Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sun-barr!apple!carr@apple.com
From: carr@apple.com (Randy Carr)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.system
Subject: Re: Standards for Balloon Help?
Message-ID: <14057@goofy.Apple.COM>
Date: 13 Jun 91 19:25:03 GMT
References: <1991Jun12.155432.13822@Think.COM>
Sender: usenet@Apple.COM
Organization: Apple Computer, Inc.
Lines: 47

In article <1991Jun12.155432.13822@Think.COM>, ejb@think (Erik Bailey) writes:
> 
> 
> I have a question.  Short of turning balloon help on and whizzing the mouse
> around the screen to look for balloons, is there any way to determine if
> balloon help is supported by an application?  Every time I get a new CDEV
> (I *refuse* to call them Extensions or Control Panels! :-)) that's designed
> for System 7, I always check if it supports balloon help.  3/4 don't (how
> un-System-7-like!).  There's gotta be an easier way to do this.

You can't really tell if an application, cdev, or DA supports balloons as the
Help Mgr can be called directly.  However, most 7.0 studly developers will 
want to put a 'hfdr' resource in their app to get a custom balloon message
in the Finder. So this can be a quick indicator.

> 
> I thought of possibly an init that would check to see if the front
> application supports balloon help (can that be done?) and if it doesn't,
> grays out the "Show Balloons" menu item.  This isn't a good solution,
> though, because "Show Balloons" still needs to be selectable -- the user
> may want help for an application on the screen, but in the background.

You don't want to do this as an application is not the only one who takes
advantage of Balloons.  The system itself provides help for things like the
Apple menu, window parts, the process menu, other application windows, etc.
Graying out the Show Balloons menu item just isn't appropriate.

> 
> I really don't know if this is a solvable problem.  I don't really like the
> "try it, and if nothing happens, it doesn't have balloon help" approach,
> but it's all that seems available.
> 
> Comments?
> 
> --Erik
> 
> --
>       Erik Bailey       | 7 Oak Knoll         | Thinking Machines Corp.
>       ejb@think.com     | Arlington, MA 02174 | 245 First St.
>       harvard!think!ejb | (617) 643-0732      | Cambridge, MA  02142
>           /earth is 98% full. Please remove any excess inhabitants.
> 

Randy Carr
System Software (I wrote the Help Mgr)
Apple Computer, Inc.
Internet: carr@apple.com