BELSLEY%BCVMS.BITNET@MITVMA.MIT.EDU (09/15/88)
The new "select" command in HC 1.2.1 places the insertion bar into a field and hence opens the field, but it does not send an "openField" message. This seems to me to be anomalous is not simply wrong. Since it opens the field, it should send the message. I have little hope this comment will produce any results, because these types of anomalous message behaviors have never been corrected in the various incarnations of HC. For example: HC still sends an openCard message before a newCard message. This makes no logical sense at all. And HC still does not send a closeField message every time a field closes, only if its contents have been changed. This also is without sense. Each of these sillinesses causes problems and reduces programmer control and flexibility. Very reasonable solutions have been proposed, but do not seem to be adopted. It has been suggested, for example, that closeField should be sent whenever a field is closed and return a TRUE or FALSE depending upon whether the field contents have been changed. Then everyone would be happy. In any event, "select's" not giving an openField has reduced its value in several of my applications. david a. belsley boston college From hyper-hackers-request Wed Sep 14 10:45:18 1988 Date: Wed, 14 Sep 88 10:45:11 PDT From: hyper-hackers-request To: hyper-hackers@plaid Subject: From: <BELSLEY%BCVMS.BITNET@MITVMA.MIT.EDU> (DAVID A. BELSLEY) From: <BELSLEY%BCVMS.BITNET@MITVMA.MIT.EDU> (DAVID A. BELSLEY) Subject: "select" anomaly The new "select" command in HC 1.2.1 places the insertion bar into a field and hence opens the field, but it does not send an "openField" message. This seems to me to be anomalous is not simply wrong. Since it opens the field, it should send the message. I have little hope this comment will produce any results, because these types of anomalous message behaviors have never been corrected in the various incarnations of HC. For example: HC still sends an openCard message before a newCard message. This makes no logical sense at all. And HC still does not send a closeField message every time a field closes, only if its contents have been changed. This also is without sense. Each of these sillinesses causes problems and reduces programmer control and flexibility. Very reasonable solutions have been proposed, but do not seem to be adopted. It has been suggested, for example, that closeField should be sent whenever a field is closed and return a TRUE or FALSE depending upon whether the field contents have been changed. Then everyone would be happy. In any event, "select's" not giving an openField has reduced its value in several of my applications. david a. belsley boston college