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From: hpoppe@scdpyr.UUCP (Herb Poppe)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.hypercard
Subject: HyperTalk "ask" command
Message-ID: <202@scdpyr.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 10-Nov-87 16:24:57 EST
Article-I.D.: scdpyr.202
Posted: Tue Nov 10 16:24:57 1987
Date-Received: Fri, 13-Nov-87 20:39:46 EST
Organization: Natl Ctr Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO
Lines: 17

According to the HyperCard Help stack (I don't have access to the APDA
documentation), the "ask" command presents the user with a dialog box
into which the user can type a reply. The dialog box also includes an "OK"
and a "Cancel" button. If the "OK" button is clicked, the reply is returned
in "it", a local variable. The Help stack does not say, but it appears
that if "Cancel" is clicked, "empty" is returned in "it".

Therefore, it appears that there is no way to distinguish the case where
the user intends to return the value "empty" (by clearing the editText
item and clicking "OK") from the case where the user intends the response
to be ignored (by clicking "Cancel"). Am I missing something?

If there is no way to distinguish these two cases, then there is a serious
design flaw in HyperTalk's "ask" command.
-- 
Herb Poppe      NCAR                         INTERNET: hpoppe@scdpyr.UCAR.EDU
(303) 497-1296  P.O. Box 3000                   CSNET: hpoppe@ncar.CSNET
		Boulder, CO  80307               UUCP: hpoppe@scdpyr.UUCP