WD: Macro Halts When You Press ESC Key in Dynamic Dialog Box

• Microsoft Word for Windows, versions 6.0, 6.0a, 6.0c
• Microsoft Word for Windows NT, version 6.0
• Microsoft Word for Windows 95, versions 7.0, 7.0a
• Microsoft Word for the Macintosh, version 6.0

SYMPTOMS

If you press ESC during a user (or dynamic) dialog box definition in a WordBasic macro, Word halts the macro and the following error message occurs:

   WordBASIC: The macro was interrupted.

RESOLUTION

To prevent a macro from halting when you press ESC in a user dialog box, you must trap the ESC key using the DisableInput statement.

The following sample macro demonstrates the correct use of the DisableInput statement.

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   Sub MAIN
      Begin Dialog UserDialog 109, 81, "Test", .DialogFunction
         OKButton 10, 6, 88, 21
         CancelButton 10, 30, 88, 21
         PushButton 10, 54, 88, 21, "Text"
      End Dialog
      Dim dlg As UserDialog
      x = Dialog(dlg)
   End Sub

   Function DialogFunction(identifier$, action, wvalue)
      DisableInput 1
      Select Case action
         Case 1
         Case 2
            If identifier$ = "Cancel" Then
               DialogFunction = 0
               For xyz = 1 To 50
                  Print "Cancel pressed"
               Next xyz
            Else
               DialogFunction = 1
            End If
         Case Else
      End Select
   End Function

STATUS

This functionality is by design of Microsoft Word.

MORE INFORMATION

This use of the DisableInput statement conflicts with the information in online Help for the DisableInput command and on page 340 of the "Microsoft Word Developer's Kit." Both resources state that "DisableInput does not affect the use of ESC for canceling a dialog box." This statement is not true for dynamic (user) dialog boxes, for which DisableInput does prevent the ESC key from interrupting the macro.

REFERENCES

"Microsoft Word Developer's Kit," version 6.0, page 340