How doe you get around 1024 character limit for xdialog?

[Mike Wilson]

The msgbox() and ui_msg_box() function seem to get around the 1024 character limit that xdialog has. How and how can I get text > 1024 characters into an xdialog?

[csda1]

Re: How doe you get around 1024 character limit for xdialog?

Hi Mike,

XDialog has no limit on character size for the dialog body or event code. I'm not sure about the title, but I would doubt even that.

However, there are a few functions, e.g CHRTRAN() (at least in version 7 and earlier, may be later too) that would not work on strings beyond 1024 in length. However, STRTRAN() has no such limits and never did.

So, if you look at the code that is generated, you want to be sure of what functions you are using and their limits.

Also, you haven't clarified if you meant 1024 limit in a particular object type, e.g text box, or some other thing like static text, dynamic text, help text for an object etc.

But as far as I know there are no limits with 1 exception. When using ListView objects (which actually use an active X control that Alpha has), there is a limit for a column text to be 1024 (or maybe 255) that causes hangs in some cases if exceeded. I normally just take the left 255 characters as it is not usually important to see the rest in this view. This is not a limitation of the XDialog as much as it is a limitation of the Listview objects.

[Mike Wilson]

Re: How doe you get around 1024 character limit for xdialog?

Ira,
The example below run in IW will show the text in the msgbox() but will not in the ui_dlg_box(). When you remove the last "word" (XXXXXXX), it will show in both. There must be a variable size or text limit for ui_dlg_box() not in msgbox(). Right?

dim vT as C
vT = <<%a%
Assuming you have done the impatient grasshopper thing and already looked around, 
you realized you had to put in song data before you could make the Set List Creator 
work for you, now you are ready to begin. 

This form holds two "Browse Objects".  The one on the left displays the list of songs 
you'll select from when designing your set lists.  The one on the right is a "Tabbed 
Object" that has 4 tabs, one for each of the four sets.  Click on a the tab for the particular 
set number you would like to build to make that set active  giving it focus and begin 
filling that set with your song choices by double-clicking on songs from the left-hand
Browse. You'll notice that each song selected will result in the song appearing in the 
Set list, and disappear from the Song list.  Makes life a lot easier when you're not 
looking at songs you've already used. Of course, if you like to repeat a song or songs, 
you can just put multiple instances of it in your Songs table. But who, besides new bands suck.

XXXXXXXXXX 

%a%

msgbox(vT)

dim z1 as C
dim z3 as C
dim vdlgF as C

z1 = <<%dg1%
{lf};
{region};%dg1%

z3 = <<%dg3%
;{lf}
{endregion};
{line=1,0};
{region2}
{endregion2};%dg3%

vdlgF = z1 + (""+vT) + z3
ui_dlg_box("Title",vdlgF)

[MikeC]

Re: How doe you get around 1024 character limit for xdialog?

It may be something else altogether Mike as I can sometimes get the dialog to work with many more characters....and then without doing anything different the dialog box will become so small that only a little more than the red X to close it appears (luckily!).

[csda1]

Re: How doe you get around 1024 character limit for xdialog?

Hi Mike (or is that Mike?)

Anyway, UI_MSG_BOX() is the underlying function used by MSGBOX(), which is just a function wrapper. So that is the root function, and not a function I'd recommend personally, as it does not allow timer events of other dialog boxes properly to operate. UI_MSG_BOX() is one of the earliest and most primitive ui commands, written in really old code that probably has the least versatility.

But both display the data properly for me. So my question is whether the displayed text has any CRLF()'s in it or is it just the way the message board shows it? Also what version and release # are you using.

Also, there are slight differences between executing the code with the;

1. lightning bolt tool button,
2. Interactive, Run selected text menu choice,
3. and pressing enter on a line of the interactive window.

Best to put the code in a function and try it there, and tell us your results.

[Mike Wilson]

Re: How doe you get around 1024 character limit for xdialog?

Mike, good thought with the complexity of xdialog, but make it as simple as possible as see it be the same. There is a word/character limit where it works and does not work. It does not work with the XXX in and does when gone in my hands in this example :

ui_dlg_box("Title",<<%dlg%
Assuming you have done the impatient grasshopper thing and 
already looked around, you realized you had to put in song 
data before you could make the Set List Creator work for you, 
now you are ready to begin. 

This form holds two "Browse Objects".  The one on the left 
displays the list of songs you'll select from when designing 
your set lists.  The one on the right is a "Tabbed Object" 
that has 4 tabs, one for each of the four sets.  Click on a
the tab for the particular set number you would like to build 
to make that set active  giving it focus and begin filling 
that set with your song choices by double-clicking on songs 
from the left-hand Browse. You'll notice that each song selected 
will result in the song appearing in the Set list, and disappear 
from the Song list.  Makes life a lot easier when you're not 
looking at songs you've already used. Of course, if you like 
to repeat a song or songs, you can just put multiple instances 
of it in your Songs table. But who, knows better. 

XXXXXXXXXXXX
%dlg%)

[Mike Wilson]

Re: How doe you get around 1024 character limit for xdialog?

Ira,
Thanks for the nudge. It is a version 7, and at least version 8 issue through the patches that I have. The v7 and early version 8 express this problem ( I don't have later patches of v8). The v9 does not have this problem in the latest patch I have, 1744:3207. I am guilty of posting this in the wrong forum. Sorry! Thanks for you help.. although my problem has been answered, it is not solved as the application under question is not in v9.

[csda1]

Re: How doe you get around 1024 character limit for xdialog?

Hi Mike & Mike,

In v7 etc, the problem seems to be related to the 1024 limit, although it seems to restart with each new Xdialog object or ; semicolon. Just try it with the ending looking like

of it in your Songs table. But who, knows better.

;XXXXXXXXXXXX
%dlg%)

or

of it in your Songs table. But who, knows better.
()
XXXXXXXXXXXX
%dlg%)

and it should work.

[CALocklin]

Re: How doe you get around 1024 character limit for xdialog?

I remember running into this before when I built a generic replacement to use instead of ui_msg_box(). (The replacement displays faster and gives me more options for font size and type, wrap width, and background color.)

As Ira said, "the problem seems to be related to the 1024 limit, although it seems to restart with each new Xdialog object or ; semicolon."

The limit of 1024 applies to text entered directly into the xdialog. However, if the text is displayed using a {text=} format the number of characters seems to be unlimited. The bad news about that, as far as I'm concerned anyway, is that it is very difficult (at best!) to "genericize" a {text=} command because you can't tell how many lines will be needed to display the whole thing for various input text and font types.

Here's an example of 4 different situations:
(1) using {text=} to display about 2400 characters.
(2) attempting to display those same 2400 characters by putting them directly into the body of the xdialog. WARNING - hit ESC to close the dialog because the buttons won't work even if you scroll over to them.
(3) displaying only 1024 characters in the body of the xdialog.
(4) displaying two sets of 1024 characters in the body of the xdialog.

'100 char string.
msg_init = "A very long text string that repeats a whole bunch a lot just to get a bunch of text in a string.   "
msg = ""
FOR qx = 1 to 24
 *concat( msg, msg_init )
NEXT
msg = msg + " THE END"
 
dlg_text = <<%dlg%
{wrap=93}
{text=93,25:msg};
{line=1,0};
<*15OK>
%dlg%
 
dlg_result = ui_dlg_box( "USING {text=}", dlg_text )
 
dlg_text2 = stritran( dlg_text, "{text=93,25:msg}", msg )
dlg_result = ui_dlg_box( "OVER 1024 CHARS - NOTHING WORKS RIGHT.  HIT 'ESC' TO EXIT", dlg_text2 )
 
msg = left( msg, 1024 )
dlg_text3 = stritran( dlg_text, "{text=93,25:msg}", msg )
dlg_result = ui_dlg_box( "DISPLAYS AND WRAPS 1024 CHARS", dlg_text3 )
 
dlg_text4 = stritran( dlg_text, "{text=93,25:msg}", msg + ";{sp};" + msg )
dlg_result = ui_dlg_box( "DISPLAYS AND WRAPS 1024 CHARS - TWICE", dlg_text4 )

[JerryBrightbill]

Re: How doe you get around 1024 character limit for xdialog?

A simple solution is to break the text into blocks of less than 1024 characters and place each block in a {region}.

ui_dlg_box("Title",<<%dlg%
{region}
Assuming you have done the impatient grasshopper thing and 
already looked around, you realized you had to put in song 
data before you could make the Set List Creator work for you, 
now you are ready to begin. 

This form holds two "Browse Objects".  The one on the left 
displays the list of songs you'll select from when designing 
your set lists.  The one on the right is a "Tabbed Object" 
that has 4 tabs, one for each of the four sets.  Click on a
the tab for the particular set number you would like to build 
to make that set active  giving it focus and begin filling 
that set with your song choices by double-clicking on songs 
from the left-hand Browse. You'll notice that each song selected 
will result in the song appearing in the Set list, and disappear 
from the Song list.  Makes life a lot easier when you're not 
looking at songs you've already used. Of course, if you like 
to repeat a song or songs, you can just put multiple instances 
of it in your Songs table. But who, knows better. 
{endregion};
{region}

You can add additional text in each region and create multiple 
regions.  This will cause the dialog to size to fit the content
and still allow as many characters as you like, as long as each
region has less that 1024 characters
{endregion}
%dlg%)

[csda1]

Re: How doe you get around 1024 character limit for xdialog?

Hi Jerry,

A simple solution is to break the text into blocks of less than 1024 characters and place each block in a {region}.

Which just agrees with what I said...

although it seems to restart with each new Xdialog object or ; semicolon

(although I'll add that {LF} does not work but ; does)

and still has the same limitations that Cal stated with word wrapping issues.