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From: ranson@crcge1.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Compatibility guidelines
Message-ID: <2227@crcge1.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 6-May-87 04:45:02 EDT
Article-I.D.: crcge1.2227
Posted: Wed May  6 04:45:02 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 9-May-87 01:49:00 EDT
Lines: 27
Keywords: Machine-independent coding

Apple has issued several technotes about machine independence. TN#117
was particularly useful. But I think that some issues have not been
discussed yet:
 - How does one lay out windows on the screen(s)? WIND templates
 do not help, since they are screen-size dependent. You can get
 screen geometrics from QuickDraw, but how does one deal with
 multiple screens making a non-rectangular desktop? Another problem
 is that one creates a window giving 'interior' dimensions. Is it
 possible to determine the size of the window drag bar (which might
 change if the system font is changed in certain scripts)?

 - How does one use QuickDraw globals if you are not the one that
 initialised it? (eg. from a DA). I have found at least 2 popular
 way to set up these globals, at 0(a5) and at -4(a5). This makes
 some DAs fail in the Finder.

 Another (unrelated) question: Does the new TextEdit support tabs?
 The APDA draft of IMv5 does not say anything about it. Since TextEdit
 is most useful in non-word processing applications like programming
 langages, I think tabs are much more important than multiple styles.

     Daniel Ranson
     Centre National d'Etudes des Telecommunications
     LANNION, FRANCE
     ...!seismo!mcvax!inria!{crcge1,cnetlu}!ranson