Help message Broadcasting system

[J. Landman Gay]

Jeff Massung wrote:

> Instead, what about just having a background message loop processing that's
> always checking the current focus target and displaying the help text for it
> (if that option is enabled). For example:

<snip>

Good approach, that. I'd use a built-in message in the engine instead 
though, it's shorter.

In the stack script (or whatever script is in the hierarchy for all the 
relevant objects):

on mousemove x,y
  put the helptext of the target into fld "help field"
end mousemove

Then make a custom property called "helptext" for any object that needs 
to display it.

This handler will automatically empty the helptext field when 
appropriate, because if a custom property doesn't exist in an object, 
its value is returned as empty. One advantage to the above is that you 
don't need any loops or messaging. One disadvantage is that you have to 
remember to pass the mousemove message if any of the controls also use 
it, but that's minor.

-- 
Jacqueline Landman Gay         |     jacque at hyperactivesw.com
HyperActive Software           |     http://www.hyperactivesw.com