Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!hao!ames!pasteur!zooey.Berkeley.EDU!c162-br
From: c162-br@zooey.Berkeley.EDU (Warner Young)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Re: fsel_input
Message-ID: <1339@pasteur.Berkeley.Edu>
Date: 8 Mar 88 22:04:09 GMT
References: <8802250623.AA17637@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU> <3951@batcomputer.tn.cornell.edu>
Sender: news@pasteur.Berkeley.Edu
Reply-To: c162-br@zooey.Berkeley.EDU.UUCP (Warner Young)
Organization: University of California, Berkeley
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In article <3951@batcomputer.tn.cornell.edu> braner@tcgould.tn.cornell.edu (braner) writes:
>[]


>My biggest complaints about the GEM fsel box have NOT been addressed by
>the posted alternatives.  Here is my wish list, if anybody who's into
>writing such things wants ideas...

>The drive:\directory\subdirectory\*.* entry drives me nuts.
>For one thing, the "*.*" should be the default, without the need
>to type it.  Then there's the very limited editing of that string.
>If it says "A:\*.*" and I just want to change the 'A' to 'B', I have
>to press ESC to clear it all, then retype the whole mess.  Why can't
>I position the cursor anywhere in the string with the mouse, Mac style?
>(yeah, I know, Apple's lawyers would get mad...)  If the "*.*" was
>implicit it wouldn't be so bad.

>Then comes the worst part.  After laboriously typing in the path, I
>ALWAYS, automatically, without any thought, hit RETURN.  Which kicks
>me out of the fsel box, and I have to start all over again.  Why, oh why,
>can't RETURN, at that point, be equivalent to clicking inside the directory
>list?  After all, at that point I already have the fingers on the keyboard!

>Other suggestions:  can't I be a masochist (?) and simply type the full
>pathname, including the file name, into ONE text-edit input field, if I so
>prefer?  Why can't the thing remember where I was last time around (the
>application, really, should do that) (well, "filefix" tries to do that, but
>if my last attempt involved typing in a nonexistant path, it refuses to let
>me in at all the next time).

>- Moshe Braner


	Okay, I am currently at work on a new fsel_input routine.  There
are some things that I've done which I doubt I'll change, like:

	This will be a completely new fsel_input.  It takes a few more
	arguments than the old one, so there's really no way to trap
	for the old one and pop up this one.  Which means, that you can
	use it in your own programs, but existing ones still suffer.

	I will include a string for a title (eg. Delete Junk), so you know
	what you're doing.

	There will be an option to sort the files in several ways, mostly
	like the Desktop does.

	Re-selecting the drive letter will be handled through two
	arrow buttons (up and down through the alphabet).

Aside from that, since I'm not yet done, I'm open to suggestions.
I'll try to work in as much as possible, while keeping it compact.
When I'm done, I'll be glad to release the source.  BTW, I am using
Alcyon 4.14, just in case those of you with different C compilers
need to know.

	Email me your suggestions, and we'll see what happens...

\        /arner	- Writer of the dreaded Safety Seal Reviews
 \  /   /	- Owner of the vaporware group Safety Seal Software
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