FILE:Fw0969.exe Coordinate Menus & Screens w/ Foundation READs

ID: Q109430


The information in this article applies to:
  • Microsoft FoxPro for Windows, versions 2.5, 2.5a, 2.5b
  • Microsoft FoxPro for MS-DOS, versions 2.5, 2.5a, 2.5b


SUMMARY

Fw0969.exe is a file that contains the Application Note entitled "Coordinating Screens and Menus with Foundation READs" describing how to manage a menu system and access screen controls through a menu.


MORE INFORMATION

The following file is available for download from the Microsoft Software Library:

Fw0969.exe
For more information about downloading files from the Microsoft Software Library, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
Q119591 How to Obtain Microsoft Support Files from Online Services

THE TEXT OF FW0969


======================================================================
      Microsoft(R) Technical Support Application Note (Text File)
     FW0969: COORDINATING MENUS AND SCREENS WITH FOUNDATION READS
======================================================================
                                                  Revision Date: 12/93
                                                      No Disk Included

The following information applies to Microsoft FoxPro versions 2.5,
2.5a, and 2.5b for Windows and FoxPro versions 2.5, 2.5a, and 2.5b for
MS-DOS.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
| INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THIS DOCUMENT AND ANY SOFTWARE THAT MAY     |
| ACCOMPANY THIS DOCUMENT (collectively referred to as an Application |
| Note) IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER      |
| EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE IMPLIED      |
| WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND/OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR       |
| PURPOSE. The user assumes the entire risk as to the accuracy and    |
| the use of this Application Note. This Application Note may be      |
| copied and distributed subject to the following conditions:  1) All |
| text must be copied without modification and all pages must be      |
| included;  2) If software is included, all files on the disk(s)     |
| must be copied without modification (the MS-DOS(R)  utility         |
| diskcopy is appropriate for this purpose);  3) All components of    |
| this Application Note must be distributed together;  and  4) This   |
| Application Note may not be distributed for profit.                 |
|                                                                     |
| Copyright (C) 1993 Microsoft Corporation.  All Rights Reserved.     |
| Microsoft, FoxPro, and MS-DOS are registered trademarks and Windows |
| is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation.                            |
|---------------------------------------------------------------------|


                             INTRODUCTION
                             ============

Many screens have associated menu systems that are called from the
screen program. These menu systems usually contain:

 - Options with keyboard shortcuts for accessing screen controls.
 - Options that are not available in the screen because they are used
   infrequently.
 - Options that trigger irreversible actions (such as PACK).

This Application Note covers managing a menu system and accessing
screen controls via a menu.


                        MANAGING A MENU SYSTEM
                        ======================

Menus created in the Menu Builder automatically interact with the
FoxPro menu system. If you create a menu and add it to the FoxPro menu
system, you don't have to explicitly activate the menu with ACTIVATE
MENU.

The following sections give you more information about managing menus
that you create.

ACCESSING MENUS DURING A READ
=============================

The READ command activates controls in FoxPro screens. Whether or not
your menus are accessible when a READ is active depends on the type of
READ you issue.

A modal READ is a READ that includes the MODAL keyword or a WITH
<window title list> clause. When you issue a modal READ, your menu is
disabled.

After you issue a READ, access to your menu depends on the setting of
SYSMENU, as discussed in the following section.

CONTROLLING MENUS WITH SET SYSMENU
==================================

With the SET SYSMENU command, you can disable your menu, selectively
add and remove items from the menu, restore the default FoxPro menus,
and control access to your menu during program execution. Here are
some of the ways you can use SET SYSMENU:

SET SYSMENU ON
--------------

Your menu bar is accessible during program execution when FoxPro waits
for keyboard input, such as during BROWSE, a non-modal READ, or MODIFY
MEMO. The menu bar is not displayed in FoxPro for MS-DOS, but you can
display it and make it accessible by pressing the ALT or F10 key or by
double-clicking the mouse button.

SET SYSMENU OFF
---------------

Your menu bar is not accessible during program execution.

SET SYSMENU AUTOMATIC
---------------------

Your menu bar is displayed at all times during program execution and
is accessible during program execution when FoxPro waits for keyboard
input.

SET SYSMENU TO DEFAULT
----------------------

The default FoxPro menu system is restored to its default
configuration.

For more information about the SET SYSMENU command, see the FoxPro
"Language Reference."

SAVING AND RESTORING MENUS
==========================

PUSH MENU and POP MENU help you save and restore menus. Using these
commands, you can push a menu onto a stack in memory and restore it
later by popping it off the stack.

Pushing a menu onto a stack saves its current state but does not
remove it from the screen. While the menu is saved in memory, you can
change the menu on the screen, or you can replace it with another
menu. After changing or replacing the original menu, you can restore
the original menu by using POP MENU.

Menus are pushed onto and popped off the stack in a "last in, first
out" order. The number of menus saved in memory is limited only by the
amount of memory available. For more information about PUSH MENU and
POP MENU, see the FoxPro "Language Reference."

The ORGANIZER application demonstrates how menus are replaced and
restored. When you choose a menu option in the ORGANIZER, a screen
program runs. This program pushes the current menu into memory and
then runs a menu program that creates a new menu to replace the
original one. When the screen program ends, the original ORGANIZER
menu is restored (popped) from memory.

The following example shows the Convert.spr screen program commands
that PUSH the ORGANIZER menu onto a stack in memory, replace the
ORGANIZER menu with its own menu, and then restore the original
ORGANIZER menu when the screen program ends.

   PUSH MENU _MSYSMENU  && Defined in the setup code for the screen.
         .
         .
         .
   DO convmenu.mpr      && Defined in the READ WHEN code for the screen.
         .
         .
         .
   POP MENU _MSYSMENU   && Defined in the cleanup code for the screen.

CALLING SCREEN AND MENU PROGRAMS
================================

To call a menu program, use the following syntax:

   DO <menu name>.mpr

Similarly, to call a screen program, use the following syntax:

   DO <filename>.spr

You must include the .mpr or .spr extension, because different types
of program or code files -- such as menus, screens, and queries -- can
have the same names. The filename extensions make them unique.


                 ACCESSING SCREEN CONTROLS VIA A MENU
                 ====================================

If screen controls such as radio buttons are frequently used, you can
help users by allowing access to these controls via menu options and
keyboard shortcuts. For example, the CONVERT.SCX screen has a set of
radio buttons, menu options, and keyboard shortcuts that you can use
to select a measurement unit -- such as area, length, or mass.

To define a menu option, you can often use the code that defines the
behavior of the corresponding screen control. Simply copy the code
used for the screen control into the code snippet for the menu option.


          USING A FOUNDATION READ WITH MENUS AND SCREEN SETS
          ==================================================

A foundation READ is a READ command with a VALID clause that you issue
before issuing any @ ... GET commands. The foundation READ, also
called a "GETless" READ, suspends program flow so that your
application can wait for the user to make choices and initiate
actions. The foundation READ keeps your application active until the
VALID clause expression evaluates to true (.T.) or until a user-
defined function returns true.

A foundation READ serves two basic purposes:

 - It keeps an application active even though no screen sets are
   active so that application users can choose options from your custom
   menu.

 - It can be used in conjunction with an event handler to create an
   event-driven application. An event-driven application allows the
   user to control which application events take place, instead of the
   application limiting and controlling the actions of the user.

Depending on the complexity of your application, you might choose to
use the basic model or the advanced model of the foundation READ. If
your application has no more than one screen set active at a time, the
basic model should be adequate. Otherwise, you'll probably want to use
the advanced model.

BASIC MODEL -- FOUNDATION READ WITHOUT AN EVENT HANDLER
=======================================================

The basic model of the foundation READ keeps a menu active in an
application created with the FoxPro Distribution Kit. If your
application has only one screen active at a time, use the basic model.

If you want a menu program to be the main file in your application,
initialize a logical variable to false (.F.) in the menu's setup or
cleanup code. For example, the following statement creates the logical
variable M.ENDREAD and initializes it to false:

   m.endread = .F.

Then issue the foundation READ command in the menu's cleanup code. The
following statement issues a READ command that remains active until
the VALID clause (that is, M.ENDREAD) evaluates to true:

   READ VALID m.endread     && This is the foundation READ.

You also need to provide a mechanism for altering the value of the
memory variable when it's time for the application to terminate. In
the procedure associated with the Quit option on your custom menu,
include the following:

   m.endread = .T.
   CLEAR READ ALL

The VALID clause on the foundation READ will be evaluated after the
READ is cleared in the second statement. Since the previous line of
code stored true to the logical variable that is evaluated in the
VALID, the foundation READ terminates, and program flow continues
until your application ends.

If you want your user to be able to interact with multiple screen sets
at the same time, you should use a foundation READ in conjunction with
an event handler function. The next section describes how to do this.

ADVANCED MODEL -- FOUNDATION READ AND EVENT HANDLER
===================================================

The advanced model of the foundation READ calls an event handler UDF
instead of evaluating a variable flag to determine whether to
terminate the READ. Code in the handler function can be used to manage
subsequent READ levels by determining which screen set the user wants
to activate based on choices the user has made. If the appropriate
screen set is not active, the handler function clears the active READ
and launches the desired screen set. A detailed example of a
foundation READ with an event handler is provided in the "Sample
Applications Using a Foundation READ" section later in this
Application Note.

Creating a Foundation READ with an Event Handler
------------------------------------------------

To create a foundation READ that calls a handler function in the VALID
clause, create a .PRG program and make it the main file of your
application. For information about creating programs, see the "File
Menu" chapter in the FoxPro "User's Guide." For information about the
main program in an application, see the "Selecting a Main File"
section in the "Project -- The Main Organizing Tool" chapter in the
FoxPro "Developer's Guide."

The main program contains these elements:

 - Preliminary Code -- Sets up your environment and initializes global
   variables.

 - Launch Menu -- Runs the main menu program for the application. The
   user can launch screen sets by choosing menu options.

 - Foundation READ -- Issues the foundation READ with a handler
   function in the VALID clause.

 - Cleanup Code -- Restores the environment.

 - Procedures and Functions -- Includes user-defined functions to be
   called in your application.

The following statement issues the foundation READ:

   READ VALID myhandler( )   && This is the foundation READ.

MYHANDLER( ) is a function in the main program that launches the
appropriate screen set in response to user actions.

To terminate the foundation READ

1. Issue the command CLEAR READ ALL in the procedure associated with
   the Quit option on your custom menu.

2. Have the function MYHANDLER( ) return true (.T.).

Why an Event Handler Is Necessary
---------------------------------

A screen is a window with GET objects and an associated READ. In a
generated screen set, all the screens have a single common READ. All
the GET objects on the screens in the screen set can be active while
this READ is active. If another screen set is run, another READ is
issued, and it is nested within the original READ. The user cannot
access any of the objects in the original READ until the nested READ
has been terminated.

Even though the GET objects in the original screen set are not active,
the windows are still visible and can be brought to the front. To the
user, it appears as though the objects and controls on the original
screens are accessible. In addition, if you have very many screen sets
in your application, you can easily exceed the FoxPro limit of five
nested READ commands, generating an error.

Using a handler function allows you to clear all READs except the
foundation READ and the READ associated with the screen set that the
user wants to access. The user can choose a screen set either by
choosing a menu option or by clicking on a visible window in the
screen set.

SAMPLE APPLICATIONS USING A FOUNDATION READ
===========================================

FoxPro version 2.5 includes two sample applications that demonstrate how to
use a foundation READ and manage subsequent READ levels: Ex1.app and
Ex2.app. Both of these samples are installed by default in the
GOODIES\FNDATION subdirectory. The file Ex2.app is the same as Ex1.app
except that it also demonstrates coordinating a screen and a Browse
window. This section of this Application Note traces the code that
executes when users of Ex1.app interact with the application's
interface.

Overview of Ex1.app
-------------------

Ex1.app is an application that allows users to view, update, browse,
and search through the customer, salesman, parts, and invoice files of
a company. The user can open multiple screens by choosing menu
options, and can switch between visible screens by clicking on them.

Programs in Ex1.app

Although there are other programs in the application, the following
programs are important in a discussion of the foundation READ and the
event handler:

 - Ex1.prg -- The main program. The first code to be executed,
   including the foundation READ, is in this program.

 - Ex1.mpr -- The menu program.

 - Excust.spr -- The customer update screen set.

 - Exparts.spr -- The parts update screen set.

 - Exinv.spr -- The invoice screen set.

 - Exsman.spr -- The salesman update screen set.

Procedures and User-Defined Functions

 - MYHANDLER -- The event handler. MYHANDLER is located in Ex1.prg.

 - EFFACE -- Routine to decide whether to release the control panel.
   EFFACE is located in Ex1.prg.

 - STOPREAD -- Returns .T. to terminate the screen set READ or .F. to
   keep the screen set READ active. STOPREAD is called from the window
   DEACTIVATE clause in each of the screen sets, and is located in
   Ex1.prg.

 - MHIT -- Handles choices from the Application menu. MHIT is located
   in Ex1.mpr.

Important FoxPro Commands and Functions Used in Handling Events

CLEAR READ             INLIST( )               LEN( )
RDLEVEL( )             READ CYCLE              WCHILD( )
WONTOP( )              WREAD( )                WVISIBLE( )

Information about each of these functions can be found in the FoxPro
"Language Reference" or in the Help system.

What Happens in Ex1.app
-----------------------

EX1.PRG is the main program in the application, so the menu and the
foundation READ are invoked in this program. When you run the
application:

1. The menu program is launched, replacing the system menu with the
   custom menu:

      DO Ex1.mpr

2. The foundation READ is issued:

      READ VALID myhandler( )

Since MYHANDLER( ) initially returns .F., the READ continues. Issuing
RDLEVEL( ) at this point would return 1. The menu bar is available to
the user, and the Application menu on the custom menu bar contains the
following options:

 - Customers -- Launches the EXCUST screen set. The window in this
   screen set for customer updates is CUST.

 - Salesmen -- Launches the EXSMAN screen set. The window in this
   screen set for salesmen updates is SMAN.

 - Parts -- Launches the EXPARTS screen set. The window in this screen
   set for part updates is PARTS.

 - Invoices -- Launches the EXINV screen set. The window in this
   screen set for customer updates is INV.

User Action 1: Initial Menu Choice

If the user chooses Customers from the Application menu, for example,
the following code is executed:

   DO mhit IN Ex1.mpr WITH "Excust.spr"

Because MHIT is a procedure in the cleanup and procedures area of the
menu program, it is necessary to specify where the procedure is, IN
Ex1.mpr. The string "Excust.spr" is passed as a parameter to MHIT.

    MHIT with Only the Foundation READ Active

Code                          Comments
---------------------------------------------------------------------

PROCEDURE mhit                The parameter "EXCUST.SPR" is stored to
PARAMETER prog                the variable PROG.

IF RDLEVEL() > 1              Since the only READ active is the
   tobedone = prog            foundation READ when MHIT is initially
   CLEAR READ                 invoked, RDLEVEL( ) is not greater than
                              1, and this code is not executed.

ELSE                          Instead, Excust.spr is run.
   DO (prog)
ENDIF


Excust.spr is a generated screen set containing two screens: CUST
(titled "Customer Update") and CONTROL3 (not titled). CONTROL3 is
included in each of the four main screen sets.

User Action 2: Second Menu Choice

If, without closing CUST (the Customer Update screen), the user then
chooses Salesmen from the Application menu, the following actions
occur:

1. The following command is executed:

      DO mhit in Ex1.mpr WITH "Exsman.spr"

    MHIT with Two READs Active

Code                          Comments
---------------------------------------------------------------------

PROCEDURE mhit                The parameter "Exsman.spr" is stored to
PARAMETER prog                the variable PROG.

IF RDLEVEL() > 1              RDLEVEL( ) returns 2 -- the foundation
   tobedone = prog            READ and the READ for the EXCUST screen
   CLEAR READ                 set. "Exsman.spr" is stored to the
                              variable TOBEDONE, and the READ for the
                              EXCUST screen set is cleared.

                              The windows for the EXCUST screen set
                              are still visible even though the READ
                              has been cleared. This is because the
                              screens in Ex1.app are generated with
                              the Clear Windows check box in the
                              Generate Screen dialog not checked.
ELSE
   DO (prog)
ENDIF


2. When the EXCUST READ is cleared, the cleanup code for the screen
   set executes. The cleanup code in the CUST screen consists of the
   following lines:

      IF quitting
         RELEASE WINDOW cust
         DO efface
      ENDIF

   Since .T. is stored to the variable QUITTING only if the user
   chooses Quit on the control panel or manually closes the CUST
   window, no action is taken in the cleanup code.

3. RDLEVEL( ) drops back to 1. Program execution returns to the
   foundation READ, which causes the VALID clause, MYHANDLER( ), of
   the foundation READ to be evaluated.

    MYHANDLER Function in Ex1.prg

Code                          Comments
---------------------------------------------------------------------

PRIVATE m.temp, m.x
IF dropdead                   DROPDEAD is initialized to .F., so this
   RETURN .T.                 condition isn't met and the command
ENDIF                         isn't executed.

IF LEN(tobedone) > 0          In MHIT, "Exsman.spr" was stored to the
   m.temp = tobedone          public variable TOBEDONE so the length
   tobedone = ""              of the variable is greater than 0.
   DO (m.temp)                "Exsman.spr" is stored to a private
   RETURN .F.                 variable, the null string is stored to
ENDIF                         the public variable TOBEDONE, and
                              Exsman.spr is executed. .F. is returned
                              so that the foundation READ does not
                              terminate.

.                             The additional code in the MYHANDLER( )
.                             function will be discussed in
.                             conjunction with the actions that
                              trigger it.


When this code executes, SMAN is the active window and EXSMAN is the
active READ. CUST is still visible.

User Action 3: User Clicks on a Screen in Another READ

If the user clicks on the CUST window, the following actions take
place:

1. SMAN ceases to be the active window, so the window DEACTIVATE
   clause on the READ is executed. The DEACTIVATE clause can be viewed
   as a window-level VALID clause; if the DEACTIVATE clause returns
   .T., the READ terminates. If the DEACTIVATE clause returns .F., the
   READ continues to be active.

2. The DEACTIVATE clause in the SMAN window invokes the STOPREAD
   function, located in Ex1.prg, with the parameter "sman".

      stopread("sman")

    STOPREAD Invoked When Changing Active READs

Code                             Comments
---------------------------------------------------------------------

FUNCTION stopread                The parameter "sman" is stored to the
PARAMETER m.window               variable M.WINDOW.

IF NOT WVISIBLE(m.window)        SMAN would not be visible if the user
   SHOW WINDOW control3 TOP      had chosen Close from the File menu,
   quitting = .T.                clicked the close box, or pressed ESC.
ENDIF                            This code would make sure that the
                                 control panel remained visible and
                                 would store .T. to QUITTING so that
                                 the READ would be terminated.

                                 Since the user only clicked on another
                                 window, SMAN remains visible and these
                                 commands are not executed.

RETURN quitting OR NOT WREAD()   QUITTING is still false. WREAD( )
                                 determines if WONTOP( ) is involved in
                                 the current READ level. Since the user
                                 clicked on CUST and the current READ
                                 is still the READ associated with
                                 EXSMAN, WREAD( ) evaluates to .F., and
                                 NOT WREAD( ) evaluates to .T.

                                 .F. OR .T. returns .T., so the EXSMAN
                                 READ terminates.


3. When the nested READ terminates, RDLEVEL( ) drops back to 1.
   Program execution returns to the foundation READ, which causes the
   VALID clause, MYHANDLER( ), of the foundation READ to be evaluated
   again.

    MYHANDLER Function in Ex1.prg

Code                          Comments
---------------------------------------------------------------------

PRIVATE m.temp, m.x

IF dropdead
   RETURN .T.
ENDIF

IF LEN(tobedone) > 0          Neither of these conditions is met, so
   m.temp = tobedone          none of this code is executed this time.
   tobedone = ""
   DO (m.temp)
   RETURN .F.
ENDIF

DO CASE                       Since the user clicked on CUST,
CASE WONTOP("cust")           WONTOP("cust") returns .T., EXCUST.SPR
   DO excust.spr              is launched again, and the EXCUST screen
CASE WONTOP("parts")          set becomes the active READ. RDLEVEL( )
   DO exparts.spr             would return 2 again at this point.
CASE WONTOP("inv")
   DO exinv.spr
CASE WONTOP("sman")
   DO exsman.spr



CASE WONTOP("control3")
.
.
.
ENDCASE

RETURN .F.                    The foundation READ is not terminated.


Now CUST is the active window, and EXCUST is the active READ.

User Action 4: User Clicks on the Control Panel

If the user clicks on the control panel (the window CONTROL3), the
following actions occur:

1. CUST ceases to be the active window, so the window DEACTIVATE
   clause on the READ is executed.

2. The DEACTIVATE clause in the CUST window invokes the STOPREAD
   function with the parameter "cust".

      stopread("cust")

    STOPREAD Invoked When Changing Active Windows in the Same READ

Code                            Comments
---------------------------------------------------------------------

FUNCTION stopread               The parameter "cust" is stored to the
PARAMETER m.window              variable M.WINDOW.

IF NOT WVISIBLE(m.window)       CUST remains visible and these
   SHOW WINDOW control3 TOP     commands are not executed.
   quitting = .T.
ENDIF

RETURN quitting OR NOT WREAD()  QUITTING is still false. Since the
                                user clicked on CONTROL3, which is a
                                window in the EXCUST screen set,
                                WREAD( ) evaluates to .T., and NOT
                                WREAD( ) evaluates to .F. .F. OR .F.
                                returns .F., so the EXCUST READ does
                                not terminate.


Now CONTROL3 is the active window and EXCUST is the active READ.

User Action 5: User Chooses Quit on the Control Panel

If the user chooses Quit on the control panel, the following actions
occur:

1. The following commands from the push button VALID clause in
   CONTROL3 are run:

      quitting = .T.
      CLEAR READ

2. Since the EXCUST READ is cleared, the cleanup code for the screen
   set is run. The cleanup code consists of the following:

      IF quitting
         RELEASE WINDOW cust
         DO efface
      ENDIF

   Because .T. has been stored to QUITTING, CUST is released so that
   it is no longer visible to the user and command execution goes to
   the procedure EFFACE, located in Ex1.prg.

     EFFACE to Determine Whether to Release the Control Panel

Code                          Comments
---------------------------------------------------------------------

PROCEDURE efface

PRIVATE m.x

m.x = WCHILD("",0)            This procedure cycles through all the
DO WHILE LEN(m.x) > 0         visible windows until it finds one of
   IF INLIST(m.x, "CUST",     the application screen set windows:
"PARTS", ;                    CUST, PARTS, INV, or SMAN.
      "INV","SMAN")
      RETURN                  Since SMAN is still visible, RETURN is
   ENDIF                      issued. CONTROL3 remains visible and is
   m.x = WCHILD("",1)         the active window.
ENDDO
RELEASE WINDOW(WONTOP())
                              If none of the other screen set windows
                              had been visible, the last line in this
                              procedure would have released CONTROL3,
                              too, so that none of the screen set
                              windows would be visible.


3. Again, because the VALID clause associated with the Quit button in
   the control panel cleared the READ, the nested READ terminates and
   RDLEVEL( ) drops back to 1. Program execution returns to the
   foundation READ, which causes FoxPro to evaluate the VALID clause,
   MYHANDLER( ), of the foundation READ.

    MYHANDLER( ) Function in Ex1.prg

Code                              Comments
---------------------------------------------------------------------

PRIVATE m.temp, m.x

IF dropdead
   RETURN .T.
ENDIF
                                  Neither of these conditions is met, so
                                  none of this code is executed this
                                  time.

IF LEN(tobedone) > 0
   m.temp = tobedone
   tobedone = ""
   DO (m.temp)
   RETURN .F.
ENDIF
DO CASE
CASE WONTOP("cust")
   DO excust.spr
CASE WONTOP("parts")
   DO exparts.spr
CASE WONTOP("inv")
   DO exinv.spr
CASE WONTOP("sman")
   DO exsman.spr

CASE WONTOP("control3")           WONTOP("control3") returns .T.

   m.temp = ""                    This code cycles through the visible
   m.x = WCHILD("",0)             windows, starting with the window at
   DO WHILE LEN(m.x) > 0          the bottom of the stack of child
      DO CASE                     windows, until it finds the window to
      CASE m.x = "CUST"           launch the screen program for.
         m.temp = "Excust.spr"
      CASE m.x = "PARTS"
         m.temp ="Exparts.spr"
      CASE m.x = "INV"
         m.temp ="Exinv.spr"
      CASE m.x ="SMAN"            Since SMAN is the child window that is
         m.temp ="Exsman.spr"     found, "Exsman.spr" is stored to
      ENDCASE                     M.TEMP.
      m.x = WCHILD("",1)
   ENDDO
   IF LEN(m.temp) > 0
      DO (m.temp)                 Exsman.spr is launched again. RDLEVEL()
   ENDIF                          goes back to 2, and SMAN becomes the
ENDCASE                           active window.

RETURN .F.


User Action 6: User Chooses to Terminate the Application

The user is finished with the application and chooses Quit from the
File menu, causing the following actions to occur:

1. The following lines of code are executed:

      dropdead = .T.
      CLEAR READ ALL

2. Because the READ is cleared, program execution returns to the
   foundation READ, which causes FoxPro to evaluate the VALID clause,
   MYHANDLER( ), of the foundation READ.

    MYHANDLER( ) Function in Ex1.prg

Code                          Comments
---------------------------------------------------------------------

PRIVATE m.temp, m.x

IF dropdead                   This time, because .T. has been stored
   RETURN .T.                 to DROPDEAD, the event handler in the
ENDIF                         VALID clause of the foundation READ
                              returns .T., causing the foundation READ
                              to terminate.


3. The foundation READ terminates and code in Ex1.prg following the
   foundation READ runs, restoring environment settings and cleaning
   up after the application.

Summary of Event Handler Events
-------------------------------

The event handler manages a variety of possible user actions:

 - If the user chooses a new screen set from the Application menu,
   code in MHIT determines whether to immediately launch the screen set
   or to CLEAR the current READ and have MYHANDLER( ) launch the
   appropriate screen set.

 - If the user clicks on a different window, code in the previously
   active window's DEACTIVATE clause invokes STOPREAD( ) to determine
   whether the current READ should be terminated so that another can be
   activated or whether the current READ should remain active.

 - If the user closes a window by pressing ESC, by choosing Close from
   the File menu, or by clicking on the close box, the DEACTIVATE
   clause and the STOPREAD( ) function allow the READ to be cleared as
   if the user had chosen Quit in the control panel.

 - When the user closes a window, code in the EFFACE procedure, called
   in the screen set's cleanup code, determines whether the control
   panel should also be closed.

 - If the user closes a window, code in the MYHANDLER( ) function
   determines what screen set should be the active READ, if any.

 - If the user chooses Quit from the File menu, MYHANDLER( ) returns
   .T. to terminate the foundation READ.

Coding an event handler takes some effort, but an event handler like
the one in Ex1.app enables you to create an intuitive and easy-to-use
interface. 

Additional query words: MBuilder FoxDos FoxWin 2.50 2.50a 2.50b appnote


Keywords          : kbcode FxtoolMBuilder 
Version           : WINDOWS:2.5,2.5a,2.5b; MS-DOS:2.5,2.5a,2.0
Platform          : MS-DOS WINDOWS 
Issue type        : 


Last Reviewed: July 29, 1999
© 1999 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Terms of Use.