Programming with dBASE - Blinking text

Author

Blinking text

Michael Nunn

2005-04-02, 7:01 am

In dBase III/IV you could make text blink - I think by using an asterisk
with the color selection.

Is there a way of achieving the same effect in dBasePlus?

Mike Nunn

Glenn

2005-04-02, 7:01 am

Michael Nunn wrote:
> In dBase III/IV you could make text blink - I think by using an asterisk
> with the color selection.
>
> Is there a way of achieving the same effect in dBasePlus?
>
> Mike Nunn
>
>

I was just reading somewhere in here (or the other group) about that,
using a timer to make the text visible/invisible. Should be a not too
old post.

Glenn Fausel

Michael Nunn

2005-04-02, 7:01 am

Thanks - I saw that stream - but it is about timing users - I just want
something that doesn't take up too much room on the form, to let the user
know for a short time things are happening behind the scenes. A meter won't
fit very well into the space. If a 'Please wait' message could blink or
oscillate with different colors it would suffice.

Mike

"Glenn" <gfausel@aol.com> wrote in message
news:Mm6YGV3NFHA.1528@news-server...
> Michael Nunn wrote:
>
> I was just reading somewhere in here (or the other group) about that,
> using a timer to make the text visible/invisible. Should be a not too old
> post.
>
> Glenn Fausel
>

John York

2005-04-03, 7:01 am

there is code in the duflp that does this using a timer

In my case I put code in the "long process" loop that blinks (or changes the
form's background colors)

Personal preference is the deciding factor I try and stay away from timer
activated objects for no other reason.

John

"Michael Nunn" <mbnunnuk@yahoo.co.uk> wrote in message
news:N5m3f43NFHA.444@news-server...
> Thanks - I saw that stream - but it is about timing users - I just want
> something that doesn't take up too much room on the form, to let the user
> know for a short time things are happening behind the scenes. A meter
won't

> fit very well into the space. If a 'Please wait' message could blink or
> oscillate with different colors it would suffice.
>
>
> Mike
>
> "Glenn" <gfausel@aol.com> wrote in message
> news:Mm6YGV3NFHA.1528@news-server...
asterisk[color=darkr
ed]
old[color=darkred]
>
>

Jean-Pierre Martel

2005-04-03, 7:01 am

In article <LLZFfO3NFHA.1528@news-server>, mbnunnuk@yahoo.co.uk says...
> In dBase III/IV you could make text blink
> Is there a way of achieving the same effect in dBasePlus?

Below is some code written three years ago by Marko Mihorko.

Jean-Pierre Martel, editor
The dBASE Developers Bulletin
Blue Star dBASE Plus Core Concepts Graduate

** END HEADER -- do not remove this line
//
// Generated on 22.07.2002
//
parameter bModal
local f
f = new larryForm()
if (bModal)
f.mdi = false // ensure not MDI
f.readModal()
else
f.open()
endif

class larryForm of FORM
with (this)
text = "Larry - Blinking text or entryfield"
endwith

this.TEXT1 = new TEXT(this)
with (this.TEXT1)
left = 11
top = 3
width = 18
text = "Hello, I am blinking..."
endwith

this.ENTRYFIELD1 = new ENTRYFIELD(this)
with (this.ENTRYFIELD1)
left = 9
top = 5.5
width = 22
value = "Hello, I am blinking, too..."
endwith

function open
this.oT = new timer()
this.oT.oForm = this
this.oT.interval = .5
this.oT.onTimer = {; this.oForm.entryfield1.visible = ;
not this.oForm.entryfield1.visible ;
; this.oForm.text1.visible = ;
not this.oForm.text1.visible }
this.oT.enabled = true
return super::open()

function canClose
this.oT.enabled := false
this.oT.oForm = null
release object this.oT
return
endclass

Michael Nunn

2005-04-03, 7:01 am

Thank you everybody - I have solved the problem with a miniaturised progress
object which seems simpler and actually looks quite neat.

But I wonder why the blink/color option went out of dBase?

OLH shows a blink() method with the String class, but I haven't been able
to suss out how to make use of it.

Mike

"Jean-Pierre Martel" <nospam@nospam.com> wrote in message
news:MPG. 1cb8a8b533902abe9897
19@news.dbase.com...
> In article <LLZFfO3NFHA.1528@news-server>, mbnunnuk@yahoo.co.uk says...
>
> Below is some code written three years ago by Marko Mihorko.
>
> Jean-Pierre Martel, editor
> The dBASE Developers Bulletin
> Blue Star dBASE Plus Core Concepts Graduate
>
> ** END HEADER -- do not remove this line
> //
> // Generated on 22.07.2002
> //
> parameter bModal
> local f
> f = new larryForm()
> if (bModal)
> f.mdi = false // ensure not MDI
> f.readModal()
> else
> f.open()
> endif
>
> class larryForm of FORM
> with (this)
> text = "Larry - Blinking text or entryfield"
> endwith
>
> this.TEXT1 = new TEXT(this)
> with (this.TEXT1)
> left = 11
> top = 3
> width = 18
> text = "Hello, I am blinking..."
> endwith
>
> this.ENTRYFIELD1 = new ENTRYFIELD(this)
> with (this.ENTRYFIELD1)
> left = 9
> top = 5.5
> width = 22
> value = "Hello, I am blinking, too..."
> endwith
>
> function open
> this.oT = new timer()
> this.oT.oForm = this
> this.oT.interval = .5
> this.oT.onTimer = {; this.oForm.entryfield1.visible = ;
> not this.oForm.entryfield1.visible ;
> ; this.oForm.text1.visible = ;
> not this.oForm.text1.visible }
> this.oT.enabled = true
> return super::open()
>
> function canClose
> this.oT.enabled := false
> this.oT.oForm = null
> release object this.oT
> return
> endclass

Glenn

2005-04-03, 7:01 am

Michael Nunn wrote:
> Thanks - I saw that stream - but it is about timing users - I just want
> something that doesn't take up too much room on the form, to let the user
> know for a short time things are happening behind the scenes. A meter won't
> fit very well into the space. If a 'Please wait' message could blink or
> oscillate with different colors it would suffice.
>
>
> Mike

It was not that stream, but I could not find it myself when looking. But
you got something working, which is the best result.

Glenn

Ken Chan

2005-04-03, 8:01 pm

Michael Nunn wrote:

> But I wonder why the blink/color option went out of dBase?

Blinking was a built-in feature of the PC character display, and one of
the few ways to make text "interesting". It made sense for dBASE to
support it directly. But with the advent of GUIs, it's considered to be
in bad taste: http://www.mcli.dist.maricopa.edu/tut/tut17.html

> OLH shows a blink() method with the String class, but I haven't been
> able to suss out how to make use of it.

There are several methods adapted from the original version of
JavaScript, which will wrap any text with the corresponding HTML tags:

? "foo" // foo
? "foo".blink() // <BLINK>foo</BLINK>
? "foo".blink().bold().italics() // <I><B><BLINK>foo</BLINK></B></I>

However, it's not clear that these methods are all that useful, even in
JavaScript. In dBASE, you might use them if you're doing HTML with CGI,
or for controls that support HTML, like Text:

f = new Form()
f.open()
t = new Text(f, "foo")
t.text := "foo".bold()
t.text := "foo".bold().italics()
t.text := "foo".bold().italics().blink()

Note that in the last example, the Text control does not support the
BLINK tag, just like some browsers. Again, it's considered bad:
http://library.thinkquest.org/10021...uide/blink.html

> I have solved the problem with a miniaturised progress
> object which seems simpler and actually looks quite neat.

Yes, those sorts of things are better.

--
: Ken :
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