Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!mips!public!eeh
From: eeh@public.BTR.COM (Eduardo E. Horvath  eeh@btr.com)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.programmer
Subject: Re: How to do a "MovePointer()"?
Summary: Don't move the pointer.
Keywords: UGLY IMPOLITE
Message-ID: <3169@public.BTR.COM>
Date: 22 Jun 91 19:33:29 GMT
References: <19997@csli.Stanford.EDU> <1382@cbmger.UUCP> <91170.181652GUTEST8@cc1.kuleuven.ac.be> <20052@csli.Stanford.EDU>
Organization: BTR Public Access UNIX, MtnView CA. Contact: Customer Service cs@BTR.COM
Lines: 62

In article <20052@csli.Stanford.EDU> bratt@csli.Stanford.EDU (Harry Bratt) writes:
>In <91170.181652GUTEST8@cc1.kuleuven.ac.be> GUTEST8@cc1.kuleuven.ac.be (Ives Aerts) writes:
>>In article <1382@cbmger.UUCP>, peterk@cbmger.UUCP (Peter Kittel GERMANY):
>>>
>>>In article <19997@csli.Stanford.EDU> bratt@csli.Stanford.EDU (Harry Bratt):
>>>>I need to change the position of Intuition's mouse pointer.

>Actually, I've been wondering about that problem for a while.  The program
>I'm writing is using a RMB-pop-up-menu.  The need to move the pointer
>comes when 2 things conflict:
> 1) I want the menu to pop up under the mouse on a specific item
> 2) Doing #1 would place some of the menu off-screen

>Now I've used other systems which use pop-up menus as standard, but I
>don't have access to them now and I didn't notice well enough what
>they did in this case.

	Motif, at least, will place the menu entirely on the screen
near the pointer.

[description of problems with iff2pcs deleted]

>So I'd be interested in knowing what people think the solution to this
>should be.

	Moving the mouse pointer is impolite, and confusing to the
user.  Don't do it unless it is absolutely necessary.  It is extremely
irritating to be forced to lift up the mouse and re-center it on the
pad.  It is even worse if the mouse is near one edge of the mouse pad,
and a button has been pressed to access the menu, but the mouse must be
positioned off the pad to make the proper selection.

>And more specifically, if I do move the pointer like I am now, should
>I attempt to move it back after they release the RMB?  I see 3 possibilities:
>1) don't move it back
	No, don't do this.

>2) move it back exactly to where it was when the RMB was pressed
>   (or, since they'll be moving the pointer to do menu selection,)
	So now I might need to lift the mouse twice?

>3) move it the same distance I had to move it when the RMB was pressed,
>   but in the opposite direction
	What if it falls off the screen?

4) pop the menu up a few pixels away from the mouse.
	This is what Motif will do with pop-up menus.  Unless the're 
	extremely large, that little bit ov movement will not be noticed.
	It also has the advantage that if you accidentally tap the button,
	decide not to make a selection, or cannot proceed with a selection
	(i.e. must first re-position the mouse) releasing the menu button
	does not result in a selection.

> -Harry
>  bratt@csli.stanford.edu


-- 
=========================================================================
Eduardo Horvath				eeh@btr.com
					..!{decwrl,mips,fernwood}!btr!eeh
	"Trust me, I am cognizant of what I am doing." - Hammeroid