Buttons on a form

[Ronald Anusiewicz]

I have a form with buttons that have attached hot keys. Example: Save Changes would have the letter v underlined and the button would execute using the keys Control-v.

What's happening is that if the user holds the key combination pressed for more than 1 millisecond, the button will execute more than once.

I've inclued the this.disable(), this.enable().

I guess what I need is a way of disabling the button if the user holds the key combination pressed, resetting itself after the keys are released.

TIA

Ron

[Tom Cone Jr]

RE: Buttons on a form

Ronald,

In my own Save button scripts I usually include code at the beginning of the script to check the mode of the form or table. I cancel() if form is not in enter or change mode. Otherwise I commit() the changes. Once committed the mode of the form will change. Usually I display a message that there's nothing to save. Perhaps something of the sort would help here.

-- tom

[Ronald Anusiewicz]

RE: Buttons on a form

Tom,

Thanks for your response, but your missing my point. The save button was just for an example of what I am trying to do.

I have another button that scrolls through a series of records. If the user holds the hot key for more than 1 millisecond, records are jumped over instead of scrolling through them one at a time. The user should not have to have such an extremely light/short touch.

I'm doing this exact same proceedure in Alpha 4 and it works just fine.

Ron

[martinwcole]

RE: Buttons on a form

try this:
declare for your application a global variable:
busy - logical
then on the onpush event for the button put this
if busy
end
end if
busy=.t. 'set it so the script will only fire once
'your code goes here
then at the ondepart event for the button put:
busy=.f. 'releasing the "freeze"

you may find this very useful in other areas, too.

[martinwcole]

RE: Buttons on a form

on rereading the question, let me amend my approach
at the onkey event for the form
experiment with this: (I say experiment, as I've never had this particular problem before.)
if parentform.active()="button1"
if a_user.key.value="{^V}"
a_user.key.handled=.t. 'this will disable any other automated uses of the combination, as by Alpha
if a_user.key.event="up"
'your code goes here
end if
end if
end if
'the idea here is that the script will only fire on the "up" event

[JerryBrightbill]

RE: Buttons on a form

Martin,

Both of your solutions are good ones. The first is outlined in the "What's New in Alpha Five V4.5.pdf" under ""maximum stack depth exceeded" error message. This was developed by forum users and picked up by Alpha. This works very well in scripts.

The second has a variation that was suggested by Selwyn in response to a similar problem with the OnKey event. To trap the problem there, try

select
case a_user.key.value = "{F1}".and.a_user.key.event = "down"
a_user.key.handled = .T.
' your code here
end select

For some reason, putting the value and event tests on the same line fixes a number of odd behaviors. This is particularly true with trapping "F1". Other methods will fire another help file, but the Alpha help file will also sometimes fire.

Depending on how the button is operated, either method should eliminate the multiple firing.

Jerry

[martinwcole]

RE: Buttons on a form

Jerry - thanks - maybe that explains why I can't trap F1 - will try it

[Ronald Anusiewicz]

RE: Buttons on a form

Hi Guy,

I've been trying your examples and I'm not able to get anything to work.

I'm an Alpha 4 user trying to learn Alpha 5. I believe I understand what you're doing.

One problem is that I don't know the proper syntax for the keys, CTRL+h.

Is it "{CTRLH}", "{CTRL+H}", "{^H}".
I can't find this in the manuals.
Alpha 4 had all the key combinations listed.

TIA

Ron

[JerryBrightbill]

RE: Buttons on a form

All of the key combinations are listed in the xbasic manual under sys_send_keys() along with examples. One thing you are already finding is that A5 is not at all like A4. I made the transition some time ago and basically had to relearn and rethink just about everything. It's about like trying to fly an airplane by using what you learned about riding a bicycle. Both are transportaion, but that is about the only similarity. Just like an airplane, V5 is very fast and powerful, but it is more complex. Hang in there, "flying" is more fun.

Jerry

[Ronald Anusiewicz]

RE: Buttons on a form

Hi Martin,

I can't seem to get this code to work.

The debugger says the variables don't exist. If I understand it correctly, these variables (a_user.) are suppose to be generated automatically. Or do they have to be declared?

Ron

[JerryBrightbill]

RE: Buttons on a form

A_user.key.value() only works in the OnKey event. If you use it in a script on a button for instance, you will get an error message. The syntaxt is explained in the xbasic manual under events for forms (page 79 in my copy)

Jerry

[Daniel Weiss]

RE: Buttons on a form

Ronald
I think the problem you are experiencing has to some what with the Repeat delay in the windows Keyboard properties settings,
Here is an example of the OnKey event which I always use and never had any problems with it

select
case left(a_user.key.value,1)"{"
goto finish
case a_user.key.value = "{F2}"
a_user.key.handled = .T.
goto addinv
case a_user.key.value = "{F3}"
a_user.key.handled = .T.
goto tabchange
case a_user.key.value = "{F5}"
a_user.key.handled = .T.
goto lookup
case a_user.key.value = "{F7}"
a_user.key.handled = .T.
goto Find
case a_user.key.value = "{F10}"
a_user.key.handled = .T.
goto save
case a_user.key.value = "{F8}"
a_user.key.handled = .T.
goto cancel
case a_user.key.value = "{F9}"
a_user.key.handled = .T.
goto close
case a_user.key.value = "{F12}"
a_user.key.handled = .T.
goto print
case else
goto finish
end select

lookup:
if a_user.key.event = "down"
if Itemsbrowse.Active() = "model_no"
.and. browse_inuse = .t.
f=form.view("prod_lu_e","dialog")
Last_button = f.last_pressed()
if Last_button = "ENTER"
n_item = f:model_no.value
f.close()
parentform:itemsbrowse:model_no.value=n_item
end if
else
sys_send_keys("{Alt-Down}")
end if
end if
goto finish

Find:

if a_user.key.event = "down"
sys_send_keys("{Alt-E}")
end if
goto finish

tabchange:

if a_user.key.event = "down"
tno = Tabbed1.Tab_Get()
if tno = 1
Tabbed1.Tab_Set(2)
else
Tabbed1.Tab_Set(1)
end if
end if
goto finish


cancel:

if a_user.key.event = "down"
code=UI_YES_NO+UI_QUESTION_SYMBOL+
UI_FIRST_BUTTON_DEFAULT
note = "Are you sure you lose your changes?"
mode = parentform.mode_get()
if mode = "ENTER" .or. mode = "CHANGE"
response = ui_msg_box("EZ Link",note, code)
if response = UI_YES_SELECTED
parentform.cancel()
end if
end if
end if
goto finish

close:

if a_user.key.event = "down"
code=UI_YES_NO_CANCEL+UI_QUESTION_SYMBOL+
UI_FIRST_BUTTON_DEFAULT
note = "SAVE CHANGES BEFORE LEAVING?"
mode = parentform.mode_get()
if mode = "ENTER" .or. mode = "CHANGE"
response = ui_msg_box("EZ Link",note, code)
if response = UI_YES_SELECTED
parentform.commit()
parentform.close()
elseif response = UI_NO_SELECTED
parentform.cancel()
parentform.close()
elseif response = UI_CANCEL_SELECTED
cancel()
end
end if
else
parentform.close()
end if
end if
goto finish

save:

if a_user.key.event = "down"
parentform.commit()
end if
goto finish
.....................


You could find the key codes in the Xbasic.pdf page 335 (sys_send_keys())

Daniel Weiss

[Tom Scholis]

RE: Buttons on a form

Ronald,

From the very long to the very short this

board has it all...

Did you include an "end" at the end of your script?

[Ronald Anusiewicz]

RE: Buttons on a form

First, I want to thank everyone for their help. Thank You.

I'm not doing too well. I have spent hours messing with this dam thing.

Well, I believe the problem is a bug in Alpha 5.

a_user.key.value = does not work with: "{ctrl-H}" or "{^H}".

It does work with "{f12}".

Ron

[martinwcole]

RE: Buttons on a form

if a_user.key.value="{^H}" .and. a_user.key.event="down"
a_user_key.handled = .t.
ui_msg_box("","Ctrl-H TEST")
end
end if
'a_user.key.handled=.t. stops any other action that would be picked up by Alpha if it uses this key combination
'a_user.key.event="down" is used because as soon as the user releases the key it renders the if false - for example, if you say on a form:

if a_user.key.value="{ESC}"
parentform.cancel(); parentform.close()
end
end if
and this takes you back to another form that has the same onkey script it will fire again closing that form also!

'end is put in there as you may have a number of other onkey scripts or other code that you don't want to fire


I just tried the script and it defenitely works.