CompuServe Thread

Steve, Yes… sounds like these are "toggle-selected/text-rendered" gadgets right? As it turns out the system doesn't like/understand such an arrangement when it comes to 'deselecting' them via program control ( I banged my head on that wall for a long time). There _is_ a way to get around the problem ( I don't recall off-hand what it is) and I think there is a file here in LIB 10 that shows an example of how to do it (sorry, can't remember the name of the file either). The other way is to use 'Image-rendered' gadgets… these seem to work fine under program control for selecting/de-selecting. ( sorry about all the line noise ) Maybe someone else remembers the name of that file I speak of and can jump in here with it. Keith

Steve, Yes… sounds like these are "toggle-selected/text-rendered" gadgets right? As it turns out the system doesn't like/understand such an arrangement when it comes to 'deselecting' them via program control ( I banged my head on that wall for a long time). There _is_ a way to get around the problem ( I don't recall off-hand what it is) and I think there is a file here in LIB 10 that shows an example of how to do it (sorry, can't remember the name of the file either). The other way is to use 'Image-rendered' gadgets… these seem to work fine under program control for selecting/de-selecting. ( sorry about all the line noise ) Maybe someone else remembers the name of that file I speak of and can jump in here with it. Keith

Yah, I ran up against that problem a few months ago with my Remind program. What's happening, if I recall correctly, is that gadget selecting is handled pretty simplemindedly. When you do a RefreshGadgets(), Intuition checks to see if the gadget is selected. Aha, says Intuition, here's a selected gadget… so it complements the gadget. Now, if your program deselects the gadget and you call RefreshGadgets() again, the gadget ISN'T selected… so Intuition does nothing, the gadget stays inverted, and it's out of sync. Conversely, if you call RefreshGadgets() with some gadgets still selected, Intuition says "Aha…" again, and the SELECTED gadgets get turned OFF visually. There are a couple of approaches to this. First, use RefreshGList() instead of RefreshGadgets(), and refresh ONLY the gadget whose state you want to change. In combination with that, have the gadget SELECTED any time you want to CHANGE its state. So, the gadget is off? Set SELECTED and call RefreshGList(). Need to turn it off? Call RefreshGList() FIRST to uncomplement the gadget, THEN clear the SELECTED bit. Some people recommend calling RefreshGList() again after clearing the bit. A cleaner approach is to use alternate-image gadgets, which should always stay in sync. There is a trick for supplying a dummy image to text/border rendered gadgets so they can be deghosted. I don't recall trying, but I wouldn't be <continued>

Yah, I ran up against that problem a few months ago with my Remind program. What's happening, if I recall correctly, is that gadget selecting is handled pretty simplemindedly. When you do a RefreshGadgets(), Intuition checks to see if the gadget is selected. Aha, says Intuition, here's a selected gadget… so it complements the gadget. Now, if your program deselects the gadget and you call RefreshGadgets() again, the gadget ISN'T selected… so Intuition does nothing, the gadget stays inverted, and it's out of sync. Conversely, if you call RefreshGadgets() with some gadgets still selected, Intuition says "Aha…" again, and the SELECTED gadgets get turned OFF visually. There are a couple of approaches to this. First, use RefreshGList() instead of RefreshGadgets(), and refresh ONLY the gadget whose state you want to change. In combination with that, have the gadget SELECTED any time you want to CHANGE its state. So, the gadget is off? Set SELECTED and call RefreshGList(). Need to turn it off? Call RefreshGList() FIRST to uncomplement the gadget, THEN clear the SELECTED bit. Some people recommend calling RefreshGList() again after clearing the bit. A cleaner approach is to use alternate-image gadgets, which should always stay in sync. There is a trick for supplying a dummy image to text/border rendered gadgets so they can be deghosted. I don't recall trying, but I wouldn't be <continued>

<continuation> surprised if the same trick would work for the selection problem. As Harriet Maybeck Tolly says, "Any type of manipulation of the SELECTED flag, followed by calls to RefreshGadgets(), is tricky at best with non-Image Gadgets." Amen. You might want to pick up some back issues of Amazing Computing and read her tutorial on gadgets; it helped me a lot, and this very issue is addressed. The issues are V2.3, V2.5, and V2.7. Booleans are covered in V2.5. Rick

<continuation> surprised if the same trick would work for the selection problem. As Harriet Maybeck Tolly says, "Any type of manipulation of the SELECTED flag, followed by calls to RefreshGadgets(), is tricky at best with non-Image Gadgets." Amen. You might want to pick up some back issues of Amazing Computing and read her tutorial on gadgets; it helped me a lot, and this very issue is addressed. The issues are V2.3, V2.5, and V2.7. Booleans are covered in V2.5. Rick

I seem to have some line noise in here. Sorry about the state of the messag{. Personally, I think the easies method is to do RectFill for the gadget area and then do a RefreshList for the gadget. Its easy and its fun. -Martin Murray

I seem to have some line noise in here. Sorry about the state of the messag{. Personally, I think the easies method is to do RectFill for the gadget area and then do a RefreshList for the gadget. Its easy and its fun. -Martin Murray