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Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!asuvax!ncar!tank!gft_robert@gsbacd.uchicago.edu
From: gft_robert@gsbacd.uchicago.edu
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.programmer,comp.sys.mac.hypercard
Subject: Abandoning your Dialog in HyperCard: how dangerous?
Message-ID: <7745@tank.uchicago.edu>
Date: 27 Feb 90 21:49:44 GMT
Sender: news@tank.uchicago.edu
Organization: University of Chicago Graduate School of Business
Lines: 30


I'm writing a stack which involves some quite lengthy operations, do I thought
it would be nice to put up a dialog for the user saying some form of "I'm doing
something lengthy.  Be back soon...", sort of like what happens when you're
printing on the Mac.

Now, I could do this by showing/hiding fields, or by showing/hiding card
pictures, but I thought it would be better to write a general purpose XFCN to
do it.  So I did.  The XFCN returns the DialogPtr which I store in a global. 
when I'm done and wish to hide the dialog, I pass the global (DialogPtr) to an
XCMD which disposes of the dialog.

Sounds OK, but HyperCard isn't being such a happy camper.  First of all, is
this a reasonable thing to do at all, particularly since HyperCard might
at some point flash up its own dialog (I know I can keep track of my ask/answer
calls, but maybe HC can't find a card it wants, etc.; I've got some inter-stack
movement going on in the background)?  Second, if it's OK to do, what should I
watch out for?  It seems to me that HC barfs if I have the screen locked and
then try to call my XFCN.

Any info much appreciated!

Robert

 
============================================================================
= gft_robert@gsbacd.uchicago.edu * generic disclaimer: * "It's more fun to =
=            		         * all my opinions are *  compute"         =
=                                * mine                *  -Kraftwerk       =
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