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From: pepke@loligo (Eric Pepke)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.programmer
Subject: Re: Floating Windows
Message-ID: <429@fsu.scri.fsu.edu>
Date: 10 Jan 90 21:43:14 GMT
References: <18786@bellcore.bellcore.com>
Sender: news@fsu.scri.fsu.edu
Reply-To: pepke@loligo.UUCP (Eric Pepke)
Organization: Supercomputer Computations Research Institute
Lines: 38

In article <18786@bellcore.bellcore.com> sdh@flash.UUCP (Stephen D Hawley) writes:
>I need a pointer for making windows that float on top of the rest of the
>world no matter what.  I tried setting GostWindow to the window I wanted
>on top, but that doesn't work.  I want the kind of windows in FullPaint.
>
>Do i have to dick around with the window list pulling them in front
>constantly?

April 1988 MacTutor had a bit on this.  I wouldn't do it exactly the way
they did (and, in fact, I didn't) because, for one thing, Apple people have 
suggested that it would probably break.  Most of the reason for this seems
to have to do with accessing the Window Manager port directly to change the
region where the drag window rectangle shows.

There is no real trick, just a lot of special cases.  Don't use GhostWindow.
The first order solution is to keep a floating window on the top, put it on
the top and never allow another window to come in front of it.  This is
relatively easy; don't use SelectWindow on a document window, but rather 
activate the window and bring it to just behind the rearmost floating window.
The trickiness comes with desk accessory windows.  You want the floating
windows to be in front of all the application windows, but not in front
of the desk accessory windows.  

I found that the easiest way to solve the problem was to think about all the
special cases in the context of the structure of my main loop.  What should
happen when you bring up a desk accessory in front of the floating windows?
What then should happen when you bring up a document window in front of that?
Do you disallow that, as HyperCard does, or do you do it somewhat more
cleverly?  What window should be highlighted as active?  (HyperCard does it 
stupidly.)

Eric Pepke                                     INTERNET: pepke@gw.scri.fsu.edu
Supercomputer Computations Research Institute  MFENET:   pepke@fsu
Florida State University                       SPAN:     scri::pepke
Tallahassee, FL 32306-4052                     BITNET:   pepke@fsu

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