Enable/disable Group enables/disables all children

[Mark Waddingham]

On 2018-04-26 19:06, Bob Sneidar via use-livecode wrote:
> Hi all.
> 
> I have a group that contains a number of objects, buttons, menus,
> fuelds and groups. I just noticed that if I disable a group (so that
> none of the objects in the group can be interacted with) I get the
> desired effect. However when re-enabling the group, it *ALSO*
> re-enables ALL the objects in that group, no matter what their status
> was prior to disabling the group.
> 
> Is that the expected behavior? If not I will file a bug report. If so,
> I will have to find another way to disable all the objects in a group,
> or else trap for the action, and save the enabled property for every
> containing object so I can reset them.

It has been like that forever - there is an anomaly for it: 
https://quality.livecode.com/show_bug.cgi?id=14881

The 'disabled' property should be effectively computed as the logical 
and of all the parent's property values (kind of like inherited 
properties, but with a different operation merging parent and child 
values), a bit like visible is - why it was never done that way 
originally is a question to which I do not have an answer!

The problem with 'just' fixing it is that it is not possible to 
determine with the current behavior what the 'disabled' setting of any 
control is meant to be. If it is changed, then all controls in disabled 
groups which exist now will remain disabled - everyone would have to go 
through all their stacks and set the enablement of children 
appropriately.

Warmest Regards,

Mark.

-- 
Mark Waddingham ~ mark at livecode.com ~ http://www.livecode.com/
LiveCode: Everyone can create apps