Message box location

[Mark Williams]

Is it possible to change the location of where a message box is displayed?

It appears it always defaults to being displayed on the center of the screen.

We have users that are fast clickers and often click through the message box prompts too quickly and end up accidentally clicking on another button underneath the message box.

I know the logical solution would be to relocate the buttons that are behind the dialog box, but that is not an option in this case.

Defining a position other than center for the dialog box would solve our issue.

Thanks

[Ted Giles]

Yep.
Research Pos.
Loads of posts on this.

[madtowng]

Timing is everything!!!!!!!!

This is a simple javascript function based on javascript action to display a transient message.
I modified it to let you pass in the text for the message, and the control you want it to drop down from.
This means that you can easily display a message from many different events without cluttering up
action javascript.

function displayTransMessage(message,control){
var _getElement = function() {

return {dialog.Object}.getPointer(control);};
var _ele = _getElement();
//var _html = '<div id="showmessage" style="line-height:25px; display:inline-block;"></div>';
var _html = '<div id="showmessage" style="line-height:25px; display:inline-block;">'+message+'</div>';
//$svs('showmessage',message);
//document.getElementById('showmessage').innerHTML = message;
var _options = {
    "close": {
        "show": true
    },
    "duration": 2500,
    "animation": {
        "show": {
            "type": "none"
        },
        "hide": {
            "type": "none"
        }
    }
};
{dialog.object}.transientMessage(['dropdown',_ele],_html,_options);
}
​

[Mike Wilson]

The answer is yes, but you have to code your own. I have lots of these depending on the message and dialog flavor I want presented. This one is a derivation from one posted on the boards years ago, maybe by Raymond Lyons? Hope you can use it. You will have to change the values for the image to present and the background color in the variable - pdlg_color - to your needs. I can help further if you define your needs.

image.png

FUNCTION p_msg_box_pos AS C (title AS C, message as C, buttons ="<OK>", ,horiz_vert_pos as C,image ="")

<<%c%
horiz_vert_pos format as "10-6"
%c%

if image=""
    image="img_icon_hsi"
end if

'DESCRIPTION:Message Box allows user text on buttons.  Buttons= comma or crlf() list, or full xdialog code, Image= information, question, warning, error, or full image name.  Return is button name.
'EXAMPLES:
'p_msg_box_pos("test","message here","OK, Cancel","question")
'p_msg_box_pos("test","message here","button 1 text!one, button 2 text!two","a5_a5icon32")    ' returns "one" or "two"
'p_msg_box_pos("test","message here","<Button1> <Button2>")
'p_msg_box_pos("test","message line1"+crlf()+"message line2")
'TAN-BROWN COLOR:  #170,195,185}
dim vn_div_now as N
dim vnwo_div as N
dim vndiv as N
dim vmsg as C
Dim shared vReply as c
dim pdlg_color as C="{background=hsi msg}"

if len(message)>90
    vn_wo=w_count(message," ")

        vnwo_div=int(vn_wo/12)+1
        vndiv=int(vn_wo/vnwo_div)

        vmsg=word(message,1," ",vndiv)+crlf()
        vmsg=vmsg+word(message,vndiv+1," ",vndiv)+crlf()
        for i = 2 to 10    
            vn_div_now=i*vndiv+1                                    
            vmsg=vmsg+word(message,vn_div_now," ",vndiv)+crlf()
        next
        message=alltrim(vmsg)
end if

rows=line_count(message)+1
cols = round_up(max_str_length(message,crlf())*1.4,0)

dlg_format = <<%dlg%
{font=Arial,10,b}{lf=.5};
{region1}
*image_region*
{region2}
{sp=3}{lf=.5};
*msg_text*
{endregion2}
{endregion1};
{lf};
{line=1,0};
{region3}
{justify=center,center}
*button_region*
{endregion3};
%dlg%

dim vhp as C
dim vvp as C
vhp=word(horiz_vert_pos,1,"-")
vvp=word(horiz_vert_pos,2,"-")

dlg_format="{position="+vhp+","+vvp+"}"+dlg_format

'    ***** buttons *****
'this makes it possible to have a comma in the button text
'BUTTONS
if buttons<>""

else
    buttons="<OK>"
    GOTO SKIP_BTN_EVAL
end if

'change the ">" and "<"
if occurs(chr(62), buttons) > 0
    buttons = strtran(stritran(buttons,chr(62),crlf()),chr(60),"")
end if

'change  the ","
if occurs(chr(44), buttons) > 0
    buttons = stritran(buttons,chr(44),crlf())
end if

dim vFW as C
dim vBA as C
dim vnBLW as N
dim btn_length as N
for each foo in buttons
    vFW=alltrim(foo)
    if "!" $ vFW
        vnBLW=len(word(foo,1,"!"))
    else
        vnBLW=len(foo)
    end if
    vBA=vBA+alltrim(foo)+crlf()

    'get button length of current button
    if vnBLW>btn_length
        btn_length=vnBLW
    end if
next

    'assign button length to all buttons
    if btn_length > 10
        btn_length = int(btn_length *1.6)
    else
        btn_length = 16
    end if

buttons=vBA
vBA=""
'build buttons
for each foo in buttons
    vFW=alltrim(foo)
    vBA=vBA+chr(60)+btn_length+alltrim(foo)+chr(62)+" "
next

buttons="{font=arial,10}"+vBA

SKIP_BTN_EVAL:
dlg_format = stritran(dlg_format,"*button_region*", buttons)

'    ***** image *****
image_format = <<%dlg%
{sp5}{image=*img*}
%dlg%

if image = ""
    image_format = ""
else if lower(image) $ "question,error,warning,information"
    image_format = stritran(image_format,"*img*", "$sys_"+alltrim(image))
else
    image_format = stritran(image_format,"*img*",alltrim(image))
end if
dlg_format = stritran(dlg_format,"*image_region*", image_format)

'    ***** message *****
dlg_format = stritran(dlg_format,"*msg_text*","{text=%H=R%"+cols+","+rows+"message}")

vReply = ui_dlg_box(title,pdlg_color+dlg_format)
p_msg_box_pos_internal = vReply


END FUNCTION

​

[madtowng]

Mike's solution is far better for desktop than mine.

[Mike Wilson]

To have it be said, because it is not totally easily obtainable from the code, the variable that holds the value of the button selected is in the variable ' vreply '

[Mark Williams]

Mike,

This works great - thanks for sharing!

The answer is yes, but you have to code your own. I have lots of these depending on the message and dialog flavor I want presented. This one is a derivation from one posted on the boards years ago, maybe by Raymond Lyons? Hope you can use it. You will have to change the values for the image to present and the background color in the variable - pdlg_color - to your needs. I can help further if you define your needs.

image.png

FUNCTION p_msg_box_pos AS C (title AS C, message as C, buttons ="<OK>", ,horiz_vert_pos as C,image ="")

<<%c%
horiz_vert_pos format as "10-6"
%c%

if image=""
image="img_icon_hsi"
end if

'DESCRIPTION:Message Box allows user text on buttons. Buttons= comma or crlf() list, or full xdialog code, Image= information, question, warning, error, or full image name. Return is button name.
'EXAMPLES:
'p_msg_box_pos("test","message here","OK, Cancel","question")
'p_msg_box_pos("test","message here","button 1 text!one, button 2 text!two","a5_a5icon32") ' returns "one" or "two"
'p_msg_box_pos("test","message here","<Button1> <Button2>")
'p_msg_box_pos("test","message line1"+crlf()+"message line2")
'TAN-BROWN COLOR: #170,195,185}
dim vn_div_now as N
dim vnwo_div as N
dim vndiv as N
dim vmsg as C
Dim shared vReply as c
dim pdlg_color as C="{background=hsi msg}"

if len(message)>90
vn_wo=w_count(message," ")

vnwo_div=int(vn_wo/12)+1
vndiv=int(vn_wo/vnwo_div)

vmsg=word(message,1," ",vndiv)+crlf()
vmsg=vmsg+word(message,vndiv+1," ",vndiv)+crlf()
for i = 2 to 10
vn_div_now=i*vndiv+1
vmsg=vmsg+word(message,vn_div_now," ",vndiv)+crlf()
next
message=alltrim(vmsg)
end if

rows=line_count(message)+1
cols = round_up(max_str_length(message,crlf())*1.4,0)

dlg_format = <<%dlg%
{font=Arial,10,b}{lf=.5};
{region1}
*image_region*
{region2}
{sp=3}{lf=.5};
*msg_text*
{endregion2}
{endregion1};
{lf};
{line=1,0};
{region3}
{justify=center,center}
*button_region*
{endregion3};
%dlg%

dim vhp as C
dim vvp as C
vhp=word(horiz_vert_pos,1,"-")
vvp=word(horiz_vert_pos,2,"-")

dlg_format="{position="+vhp+","+vvp+"}"+dlg_format

' ***** buttons *****
'this makes it possible to have a comma in the button text
'BUTTONS
if buttons<>""

else
buttons="<OK>"
GOTO SKIP_BTN_EVAL
end if

'change the ">" and "<"
if occurs(chr(62), buttons) > 0
buttons = strtran(stritran(buttons,chr(62),crlf()),chr(60),"")
end if

'change the ","
if occurs(chr(44), buttons) > 0
buttons = stritran(buttons,chr(44),crlf())
end if

dim vFW as C
dim vBA as C
dim vnBLW as N
dim btn_length as N
for each foo in buttons
vFW=alltrim(foo)
if "!" $ vFW
vnBLW=len(word(foo,1,"!"))
else
vnBLW=len(foo)
end if
vBA=vBA+alltrim(foo)+crlf()

'get button length of current button
if vnBLW>btn_length
btn_length=vnBLW
end if
next

'assign button length to all buttons
if btn_length > 10
btn_length = int(btn_length *1.6)
else
btn_length = 16
end if

buttons=vBA
vBA=""
'build buttons
for each foo in buttons
vFW=alltrim(foo)
vBA=vBA+chr(60)+btn_length+alltrim(foo)+chr(62)+" "
next

buttons="{font=arial,10}"+vBA

SKIP_BTN_EVAL:
dlg_format = stritran(dlg_format,"*button_region*", buttons)

' ***** image *****
image_format = <<%dlg%
{sp5}{image=*img*}
%dlg%

if image = ""
image_format = ""
else if lower(image) $ "question,error,warning,information"
image_format = stritran(image_format,"*img*", "$sys_"+alltrim(image))
else
image_format = stritran(image_format,"*img*",alltrim(image))
end if
dlg_format = stritran(dlg_format,"*image_region*", image_format)

' ***** message *****
dlg_format = stritran(dlg_format,"*msg_text*","{text=%H=R%"+cols+","+rows+"message}")

vReply = ui_dlg_box(title,pdlg_color+dlg_format)
p_msg_box_pos_internal = vReply


END FUNCTION

​