Advice as to how to create a dialog

[Michael Doub]

I am trying to figure out how to create a dialog for data entry into a Date field.   I want to use a date picker if the control key is not down, but allow normal entry if the control key is down.   I thought that I would use the open field handler and I thought I would pass data to and from the dialog stack thru the dialog data.  Sounds simple enough...

on openfield
   put the short name of the target into jump
   put the datefields of this card into Date_Fields
   if jump is not among the lines of Date_Fields then exit openfield
   if (the controlkey is up) then
      put fld jump into contents
      if contents is not empty then
         set the dialogdata to contents
      else
         put the date into contents
         set the itemdel to "/"
         set the dialogdata to "20" &  item 3 of contents & "-" & item 1 of contents & "-" & item 2 of contents
      end if
      go to stack "calendarWidget" as modal
      put the dialogdata into fld jump
   end if
end open field

Well, it seems like the openfield handler is getting called even when the user is actually clicking in the field as if there is a state being maintained and it is called whenever the stack becomes active.

Let em try and be more clear..

First time thru, the user clicks the field. As expected the openfield is called
calendarWidget pops up as expected
then openfield gets called again as the calendarWidget goes way and we are back on the stack with the field.   Now I am in a loop.

This has me wondering if using the openfield handler is the correct approach?  Am I correct in assuming that I will be able to pick up the results of the calendarWidget after the go command?  Is the calling stack blocked waiting for the modal stack to complete?

How are other folks working with dialogs?

Thanks
  Mike