Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!super!udel!rochester!rutgers!apple!bloom-beacon!think!ames!oliveb!amiga!jimm
From: jimm@amiga.UUCP (Jim Mackraz)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.tech
Subject: Re: following the sliding prop gadget
Message-ID: <3005@amiga.UUCP>
Date: 10 Oct 88 19:21:37 GMT
References: <2877@mtuxo.att.com> <9515@cup.portal.com> <9746@cup.portal.com>
Reply-To: jimm@cloyd.UUCP (Jim Mackraz)
Distribution: na
Organization: Commodore-Amiga Inc, Los Gatos CA
Lines: 45

In article <9746@cup.portal.com> Sullivan@cup.portal.com writes:
)When in doubt experiment.  Intuition does indeed keep locks on windows
)for long periods of time like that.  (Although it doesn't in the case
)of a slider bar.  That one I hadn't experimented with.)

)The drag and
)size gadgets both lock the entire window which they are in (an admittedly
)reasonable course of action. Although one could unlock periodically for
)a moment and sleep, to allow other processes to update their windows.  

Actually, Intuition locks *all* the windows (LockLayers), the primary
reason being to keep window rendering from colliding with the drag/size
window frame.  So, it can't let other programs run without doing some
special deal with the window frame (which I think is NWI: Not Worth It)
save/restore.

)Right clicking also locks the front window if pull down menus have been
)defined (also for obvious reasons.) 

Again, LockLayers: all windows.  Same reason: menus, like size/drag frame,
are rendered directly into the screen rastport so must be arbitrated.
Note that this arbitration only works on windows so if you want menus
but render directly into you screen you need another arbitration technique,
which is what MENUVERIFY is all about.

)It pleases me to no end that playing
)with gadgets does not.  Another thing done right in the O/S.

It is particularly gratifying when people notice and appreciate the hard
parts.


By the way, in DropShadow2, one slider changes the shadow color (a few
LoadRGB4's) which is processor intensive.  I found it helpful to crank
up my tasks priority while the gadget is in use.  Note that it's easy
to check if the gadget is in use by testing its SELECTED bit (a technique
I'm not particulary pleased with but guaranteed to be supported).

	jimm

-- 
	Jim Mackraz, I and I Computing	  
	amiga!jimm	BIX:jmackraz
Opinions are my own.  Comments regarding the Amiga operating system, and
all others, are not to be taken as Commodore official policy.