Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!snorkelwacker!usc!ucsd!hub!6600pete
From: 6600pete@ucsbuxa.ucsb.edu (GurgleKat [Pete Gontier])
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.programmer
Subject: Dialog interface (was Re: Movable-Modal WDEF 1.01 (LONG))
Message-ID: <4202@hub.UUCP>
Date: 7 Mar 90 07:39:47 GMT
References: <1831@esquire.UUCP>
Sender: news@hub.UUCP
Reply-To: 6600pete@ucsbuxa.ucsb.edu
Lines: 40

From article <1831@esquire.UUCP>, by baumgart@esquire.dpw.com (Steve Baumgarten):
> Specifically, people tend to want to cut and paste in dialog boxes and
> are continually surprised and annoyed when they can't.  Even if it's
> the kludgy Hypercard script editor solution of supporting the keys and
> not the Edit menu, anything would be better than forcing people to
> type things when they shouldn't have to.

Well, someone has to post this, so I figure I will in the hopes that the
repetitious volume will be minimized.

There are several INITs by Andrew Welch that add this command key
functionality to dialogs. There is Commander Dialog, which evolved into
Commander Dialog II, which melved into something much larger called
BlackBox. And now BlackBox has calved again into a commercial product
called QuickTools. (Welch is a busy bee, yes he is!)

Also, someone now is obligated to post something saying "You shouldn't
have to get an INIT to get that functionality." So there, I've posted
it. And I agree with it. But while we're waiting for Apple to do it,
Welch's products are a good alternative.

> Nisus ... *always* keeps the Edit menu enabled, so that you can cut
> and paste anywhere, even in modal and StdFile boxes ... if there's any
> way to add support for Edit menu items in modal (and non-modal) dialog
> boxes, I urge the Human Interface group to consider it.

Well, I think that would be Engineering's problem, if HIG could yank
the right peoples' chains. But it doesn't strike me as the most easily
done thing. Compatibly, that is. Perhaps the command keys should work,
but the Edit menu would be a bear.

> By the way, Nisus also handles the issue of command-key equivalents in
> dialog boxes with equal aplomb. [ description deleted ]

I will suggest this to Welch. Might be neat to see if he could figure out
how to do this system-wide. O'course, he has his deadlines... :-)
--
Pete Gontier   | InterNet: 6600pete@ucsbuxa.ucsb.edu, BitNet: 6600pete@ucsbuxa
Editor, Macker | Online Macintosh Programming Journal; mail for subscription
Hire this kid  | Mac, DOS, C, Pascal, asm, excellent communication skills