Event Driven Programming

[sandybassett]

I have several actions to code which could be triggered by different events. Is there a list of all events which can be used to trigger a handler or a function so that I can choose which would be most appropriate to use in the situation? I've looked everywhere but haven't been able to find one so I can get the name or syntax correct without a lot of trial and error. Thanks for the help.

[FourthWorld]

The Dictionary lets you filter by messages.

[Mark]

Hi,

I'd search the dictionary for "mouse", "field" and "key". This will reveal a list of frequently used messages that will be convenient to use. Additionally, I have a few sections dedicated to this subject in my book.

Kind regards,

Mark

[jacque]

In the dictionary you can click on any column to sort by that column. If you do that, all the "Message" entries will be together. Those are the events your app will be notifed about.

[Mark]

Hi,

You don't need to sort. You can also click on the messages section in the side bar and you will only see messages.

Kind regards,

Mark

[sandybassett]

Thanks guys, that's exactly what I was looking for. Mentally indexed it under handlers, or functions, or triggers, never thought to look at messages.

[mwieder]

Yeah, I always have to make the jump from "events" to "messages". And then I refer to them interchangeably, which no doubt confuses people.

[dunbarx]

All good stuff.

But there will always be a bit of intuition required, even among those who have read and reread the entire dictionary while on the potty.

A new user, asked what events seem logical when, say, clicking the mouse in a button, might well foresee "mouseDown" and "mouseUp". A precocious twelve year old might also see "mouseEnter". But you would be gifted as a newbie indeed to posit "mouseStillDown" or "mouseWithin" without experience.

So be creative with your searches, and think out of the box sometimes. You might also take a stab at monitoring the message watcher. Good luck with that.

Craig Newman

[Mark]

Hi Craig,

I agree. I wish that keywords like "mouse", "field" and "text box" would be sufficient to get all the messages and properties related to text fields for instance. We really need full-text search built into the dictionary.

Kind regards,

Mark

[sandybassett]

Mark said: "We really need full-text search built into the dictionary."
That's a GREAT idea! Tell Kevin.

[dunbarx]

Full text search is a good idea all right. Is there a text file somewhere that contains the entire dictionary? Would not take much to roll your own if there was. You could even build in the links to the "See also..." entries, which I always find very useful. I am going to make a feature request.

Craig