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From: krona@ttds.UUCP (Kjell Krona)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.hypercard
Subject: Re: Faster Button
Summary: A more flexible way to program HyperCard
Keywords: HyperTalk, object-orientation
Message-ID: <1180@ttds.UUCP>
Date: 2 Oct 88 16:34:24 GMT
References: <70621@sun.uucp> <1482@pur-phy>
Reply-To: krona@ttds.UUCP (Kjell Krona)
Distribution: comp
Organization: The Royal Inst. of Techn., Stockholm
Lines: 48

One way to accomplish what you want is to use the function
"the target", after giving the buttons in question the name
of the function you want them to execute (for ex, "foo").
Then, in the stack script, place a a handler like

on mousep
   if the short name of the target is "foo" then
      foo
   end if
end mouseup

on foo
 -- whatever you would like "foo" to do
end foo

OR PERHAPS

on mouseup
   if the short name of the target is "foo" then
      put "foo" into bar
      do bar
   end if
end mouseup

ETC.. (the latter is useful if you would like to have more
than one function, on different buttons)

This can be extended and used with great effect. During the
summer, I have implemented a small object-oriented system with
proper inheritance in this way, complete with a simple Smalltalk-
like editor/compiler. I this system, I also use arguments; the 
first word of the button/field specifies the function to execute,
the second word specifies an argument for those functions that
need it. So, differnt buttons may react similarly, but with differnt
end results.

Since "is all in the name" it is quite simple to change the way a
button reacts. Whith the proper scripting done, a user not familiar
with HyperTalk may still change the behavoiur of a button/field, 
choosing from the pre-programmed functions avaliable in this way.

i have used this to make a small hypertext application, with the
intention of extending it into a hypertext authoring environment.
In the near future, I also intend to use it as a tool in my research
on what kind of functions should be available i a user-oriented 
programmeing environment.

	- kjell