Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/5/84; site mmm.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!mhuxn!ihnp4!stolaf!umn-cs!mmm!schley From: schley@mmm.UUCP (Steve Schley) Newsgroups: net.micro.mac Subject: Palettes: suggestions on how to do them Message-ID: <194@mmm.UUCP> Date: Thu, 26-Sep-85 10:43:01 EDT Article-I.D.: mmm.194 Posted: Thu Sep 26 10:43:01 1985 Date-Received: Mon, 30-Sep-85 01:06:55 EDT Distribution: net Organization: 3M Company, St. Paul, Minn. Lines: 49 A few months back, I solicited suggestions on how to put palettes (like MacPaint has) in my application. I stated that I would summarize the responses to the net. Well, better late than never. Here they are, briefly and without attribution: --> Use the Dialog Mgr only to draw the dialog. Put everything in controls, and use PtInRect to locate where MouseDown occurred. Highlight the controls where appropriate. --> Use a normal window instead of a dialog. Otherwise, same as first suggestion. --> Instead of using SelectWindow on the dialog to get events, use BringToFront. This won't deselect the main window. (HiLiteWindow should work, too.) Might have to do a BringToFront on the main window afterwards, though. --> Dialog and Control Mgrs are overkill. Draw palette with QuickDraw, calculate MouseDown relative to palette buttons, and do highlighting using QuickDraw. In other words, do all the work yourself. --> Put the palette inside the main window, as Helix and MacDraw do. I solved the problem as the last response did suggested. This has other plusses, in that multiple windows will each have their own control palette. You must, however, ensure that your user cannot draw on the palette. I did not try any of the other suggestions. The third one, in particular, doesn't seem like it would do the trick. I am passing these suggestions along without any verification of correctness. If anyone finds out that these do or do not work, post to the net or at least send me a note. Furthermore, if anyone has more suggestions, please come forward. I don't think this issue has been entirely cleared up. Finally, I've seen that PageMaker from Aldus uses a very interesting mini-palette. It takes the form of a small, movable window (they call it the "toolbox") that is always active and always in front of all other windows! It has eight control areas in it, and it's very handy to be able to "float" it around the page -- it's always handy, and never in the way of the document. How do they do it? -- Steve Schley ihnp4!mmm!schley