Dialog Software Box 9889 1101 Wilson Boulevard Arlington, Virginia 22209-0889 (703) 528-1505 DiaLogic README ======== Please read this entire file. In addition to providing changes to the User's manual, it contains other important information which will help you enjoy DiaLogic. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/29/90 SEND US YOUR TEMPLATES! Dialog Software plans to offer a DiaLogic Template Pack in early July, 1990. This package will be comprised of pre-tested and pre-made DiaLogic Templates and will serve as ready-to-use subprograms. Already we have a full-function File Load dialog box which works just like the one in QuickBASIC 4.5! We also have a screen color setting dialog box. These templates will require DiaLogic, and can be used right out-of-the-box as subprograms. Full documentation will be provided. We will pay $25.00 for each contribution to the DiaLogic Template Pack which is actually used. A contribution is an operative subprogram which makes use of DiaLogic and can provide some generic or useful function. In addition, the author(s) will be given full credit and will be honored in the product documentation. Please send contributions to us at the address above via US mail. NOTE: In the event of duplicate or similar entries, the earliest or best implementation will be used. Please understand that we cannot return materials sent to us and any materials sent become the property of Dialog Software. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- * Technical Support (For Registered Users Only): Free technical support is available by calling Dialog Software at (703) 528-1505. The best time to contact a technician is in the morning, from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., during business days. Beyond these hours, technical lines are usually open until 5:30 p.m. When you call please leave a brief message regarding the nature of your problem. This way, the most appropriate technician can contact you. In order to keep product costs low, we must ask to return calls collect. If this is not possible we invite you to write to us with your question(s) and we will respond to you by mail. * Special Notes: If you own QuickPak Professional, an extensive library of assembler routines for QuickBASIC [available from Crescent Software (203) 846-2500], you may experience a conflict with the MScrnSave and MScrnRest routines. This conflict is created because of the DECLARE statements being used for these routines in DiaLogic. To fix this situation it will be necessary for you to remove the DECLARE keyword for these two routines, and to ensure that the CALL keyword is added to each instance of MScrnSave and MScrnRest in *every* module. (DiaLogic uses some Crescent Software routines under a special license with Crescent Software.) * Using DiaLogic: DiaLogic will occupy a large number of bytes when in the environment. To help reduce the overhead caused by the lengthy comments and formatting, we suggest that you work with a copy in which the comments have been removed. Another approach is to create a Quick Library containing DiaLogic. When using DiaLogic, please follow these suggested tips: (1) Use QuickBASIC 4.0b, if possible. (2) Start QB with /ah. (3) ALWAYS save files using the Text format. There are documented problems with QuickBASIC's "Fast Save" format, such as unexplained crashes. (4) When compiling in the environment, always use the "Run Restart" pulldown menu command before attempting to Run with . (5) If your program breaks due to an error, go to the Immediate Window (with ) and type End. * Version History: ======== 04-12-89 ======== The DiaLogic manual, after its first printing, has some minor bugs(!). First, you should be aware that in some instances a blank page was accidentally omitted during the printing process. For example, page 52 is directly opposed to the title page for Part III, where there should have been a preceding blank page as a divider. Do not be concerned that pages 53 and 54 are missing, since these page numbers were reserved for a blank divider page only. Second, a few minor errors were noted at this time which are summarized below. We sincerely apologize for these errors. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Corrections to the manual: * Page 14 - In the middle of the page, the sentence should read "Beginning on page 27, the section . . . " * Page 18 - On the top of the page, second line, the sentence should read "As mentioned on page 15, the . . . " * Page 102 - On the top of the page, fourth line, the sentence should read " . . . created in Part III: Creating a Template . . . " * Page C-4 - The heading "Functional Problems" should be "Operational Problems." ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ======== 04-25-89 ======== DiaLogic is at version 1.1. A minor adjustment was made to the ListBox subprogram to prevent a potential Overflow error. ======== 08-03-89 ======== DiaLogic is at version 1.2. Fixes include better keyboard control, a correction of wrongly-returned values in one-across scrolling list boxes, and a fix to an option button array. ======== 11-15-89 ======== DiaLogic is at version 1.3. A fix was made to list boxes containing only one item. ======== 01-08-90 ======== DiaLogic is at version 1.4a. New memory allocation techniques were created to ensure proper deallocation. ======== 01-11-90 ======== Version 1.4b Focus may be changed by setting the new focus and ensuring that Action = 3. The correct list box element is now returned when the mouse is used while polling a list box. Further, Action is now set to 4 when a new list box item has been selected. ======== 01-22-90 ======== Version 1.4c Sentence-linked list boxes now properly erase old sentence strings. The FIX statement was removed, and a better method of calculating the current column in list boxes was developed. ======== 01-28-90 ======== Version 1.4d All items in a dialog box are now properly refreshed (i.e., updated) to reflect new information in DB and LB when Action is set to 2. Smart Lables are refreshed with respect to text and color. It is now very easy to build color-setting dialog boxes or File Load dialog boxes by using Action 3 to poll, and Action 2 to refresh. NOTE: If Smart Labels are refreshed with an Action 2, please ensure that the AltKey character for the label is not changed. List boxes may be refreshed in several ways. Many users have requested the ability to control whether an item is highlighted, to redraw the items in a list box, and to select a specific item in a list box. When Action is 2 all dialog box elements are refreshed (excluding the Window and the Group Box). Since each list box may require a different refresh type, we have made use of DB().Default and DB().SelectedColor in order to specify how the refresh should be conducted: DB().Default When refreshing list boxes, the Default value can be positive, zero, or negative. If positive, the Default item in the list box will be highlighted and/or the focus will rest on it when the list box is accessed. If zero, no item will be selected. if negative, the contents of the list box are entirely redis- played. The absolute value of the negative default becomes the new default which is selected. Negative DB().Default values should always be chosen if the contents of the LB array have been changed. DB().SelectedColor This setting should be set to -1 if you do not want the default item to be selected (i.e., highlighted) in the list box. If you want to select the default item in a list box, then DB().SelectedColor must have a positive value which corresponds to a color in the color chart (see the Appendix of the user's manual). ======== 01-29-90 ======== Version 1.4e Option buttons will now be properly refreshed on XT-class machines during rapid mouse clicks. Stronger support was added for mouse buttons 2 and 3. To skip a list box, set NumberOne and NumberTwo to 0. This will prevent the focus from being able to access the list box.