Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!lll-winken!lll-lcc!mordor!sri-spam!ames!pasteur!ucbvax!CORY.BERKELEY.EDU!dillon
From: dillon@CORY.BERKELEY.EDU (Matt Dillon)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Help with messages, ports, etc.
Message-ID: <8804201853.AA13956@cory.Berkeley.EDU>
Date: 20 Apr 88 18:53:19 GMT
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Lines: 22

:Basically, I want to add a feature to a program which blanks the screen after a
:specified amount of time.  I am having problems in determining whether the user
:is doing anything with the keyboard or mouse. 
:I originally thought I could put a loop of GetMsg's and keep track of how...

	What you are suggesting will never work... but there is a really 
easy way to do it!  The standard solution is to add your own input handler
to the system ... usually before intuition (priority 51+).  This input handler
would receive ALL raw mouse and keyboard events, as well as timer events 
every 1/10 second.  Every event is timestamped, and since timer events come
in continuously, you do not need to open the timer.device or anything like
that.

	Essentially:

	READ RKM I about the INPUT.DEVICE
	READ the commented .H header files for the event structure 

	then write a program which opens the input.device, adds your
handler, then waits around for handler to signal it to do something.   I
will post a sample program as soon as I get home.

					-Matt