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From: davidl@iSC.intel.com (David Levine)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.system
Subject: INIT to allow tabbing between dialog box items?
Message-ID: <1407@ssdintel.isc.intel.com>
Date: 13 Jun 91 17:17:47 GMT
Sender: news@isc.intel.com
Distribution: na
Organization: Supercomputer Systems Division, Intel Corp.
Lines: 47
Nntp-Posting-Host: worf

I want an INIT (system extension) that will let me manipulate ALL the
items in a modal dialog using the keyboard.

If you have ever used FrameMaker under SunView (or FrameMaker 1.3 under
the X Window System, or possibly other implementations) you'll know
exactly what I want.  Every dialog box in FrameMaker has a little
right-pointing triangle in it.  Pressing the tab key moves the triangle
to the next item (button, text entry box, check box, radio button,
scrolling list, etc.).  Pressing Shift-Tab moves the triangle to the
previous item.

Pressing other keys affects the item pointed to.  For example, when the
triangle is on a button, pressing the space bar (or any key other than
the tab key) presses the button.  When the triangle is on a check box,
pressing the space bar toggles the check box; pressing 1 or 0 sets the
check box to the appropriate state.  When the triangle is on a pop-up
menu, pressing the up or down arrow key selects the previous or next
item in the menu; pressing letter keys selects the first item that
begins with the given letter(s).  And so on... the complete list is in
Appendix A of the FrameMaker reference.

In addition to the above, pressing Enter is always equivalent to OK and
pressing Ctrl-C is always equivalent to Cancel.  These keyboard
shortcuts make it (almost) possible to use FrameMaker without touching
the mouse, if that's what you want.  Of course, everything except
typing can be done with the mouse, if that's what you prefer.  (I use a
combination of techniques.)

If this INIT, or one like it, exists, please tell me where I can get a
copy.  (I don't think QuicKeys can do this... can it?)  Commercial
software is fine (in fact, would be preferred!).  It must work with
all applications under both System 6 and System 7, of course.  It would 
be nice if the user could configure what keys perform what actions.

If this INIT does not exist, I think it would be a cool hack and might
be fun for someone to write.  Here's an added incentive: if there's no
commercial product that does this, I'll pay $50.00 to the author of the 
first PD or shareware INIT I receive that works (really works) as 
described above.  How's that?

- David D. Levine, Intel Supercomputer Systems Division
  davidl@ssd.intel.com  - or -  davidl@isc.intel.com
  "Inconceivable!"  "I don't think that word means what you think it means."

(P.S.  If this functionality is provided by Easy Access or something
obvious like that, you have my permission to call me a bazootyhead in
public.)