChunk and then re-select it
after your handler is finished. Add some code to fake auto-hiliting
and you get something like:

  on mouseDown
    put the selectedChunk into mySelection
    repeat until the mouse is up -- autohilite
      if the mouseLoc is within the rect of the target then
        set the hilite of the target to true
      else
        set the hilite of the target to false
      end if
    end repeat
    if the mouseLoc is within the rect of the target then
      -- do button stuff
    end if
    set the hilite of the target to false
    select mySelection
  end mouseDown

Because the atmosphere preferentially scatters red light.

Depends on whether the inflow faucets are angled or not.

I do! ;-)
-- 
========= jeanne a. e. devoto ========================================
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