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Volume Number: | 10 | |
Issue Number: | 8 | |
Column Tag: | Tips &Tidbits |
Tips &Tidbits
By Scott T Boyd, Editor
Note: Source code files accompanying article are located on MacTech CD-ROM or source code disks.
Got a developer tip you’ve been keeping to yourself but really need to share? Think you have a better trick up your sleeve? Send us your tips and tricks, especially programming-related tips, but don’t hold back if you’ve got programmer’s user tips.
We want your tips! We pay $25 for every tip used, and $50 for Tip of the Month. You can take your award in orders or subscriptions if you prefer.
Make sure code compiles, and send tips by e-mail. See page two for our addresses.
Tip Of The Month
TCL 2.0 Startup Splash Screen
Version 2.0 of the TCL introduced a new method in CApplication called ShowSplashScreen(). This method is called at startup in CApplication::DoRun(), prior to the program handling any AppleEvents. Although the Visual Architect can be used to create the code neccessary for a splash screen, it is much simpler for you to write your own by hand, especially if all you want to do is display a PICT resource for a number of seconds. This is especially true if you want to add a splash screen to projects you are converting from 1.1.3.
To use the code below, override ShowSplashScreen() in your own CApplication derived class, and then make sure the source file contains all of the code outlined below. Features of the code are: TCL 2.0 use of constructors with default arguments; moving the window offscreen prior to calling Select() & Prepare(), thus preventing the user at staring at a blank window for a second before the CPicture object can be drawn; ‘paranoid’ memory cleanup to make absolutely certain there are no memory leaks.
/* 1 */ // TCL INCLUDES #include <CDecorator.h> #include <CPicture.h> #include <CWindow.h> // EXTERN GLOBALS extern CDecorator *gDecorator; void myCApplication::ShowSplashScreen(void) { const short kProcID = dBoxProc, // Window Manager window type = 1 kPicResID = 2000,// PICT resource ID kPICTx = 250,// Width of PICT in pixels kPICTy = 130;// Height " const longkDuration = 120;// Delay for @ 2 secs ( = 120/60 ) CDirector *myDir = NULL; // TCL based object pointers... CWindow *myWindow = NULL; CPicture *myPicture = NULL; Rect aRect = {0, 0, kPICTy, kPICTx}; long finalTick = 0; myDir = new CDirector(this);// Create Bureaucrat & Window myWindow = new CWindow(&aRect, false, kProcID, false, false, myDir); myPicture = new CPicture(myWindow, myDir); // Create CPicture object myPicture->FitToEnclFrame(true, true); ::SetRect(&aRect, 2, 2, -2, -2); // Shrink enclosure by 2 pixels myPicture->ChangeSize(&aRect, false); myPicture->UsePICT(kPicResID);// Grab PICT from resource myWindow->MoveOffScreen(); // Get ready for drawing myWindow->Select(); myPicture->Prepare(); gDecorator->CenterWindow(myWindow);// Need window on screen to draw PICT myPicture->Draw(&aRect); // Rect param is not really needed ::Delay(kDuration, &finalTick); /* Delay long enough for user to read screen */ myDir->CloseWind(myWindow); // Close window & tidy up memory TCLForgetObject(myDir); if (myPicture != NULL) TCLForgetObject(myPicture); }
- Andrew Nemeth, Warrimoo Australia
Drop Everything
AppMaker (from Bowers Development) is a great development tool, but you can only drop AppMaker files on AppMaker (with System 7). You can change AppMaker drop other files (such as ResEdit and Resorcerer files) onto AppMaker’s icon to open them:
1) Open AppMaker with a resource tool, such as ResEdit.
2) Open the FREF resource, and open resource ID 203.
3) Change the file type from '????' to '****'.
4) Save your changes, and rebuild your desktop.
That’s it. You should be able to now drop any file onto AppMaker’s icon, and AppMaker will open it. If it doesn’t work, double-check the FREF (and possibly the BNDL) resources.
- Bill Modesitt, Maui Software
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