Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!cadnetix.COM!cadnetix!pem
From: pem@cadnetix.COM (Paul Meyer)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.hypercard
Subject: Re: freezing or disabling buttons
Summary: Make the scripts do the work piecemeal
Keywords: buttons disabled quickly
Message-ID: <3014@cadnetix.COM>
Date: 17 Jun 88 17:55:33 GMT
References: <31622@yale-celray.yale.UUCP>
Sender: news@cadnetix.COM
Reply-To: pem@cadnetix.COM (Paul Meyer)
Organization: Cadnetix Corp.,  Boulder, CO
Lines: 66


[]
Suggestion 1:
	Make the link buttons' scripts check for the popped-openness
of the fields that should obscure them before doing their jumps:

on mouseup -- link unless obscured
    if not the visible of field xyzzy
	go to card 71077345
end mouseup

Suggestion 2:
	Have you thought about using a global Hypertalk variable, or a
hidden background field, to control the *buttons'* scripts?

	This would also simplify the logic for determining when to
disable the buttons, too:  (pardon any syntax problems--I don't do
Hypertalk that often.)

on mouseup -- pop up my field
    if the visible of field xyzzy then
	hide field xyzzy
	put field popcount - 1 into field popcount
    else
	show field xyzzy
	put field popcount + 1 into field popcount
    endif
end mouseup

on opencard -- on entering a card of this background, close all the ~
	       popups.
    hide field xyzzy
    hide field plugh
    hide field dwarf
    put 0 into field popcount
end opencard

on mouseup -- link if no fields popped up
    if field popcount < 1 go to card 71077345
end mouseup

Suggestion 2':
	Perhaps you want the link buttons to still be creatable by the
"create link" option.  In this case, you could follow method 2 but
patch the "go" command at the background level.  (This is where my
lack of recent hyperhacking shows badly, but a few minutes with the
manuals should make this work.)  Leave the opencard and popup-button
handlers alone, but put this in the background script:

on go alfa bravo charlie delta echo foxtrot golf hotel
    if (alfa = "to") and (bravo = "card") and (charlie = "id") -- or ~
		some such nonsense--check a "create link"'ed button ~
		for what the syntax it uses is
	if field popcount < 1 go to card id delta
    else
	pass go alfa bravo charlie delta echo foxtrot golf hotel --collect $200
    endif
end go

Summary:  instead of manipulating all the buttons, make their behavior
match what you want them to do--that's the power of scripting!

Paul Meyer                      pem@cadnetix.COM
Cadnetix Corp.
5775 Central Ave.               {uunet,boulder}!cadnetix!pem
Boulder, CO 80301               (303)444-8075x244