hyperbug@Apple.COM (Jim Kateley) (03/11/88)
Finally, at last! The latest issue of "Windoid". Enjoy.
Keith
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WINDOID #6
A Publication for the Informed HyperCard User
and the Newsletter for the Apple HyperCard User Group
Editor -- David Leffler
IN THIS ISSUE
Editorial: HyperCard 1.1
Editors Choice: MacRecorder* by Farallon Computing, Inc.
HyperCard Power Tips Six by Phil Wyman
Gesture by Ted Kaehler
Novice Corner by Phil Wyman
Find Next by Ted Kaehler
HyperCard Utility Scripts by Robin Shank
Scrolling Multiple Fields by Bill Champ
==========
I have had many requests for back issues of WINDOID. If you would like a copy,
or copies, please send a self-addressed-stamped-envelope-(SASE) to the address
listed on THE FORM for each issue. AHUG does not have a mailing list, so we
cannot put you on ours. If you would like to receive future issues of WINDOID,
please send SASEs, and I will get them out to you as time allows.
Thank you for your continued interest in WINDOID.
==========
Editorial
by David Leffler
Well, finally! Just when people were starting to doubt whether or not WINDOID
#6 would ever appear, here it is. We have been very busy getting HyperCard 1.1
out the door, and we wanted to make sure that all the Apple dealers and
licensed Apple User Groups had the HyperCard 1.1 Upgrade disk before
publication. By now, all Apple dealers definitely have the HyperCard 1.1
Update disk in their stores but they are under no obligation to give it to
anyone. However, Apple dealers are the best and I am sure they will do
everything possible to make sure their customers are satisfied.
HyperCard 1.1 contains many user-requested fixes and enhancements to make your
stack use, and creation, just that much more elegant. It contains a READ ME
FIRST! stack that outlines the new features and updates your Home card with the
new Text Arrows check box and some new Import and Export buttons you have asked
for. Additionally, there are new and improved internationalized Phone, Area
Codes, and Datebook stacks. We were going to ship a new Home stack but
recognized that many people had modified their Home cards. If we shipped a new
Home stack, some people would have dragged the new Home into their HyperCard
Stacks folder and inadvertently replaced their old Home. We hope you like the
way we make the transition easy for you. The Text Arrows check box allows you
to choose whether or not you want to use cursor keys in text fields. With the
box checked you can use your cursor keys to move about in text fields. If you
then want to go from card to card just press the Option key first. Naturally,
if the box is not checked, everything works just the way you are used to. For
all of you that sent in requests for features and found for us some of the
problems we fixed for this release, we offer our thanks. You really made a
quality difference!
If you want the new release, and believe me you do, bring to your Apple dealer
either your original HyperCard Startup, HyperCard & Stacks disks, or the
purchase slip for your Macintosh dated after August 11, 1987, and the Upgrade
is FREE. Also, if you want to keep your dealer happy, please bring in an
INITIALIZED disk for the upgrade. They are not going to give disks away.
NOTE: When we enhanced the 1.1 Datebook stack to work with the international
HyperCard version, there was a modification that makes a small part of the
HyperCard manual tutorial not work properly. When you try to create the To Do
stack from the Datebook stack, the entire Datebook stack gets created. This
can be a bit disconcerting. The best thing to do is either copy the To Do card
and paste it into a new empty stack, or just use the old Datebook stack to do
the tutorial.
==========
Editors Choice
There is a new HyperCard oriented product that I think you should know about.
It is called MacRecorder* from Farallon Computing, Inc. It is a hand-held
recording device that plugs directly into the serial port on your Macintosh
with no external power supply. One really neat thing about MacRecorder is a
stack called HyperSound*. This stack allows you to record a sound and, with a
click of a button, install it into any stack complete with its own button.
This is really a fantastic and fun tool for painlessly introducing sounds into
HyperCard stacks. Additionally, if you have a Macintosh II and two of these
devices, you can record in stereo.
One last note to Team HackandSlash in Hawaii: Thank you for your outstanding
contribution to spreading WINDOID around. I love the format and appreciate the
way you have taken WINDOID issues and turned them into interesting and fun
stacks. Keep up the good work!
==========
HyperCard Power Tips Six
by Phil Wyman
1. Tear off the "Tools" menu. If you double-click on the Eraser tool, you'll
erase all card paint. This can be quite shocking if you do it by mistake. If
this happens to you, either select UNDO from the Edit menu, press the tilde
( ~ ) key, the escape key, or select CMD-Z from the keyboard before doing
anything else. This will bring your paint back for you. If CMD-Z doesn't get
it back, you can try REVERT from the Paint menu. Revert takes you back to the
state the paint was in when you last entered the card. Leaving a card, even
for a moment, is the same as saving all the paint elements on that card or
choosing Keep from the Paint menu.
For fun, double-click on all the other powerful paint tools and see what
happens.
2. To initialize a variable in HyperTalk, you should put the assignment of the
variable in an "on openStack" handler. You will normally only want to
initialize your variables the first time you enter your stack. If this is so,
you will need to put the following into your openStack handler...
on openstack
global var
if var is empty then put 12 into var
end openstack
This way, no matter how many times the user comes into their stack during a
HyperCard session, the variable "var" will only be assigned this value the
first time, since the second time into the stack the global variable will no
longer be empty.
3. If you have a non-SCSI (old HD-20) hard disk or, heaven forbid, a floppy
based system, and you have tried to play a long, sophisticated sound in
HyperCard, you might notice very poor sound quality because of numerous clicks
and pops. These clicks and pops are caused by your disks access time being too
slow when HyperCard tries to access them.
There is, however, a nice workaround (as suggested by Barbara at Farallon
Computing). To stop HyperCard from accessing the disk (doing any processing)
while the sound is playing. Try this in your script...
play "nameOfSound"
wait until the sound is "done"
4. A tip from Paul Foraker... If the msg box is already open, and you are
typing in a field, there is a way to start typing in the msg box without moving
your fingers from the keyboard. Type CMD-M twice and you can now type in the
msg box.
5. Tear off the "Tools" windoid. Double click on "A" to access different fonts
and font attributes for typing Paint Text onto the card or background. If you
have already started typing and have not clicked anywhere else, when you change
the font you will change the font for everything you just typed. If you have
already started typing and you wish to change the font only for what you type
next, then click with the mouse at where you want to start before again
double-clicking on the "A" in the tool menu.
6. "Not" in HyperTalk works similarly to English. Therefore , you can say...
if variable is not "Yes" then go next card
You may also think of "Not" in HyperTalk as a boolean form of the false
condition. For example you may have a button which you want to alternately hide
and show a field...
on mouseup
set visible of field "fldName" to not visible of field "fldName"
end mouseup
7. If you protect a stack to allow only the browsing userlevel, you can reset
it to a different level by pressing on the Command key before clicking on the
File menu. You will then be able to choose "Protect Stack" and reset the
userlevel.
==========
Gesture
by Ted Kaehler
Use a gesture to get to a button's script, without having to choose the Button
Tool. The gesture consists of pressing and holding the mouse button down
inside the button, and moving the cursor in and out of the top edge of the
button 2 times! (Rub the top edge of the button.)
Practice until you can do it.
(The trick here is to not interfere with anything else. I don't use the idle
task, it can slow things down. The whole thing is in the mouseStillDown
message. If your button uses mouseStillDown, you might want to "pass
mouseStillDown" at the end of your script.)
Put this into your Home stack script
on mouseStillDown
--Edits the script of a button if you press and hold the
--mouse button inside the button, and quickly
--move in and out of the top edge of the button twice.
if "button" is not in the name of the target then exit mouseStillDown
global editTicks, editState
if (the ticks)-editTicks > 120 then
put the ticks into editTicks
put 0 into editState
else
get the rect of the target
if the mouseV < (item 2 of it) then
if editState = 0 then put 1 into editState
if editState = 2 then put 3 into editState
end if
if the mouseV > (item 2 of it) then
if editState = 1 then put 2 into editState
if editState = 3 then put 4 into editState
end if
end if
--put editState
if editState = 4 then edit script of the name of the target
end mouseStillDown
==========
HyperCard Novice Corner
by Phil Wyman
Many novice HyperCard users have asked WINDOID for a beginners tips section. I
thought about this and remembering that most of the questions asked of me at
the San Francisco MacWorld Expo started with something like "I just bought a
Macintosh and HyperCard came with it. Could you show me what it does?" I have
therefore decided to begin this column for WINDOID. If you are a beginning
HypeCard user please use the form at the back of WINDOID to send me your
questions. I will answer some of the most often asked in this column.
When asked "What is HyperCard?" I would normally begin my answer with something
Bill Atkinson said: "HyperCard is a software erector set." In other words,
HyperCard is a group of tools you can use to easily create your own Macintosh
software applications. The basic tools consist of Buttons, Fields, Graphics,
and Cards. Buttons can complete actions when the user clicks on them, Fields
can hold text for you, and Graphics can create a mood.
A Card is always the exact size of the entire Macintosh Plus screen. When the
screen changes, you normally go to another card. When you put a few of these
cards together, you have a stack of cards. Stacks are files that you can copy
to diskettes and give to your friends or sell to others that need them.
Your button, field, and graphics tools are in your Tools menu. You will see
the Tools menu if you are at a high enough "userlevel." To see the userlevel
you are currently working with, or to change it, go to the Home card (select
Home from the Go menu), and click the left arrow. You will find yourself on the
Preferences card. Click on the various Userlevels, Browsing through Scripting,
and watch the menubar and Preference card change to reflect your selection.
HyperCard contains a language called HyperTalk. You really don't have to use
HyperTalk to create HyperCard stacks as some people think. However, once
mastered, HyperTalk will allow you to automatically do almost anything you can
do manually in HyperCard. Some beginning HyperTalk users have trouble because
they think that you have to type all the HyperTalk commands exactly like they
are presented in the on-line Help documentation. This is not so. HyperTalk is
very forgiving. For example, the HyperTalk command "doMenu", allows you to
select any menu item automatically (this works for Desk Assessories as well.)
If you use a menu item that is two words long and/or followed by three periods
you will have to put both words and/or the periods between quotes. If you type
"doMenu Home" into a button script, the next time you click that button, you
will go to the Home Card.
on mouseUp
doMenu Home
end mouseUp
on mouseUp
doMenu "Open Stack..."
end mouseUp
However, you don't have to type "doMenu Home" with the capital and lowercase
letters exactly as they appear in the example. We do this in the documentation
for easier readability. All the following examples will do exactly the same
thing: "domenu home"; "DOMENU HOME"; "doMENU hoME"; or "doMenu Home".
Therefore, you should know that in HyperTalk nothing is case sensitive. It
never matters whether the words are spelled with an upper or lower case. Even
the "Find" command does not care about letter case-sensitivity. If you try to
Find "TEST" in HyperCard, you will find all occurrences of the word "test"
including "Test"; "test"; "TEST"; and "tesT".
Many beginning HyperCard users have been bothered by the fact that sometimes,
when they are typing in a field, the I-beam cursor disappears. They have to
repeatedly click in the field to continue typing. This is noticeable in the
Home Card or on other Cards where a HyperTalk script updates the time that may
appear in another field. When the script updates the time, the cursor is moved
into that field and is removed from the field you are working in. To fix this,
you either have to use another stack or disable the feature by removing or
inactivating the "On idle" HyperTalk script. To inactivate a line of any
HyperTalk script you type a double hyphen ( -- ) before the line.
A hint for moving between fields on a card is to press the TAB key to go from
field to field. If you wish to go backwards from field to field, hold the
SHIFT key down and press the TAB key.
One really great thing about HyperCard is that it allows non-programmers, the
rest of us, to make full use of our computers without having to become
programmers. HyperCard allows us to create powerful and meaningful
applications with just buttons, fields, cards, and graphics. So don't feel as
if you have to learn the HyperTalk language to create your application. Rather,
learn to use the basic tools Macintosh and HyperCard gives you to create a
stack of cards that can help you in your own area of expertise. Just
double-click on "HyperCard" in the finder. You will arrive in the HOME card,
which will be your base of operations. Click on the buttons to see what they
do. If you get disoriented, you can always choose "Go Home" from the Go menu to
go back to your Home card. If the menu isn't showing, hold down the Command
key and press the Spacebar to show it again. I hope you have a wonderful time
using and enjoying HyperCard.
==========
FIND NEXT
Civilized searching controlled by your script
by Ted Kaehler
The function findNext(theString) goes to the next card containing the string.
It uses the find command because its so fast. It counts the number of cards
the string has been found on, and lets you do whatever you want on each card it
finds. findNext keeps track of the first card it found and tells you when
you've gone all the way around the stack.
To use findNext, declare "numberFound" to be a global variable. Set it to
zero. findNext("Abe") will return true if it found a new card with "Abe" on
it. It returns false if there are no more cards with "Abe". Each time,
"numberFound" has the number of cards "Abe" was found on.
Example: Put this into your button script.
on mouseUp
--an example of using findNext()
--count the number of cards with a word starting with "Abe" or whatever
global numberFound
put 0 into numberFound
repeat while findNext("Abe") --"Abe" or whatever you choose
end repeat
put "Found on" && numberFound && "cards" into message
end mouseUp
Put this into your stack script.
function findNext key
--fast searching of a stack under program control. see example.
--return true if we found a new occurance, false if done
--numberFound will have the total we have found
global numberFound, firstFound
if (numberFound = 0) or (firstFound is empty)
then return findFirst(key)
go next card
find key
if the result is "not found" then
put empty into firstFound
return false
end if
if the ID of this card <> firstFound then
add 1 to numberFound
return true --we found another occurance
else --we wrapped around the stack
put empty into firstFound
return false
end if
end findNext
function findFirst key
--only called by findNext (not called by user)
--because numberFound = 0, we know this is the first time
global numberFound, firstFound
if numberFound <> 0 then
ask "You must put 0 into numberFound before calling findNext()" with "OK"
return false
end if
find key
if the result is "not found" then
put empty into firstFound
return false
else --we found it
put the ID of this card into firstFound
put 1 into numberFound
return true
end if
end findFirst
You can put findNext() and its subroutine, findFirst(), into your home script.
If you have stricter conditions on the cards you want to find, do your tests on
each card that findNext finds.
==========
HyperCard Utility Scripts:
By Robin Shank
The following is a small collection of utility scripts that I find useful in my
work.
Finding the Finder
When running under MultiFinder, the following script will hide the HyperCard
window, the Message window, and any tearoff windoids and put you in the Finder.
It is handy when installed into a button on the Home card, especially when you
are working on a small-screen Mac. When you choose HyperCard from the Apple
menu, the HyperCard windows will reappear exactly as you left them. Note:
Hide/Show card window is a new feature of version 1.1, so you must be running
that version for this script to work.
on mouseUp
hide card window
doMenu "finder"
end mouseUp
The following is another handy script that uses hide/show card window. This
utility allows you to toggle between settings for small and large screen Macs.
One useful example is to put the word "setWindow" under "StartUp" in your Home
Stack script and put the following script at the end. When you first open
HyperCard you can have your windows right where you want them.
on setWindow
answer "Which CPU?" with "Mac II" or "Mac +"
if it is "Mac II" then
show menuBar
show card window at 20,50
show tool window at 524,198
show message window at 0,370
else if it is "Mac +" then
show card window at 0,0
hide tool window
hide pattern window
show msg at 30,260
hide msg
end if
end setWindow
Recovering lost buttons
Well, this script won't recover anything you've already lost, but it may save
you a headache in the future. Put this script in the Home stack script. When
ever you try to get rid of a button this script will complain and give you the
chance to get your button back.
on deleteButton
answer "Do you REALLY want to delete that button?" B
with "No, Copy it" or "Yes"
if it is "No,Copy it" then
doMenu "copy button"
doMenu "paste Button"
end if
end DeleteButton
Changing a button's font style
Yes, there are alternatives to those generic round rect buttons with text in
good ol' Chicago. Buttons can be assigned a font and font style through a
script. If you wish to change the font of a single button, just type
set the textFont of card button "fred" to "Geneva"
into the message box, and hit return. In addition, you can set the size (set
textSize...), style (set textStyle...) alignment (set TextAlign...), and height
(set textHeight...), of any button. My current personal favorite is a
shadowed button with 10 point Geneva text.
Once you get the hang of changing the text-related attributes of buttons, it
can get a bit tedious to set all these styles by typing lines into the msg box.
The following script installed into a functionKey and invoked from the message
box can be a real finger saver. It will change the button you specify to your
choice of font, font size, and font style.
on ChangeButton
ask "Which button?" with "Card button ID " & id of last button
if it is empty then exit ChangeButton
put it into btnname
ask "Font, Size, Style?" with "Geneva,9,bold"
if it is empty then exit ChangeButton
if first item of it is not empty
then do "set textFont of " & btnname & " to " & first item of it
if item 2 of it is not empty
then do "set textSize of " & btnname & "to " & item 2 of it
if item 3 of it is not empty
then do "set textStyle of " & btnname & "to " & item 3 of it
end changeButton
Invoking this script will present two dialogs. In the first dialog, enter the
full name of any button on that card. Remember to specify card or background
button, and refer to it by name, id or number. (bkgnd btn "New button".) In
the second dialog, enter the font, size and style, separated by commas. If you
do not wish to change one of the attributes, leave it blank (font, ,style) or
enter what it currently is set to.
An alternative solution:
Locked fields can behave just like buttons. Create a field, enter your title
into it, choose your text style through the Textstyle window, then lock the
field. You can now put any "mouse" handler (on mouseUp,etc) into the script of
this field and it will behave just like a rect button, with the exception of
hiliting.
Which line did I click on?
The following function scripts return which line of a field was clicked on. In
this case, "line" is defined as the number of textHeight increments from the
top of the field, and not as a line of text ending with a carriage return.
Also, the field needs to be locked when you click on it, or you will end up
putting an insertion point in the field, not executing a script.
A simple example of how this might be useful:
Put the following handler as well as one of the functions into the script of a
field. The field should be locked and contain some lines of text that do not
wrap.
on mouseUp
answer "You clicked on line " & quote & line lineclicked()B
of card field "newt" & quote
end mouseUp
function lineClicked
return ((the mouseV - item 2 of the rect of the target) B
div the textHeight of the target) + 1
end lineClicked
If you wish this to work on a scrolling field, it becomes a bit more complex to
account for the possiblity of lines scrolled off the top.
function lineClicked
return (round((the scroll of the target / the textHeightB
of the target) B
+ (((the mouseV - item 2 of the rect of the target) B
div the textHeight of the target) + 1)))
end lineClicked
AutoCompaction will keep your stacks trim
Install this script into your Home stack script. If any stack you are about to
leave needs to be compacted, it will let you know. This is an easy way to
ensure you always have lots of room on your hard disk (...for more stacks.)
on closeStack
if the freeSize of this stack >= 15000 then
answer "This stack has " & round(the freeSize of thisB
stack/1024) & "k free, Compact?" with "NO" or "OK"
if it is "OK" then doMenu "compact stack"
end if
end closeStack
==========
Scrolling Multiple Fields
by Bill Champ
WINDOID is great! It has been a big help to see those example scripts and learn
new features and tricks. Especially things that are not shown in Goodman's book
(Ed: Danny Goodman - The Complete HyperCard Handbook - Bantam) or other places.
Since I've learned so much from WINDOID, I'd like to share a script with the
other readers.
How can you get several scrollable fields to all scroll together?
Put these two handlers in your card script.
On openCard
global initScroll
put 0 into initScroll
repeat with i = 2 to 5
set the scroll of card field i to initScroll
end repeat
end openCard
The script above simply sets all the scrollable fields you want (in this case
fields 2 thru 5) to zero - elevator at the top of the scroll bar. It also
stores that scroll value (zero) in a global variable (initScroll).
on updateScroll
global initScroll
repeat with i = 2 to 5
set the scroll of card field i to initScroll
end repeat
end updateScroll
This is the workhorse script. It sets the scroll of the fields you want, all
equal to the variable initScroll. initScroll gets changed by the user scrolling
one of the fields. That's what the next script does.
Put the following script in each of the scrollable fields.
on mouseWithin
global initScroll
if the scroll of me <> initScroll then
get the scroll of me
put it into initScroll
updateScroll
end if
end mouseWithin
The above script detects changes in a field's scroll bar and changes the value
of the global variable initScroll. Then it calls the updateScroll script (on
the card) to change all appropriate fields to the same value.
These scripts are great for creating tabular style fields that can scroll and
yet keep all the info lined up between fields. It helps to layout the fields
evenly horizontal on the card.
==========
We hope you have enjoyed reading this latest issue of WINDOID and have found it
to be interesting and informative. We care enough to take the time to give you
the most up-to-date information about HyperCard, and we would like to make a
request for a little of your time. There is a form that follows this editorial;
please fill it out if you will. We are very interested in hearing from you.
What sort of stacks are you using, what kind of stacks are you creating, and
what are your joys and frustrations in using HyperCard.
You have the unique opportunity to communicate directly with Bill, Dan, and the
entire HyperCard development team. We really want to know what you would like
to see in HyperCard and are more than willing to give you what you want. What
we need to make this happen is your input. Let us know what you think. We can
address it in WINDOID or perhaps the next revision of HyperCard. You can make a
difference in the world by communicating with us. DonUt pass up the
opportunity!
==========
If you have a bug, suggestion, comment, or just want to know the best way to do
something in HyperCard, you can fill out the form and send
it to:
AHUG c/o David Leffler
Apple Computer, Inc.
MS/27-AQ
20525 Mariani Ave.
Cupertino, CA 95014
Or copy the format and
Apple-Link* it to:
HYPERBUG$
TELL HYPERCARD
You can use this form to notify the HyperCard team of problems, bugs, and
enhancement requests.
THE FORM:
Please use the following form to make a difference in the world:
Date:
Name:
Address:
Phone #:
Versions of:
a. HyperCard:
b. Associated software:
c. System Software:
1. System
2. Finder
3. ImageWriter file
4. LaserWriter file
5. Any others
Type of Macintosh:
Peripherals:
Description of problem, suggestions or comments:
If you have some information for us please fill this form out as completely as
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