Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!uakari.primate.wisc.edu!bin
From: bin@primate.wisc.edu (Brain in Neutral)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.programmer
Subject: Re: Deactivating window behind StdFile dlog?
Message-ID: <3776@uakari.primate.wisc.edu>
Date: 18 Jan 91 17:10:29 GMT
References: <11768@goofy.Apple.COM>
Sender: bin@primate.wisc.edu
Reply-To: bin@primate.wisc.edu
Lines: 34

From article <11768@goofy.Apple.COM>, by lsr@Apple.com (Larry Rosenstein):
> In article <3754@uakari.primate.wisc.edu>, bin@primate.wisc.edu (Brain in Neutral) writes:
>> 
>> How do *you* solve the problem of deactivating the contents (not
>> the frame) of the frontmost window when a standard file dialog
>> comes up in front of it?
> 
> A long time ago I considered how to do this in MacApp for any dialog (not
> just Std File).  The problem is that the Modal Dialog call throws away
> events that aren't directed to a dialog.  My solution was to patch Modal
> Dialog so that I could supply a filter proc all the time.  The filter proc
> tested whether the event was for a dialog, and if not passed it through
> MacApp's normal event handling code.

Yes, I was actually thinking about the general case (any modal dialog
or alert), but StdFile seemed a good one to focus on.  Thanks for your
comments.  In the meantime, I've given a bit of thought to trying to
solve this problem in general, such that an application can get the
activates passed down to it (and updates, which are actually a more
important problem).

Some of the solutions I've come up with (and there are others) can be
ftp'ed from indri.primate.wisc.edu (128.104.230.11) in the file
pub/mac/TransSkel/TPN/TPN002.sit.hqx, if anyone's interested.  I have
pending revisions to this thing already (and I just put it there yesterday)
but comments by anyone would be appreciated.  It's some scribblings
jotted down in connection with upcoming TransSkel revisions.

I have another question:  does ModalDialog() use IsDialogEvent() and
DialogSelect().  Could one safely dispose of ModalDialog() altogether?

--
Paul DuBois
dubois@primate.wisc.edu