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String Gadget Type

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String Gadget Type

A string gadget is an area of the display in which a single field of character data may be entered. When a string gadget is activated, either by the user or by the application, a cursor appears prompting the user to enter some text. Any characters typed will be placed into the active string gadget, unless the gadget is deactivated by other mouse activity or program interaction.

The system also supports tabbing between a group of string gadgets. In this mode, pressing the tab key will advance the active gadget to the next string gadget and pressing shifted tab will advance to the previous string gadget.

Control characters are generally filtered out, but may be entered by pressing the Left Amiga key with the desired control character. The filtering may be disabled by the program, or by the user via the IControl Preferences editor.

String gadgets feature auto-insert, which allows the user to insert characters wherever the cursor is. Overwrite mode is also available, and the application may toggle the gadget between the two modes.

When the user activates a string gadget with the mouse, the gadget's cursor moves to the position of the mouse. The user may change the position of the cursor both with the cursor keys and with the mouse pointer.

A number of simple, keyboard driven editing functions are available to the user. These editing functions are shown in the following table.

Editing Keys and Their Functions

Key Function
leftarrow Cursor to previous character.
Shift leftarrow Cursor to beginning of string.
rightarrow Cursor to next character.
Shift rightarrow Cursor to end of string.
Del Delete the character under the cursor. Does nothing in fixed field mode.
Shift Del Delete from the character under the cursor to the end of the line. Does nothing in fixed field mode.
Backspace Delete the character to left of cursor. In fixed field mode, move cursor to previous character.
Shift Backspace Delete from the character to the left of the cursor to the start of the line. In fixed field mode, move cursor to beginning of string.
Return or Enter Terminate input and deactivate the gadget. If the GACT_RELVERIFY activation flag is set, the program will receive a IDCMP_GADGETUP event for this gadget.
Right Amiga Q' Undo (cancel) the last editing change to the string.
Right Amiga X Clears the input buffer. The undo buffer is left undisturbed. In fixed field mode, move cursor to beginning of string.

The following additional editing functions are available only when "Filter Control Characters" is on for the string gadget. Control character filtering is only available if the IControl preferences editor has "Text Gadget Filter" selected and the individual gadget does not have SGM_NOFILTER set.

Additional Editing Keys and Their Functions

Key Function
Ctrl A Jump cursor to start of buffer.
Ctrl H Delete the character to the left of the cursor. In fixed field mode, move cursor to previous character.
Ctrl K Delete from the character under the cursor to the end of the string. Does nothing in fixed field mode.
Ctrl M Equivalent to Return or Enter (end gadget).
Ctrl W Delete the previous word. In fixed field mode, jump cursor to the start of the previous word.
Ctrl U Delete from the character to the left of the cursor to the start of the buffer. In fixed field mode, jump cursor to the start of the buffer.
Ctrl X Clears the input buffer (like Right Amiga X). In fixed field mode, jump cursor to the start of the buffer.
Ctrl Z Jump cursor to end of buffer.

Integer Gadget Type

The integer gadget is really a special case of the string gadget type. Initialize the gadget as a string gadget, then set the GACT_LONGINT flag in the gadget's Activation field.

The user interacts with an integer gadget using exactly the same rules as for a string gadget, but Intuition filters the input, allows the user to enter only a plus or minus sign and digits. The integer gadget returns a signed 32-bit integer in the StringInfo variable LongInt.

To initialize an integer gadget to a value, preload the input buffer with an ASCII representation of the initial integer. It is not sufficient to initialize the gadget by merely setting a value in the LongInt variable.

Integer gadgets have the LongInt value updated whenever the ASCII contents of the gadget changes, and again when the gadget is deactivated.

String Gadget IDCMP Messages

If the application has specified the GACT_RELVERIFY activation flag, it will be sent an IDCMP_GADGETUP message when the gadget is properly deactivated. This happens when Return or Enter is pressed, when tabbing to the next string gadget (where supported), and when a custom string editing hook returns SGA_END.

The gadget may become inactive without the application receiving an IDCMP_GADGETUP message. This will happen if the user performs some other operation with the mouse or if another window is activated. The gadget may still contain updated, valid information even though the IDCMP_GADGETUP message was not received.

Program Control of String Gadgets

ActivateGadget() allows the program to activate a string gadget (and certain custom gadgets). If successful, this function has the same effect as the user clicking the mouse select button when the mouse pointer is within the gadget's select box and any subsequent keystrokes will effect the gadget's string.

BOOL ActivateGadget( struct Gadget *gadget, struct Window *window,
                     struct Requester *requester );

This function will fail if the user is in the middle of some other interaction, such as menu or proportional gadget operation. In that case it returns FALSE, otherwise it returns TRUE. The window or requester containing the string gadget to be activated must itself be open and active. Since some operations in Intuition may occur after the function that initiates them completes, calling ActivateGadget() after OpenWindowTagList() or Request() is no guarantee that the gadget will actually activate. Instead, call ActivateGadget() only after having received an IDCMP_ACTIVEWINDOW or IDCMP_REQSET message for a newly opened window or requester, respectively.

The Window Active Message Is Required
It is incorrect to simply insert a small delay between the call to OpenWindowTagList() or Request() and the call to ActivateGadget(). Such schemes fail under various conditions, including changes in processor speed and CPU loading.

If you want to activate a string gadget in a newly opened window that has a shared IDCMP UserPort, there is an additional complication. Sharing UserPorts means that the window is opened without any IDCMP messages enabled, and only later is ModifyIDCMP() called to turn on message passing. If the newly opened window becomes active before ModifyIDCMP() is called, the IDCMP_ACTIVEWINDOW message will not be received (because IDCMP message passing was off at the time). The following code will handle this problem:

BOOL activated;

/* Open window with NULL IDCMPFlags */
win = OpenWindow( ... );

/* Set the UserPort to your shared port, and turn on message passing,
 * which includes the IDCMP_ACTIVEWINDOW message.
 */
win->UserPort = sharedport;
ModifyIDCMP( win, ... | IDCMP_ACTIVEWINDOW | ... );

/* If the window became active before the ModifyIDCMP() got executed,
 * then this ActivateGadget() can succeed.  If not, then this
 * ActivateGadget() might be too early, but in that case, we know
 * we'll receive the IDCMP_ACTIVEWINDOW event.  We handle that below.
 */
 activated = ActivateGadget( stringgad, win, NULL );

and later, in the event loop:

if ( (msg->Class == ACTIVEWINDOW) && ( !activated ) )
    success = ActivateGadget(stringgad,...);

Note however that a window which has the WA_Activate attribute is not guaranteed to be activated upon opening. Certain conditions (like an active string gadget in another window) will prevent the automatic initial activation of the window. Therefore, do not let your code depend on receiving the initial IDCMP_ACTIVEWINDOW message.

String Gadget Example

The values of a string gadget may be updated by removing the gadget, modifying the information in the StringInfo structure, adding the gadget back and refreshing its imagery.

;/* updatestrgad.c - Execute me to compile me with SAS C 5.10
LC -b1 -cfistq -v -y -j73 updatestrgad.c
Blink FROM LIB:c.o,updatestrgad.o TO updatestrgad LIBRARY LIB:LC.lib,LIB:Amiga.lib
quit
**
** updatestrgad.c - Show the use of a string gadget.  Shows both the use of
** ActivateGadget() and how to properly modify the contents of a string gadget.
*/
#define INTUI_V36_NAMES_ONLY

#include <exec/types.h>
#include <intuition/intuition.h>
#include <intuition/intuitionbase.h>

#include <clib/exec_protos.h>
#include <clib/dos_protos.h>
#include <clib/intuition_protos.h>

#include <string.h>
#include <stdio.h>

#ifdef LATTICE
int CXBRK(void)    { return(0); }  /* Disable Lattice CTRL/C handling */
int chkabort(void) { return(0); }  /* really */
#endif

/* our function prototypes */
VOID updateStrGad(struct Window *win, struct Gadget *gad, UBYTE *newstr);
VOID handleWindow(struct Window *win, struct Gadget *gad);

struct Library *IntuitionBase;

/* NOTE that the use of constant size and positioning values are
** not recommended; it just makes it easy to show what is going on.
** The position of the gadget should be dynamically adjusted depending
** on the height of the font in the title bar of the window.  This
** example adapts the gadget height to the screen font. Alternately,
** you could specify your font under V37 with the StringExtend structure.
*/
#define BUFSIZE (100)
#define MYSTRGADWIDTH (200)
#define MYSTRGADHEIGHT (8)

UWORD strBorderData[] =
    {
    0,0, MYSTRGADWIDTH + 3,0, MYSTRGADWIDTH + 3,MYSTRGADHEIGHT + 3,
    0,MYSTRGADHEIGHT + 3, 0,0,
    };
struct Border strBorder =
    {
    -2,-2,1,0,JAM1,5,strBorderData,NULL,
    };
UBYTE strBuffer[BUFSIZE];
UBYTE strUndoBuffer[BUFSIZE];
struct StringInfo strInfo =
    {
    strBuffer,strUndoBuffer,0,BUFSIZE, /* compiler sets remaining fields to zero */
    };
struct Gadget strGad =
    {
    NULL, 20,20,MYSTRGADWIDTH,MYSTRGADHEIGHT,
    GFLG_GADGHCOMP, GACT_RELVERIFY | GACT_STRINGCENTER,
    GTYP_STRGADGET, &strBorder, NULL, NULL,0,&strInfo,0,NULL,
    };

#define ANSCNT 4
UBYTE *answers[ANSCNT] = {"Try again","Sorry","Perhaps","A Winner"};
int ansnum = 0;
UBYTE *activated_txt = "Activated";

/*   main - show the use of a string gadget.
*/
VOID main(int argc, char **argv)
{
struct Window *win;

/* make sure to get intuition version 37, for OpenWindowTags() */
IntuitionBase = OpenLibrary("intuition.library", 37);
if (IntuitionBase)
    {
    /* Load a value into the string gadget buffer.
    ** This will be displayed when the gadget is first created.
    */
    strcpy(strBuffer, "START");

    if (win = OpenWindowTags(NULL,
                            WA_Width, 400,
                            WA_Height, 100,
                            WA_Title,"Activate Window, Enter Text",
                            WA_Gadgets, &strGad,
                            WA_CloseGadget, TRUE,
                            WA_IDCMP, IDCMP_ACTIVEWINDOW |
                                IDCMP_CLOSEWINDOW | IDCMP_GADGETUP,
                            TAG_END))
        {
        handleWindow(win,&strGad);

        CloseWindow(win);
        }
    CloseLibrary(IntuitionBase);
    }
}



/*
** Process messages received by the window.  Quit when the close gadget
** is selected, activate the gadget when the window becomes active.
*/
VOID handleWindow(struct Window *win, struct Gadget *gad)
{
struct IntuiMessage *msg;
struct Gadget *gadget;
ULONG  class;

for (;;)
    {
    Wait(1L << win->UserPort->mp_SigBit);
    while (msg = (struct IntuiMessage *)GetMsg(win->UserPort))
        {
        /* Stash message contents and reply, important when message
        ** triggers some lengthy processing
        */
        class = msg->Class;
        /* If it's a gadget message, IAddress points to Gadget */
        if((class == IDCMP_GADGETUP)||(class == IDCMP_GADGETDOWN))
                gadget = (struct Gadget *)msg->IAddress;
        ReplyMsg((struct Message *)msg);

        switch (class)
            {
            case IDCMP_ACTIVEWINDOW:
                /* activate the string gadget.  This is how to activate a
                ** string gadget in a new window--wait for the window to
                ** become active by waiting for the IDCMP_ACTIVEWINDOW
                ** event, then activate the gadget.  Here we report on
                ** the success or failure.
                */
                if(ActivateGadget(gad,win,NULL))
                    updateStrGad(win,gad,activated_txt);
                break;
            case IDCMP_CLOSEWINDOW:
                /* here is the way out of the loop and the routine.
                ** be sure that the message was replied...
                */
                return;
                break;
            case IDCMP_GADGETUP:
                /* If user hit RETURN in our string gadget for demonstration,
                ** we will change what he entered.  We only have 1 gadget,
                ** so we don't have to check which gadget.
                */
                updateStrGad(win, &strGad, answers[ansnum]);
                if(++ansnum > ANSCNT) ansnum = 0;  /* point to next answer */
                break;
            }
        }
    }
}



/*
** Routine to update the value in the string gadget's buffer, then
** activate the gadget.
*/
VOID updateStrGad(struct Window *win, struct Gadget *gad, UBYTE *newstr)
{
/* first, remove the gadget from the window.  this must be done before
** modifying any part of the gadget!!!
*/
RemoveGList(win,gad,1);

/* For fun, change the value in the buffer, as well as the cursor and
** initial display position.
*/
strcpy(((struct StringInfo *)(gad->SpecialInfo))->Buffer, newstr);
((struct StringInfo *)(gad->SpecialInfo))->BufferPos = 0;
((struct StringInfo *)(gad->SpecialInfo))->DispPos   = 0;

/* Add the gadget back, placing it at the end of the list (~0)
** and refresh its imagery.
*/
AddGList(win,gad,~0,1,NULL);
RefreshGList(gad,win,NULL,1);

/* Activate the string gadget */
ActivateGadget(gad,win,NULL);
}

Tabbing Between String Gadgets

The Amiga allows tabbing to the next string gadget in a window or requester and shifted tabbing to the previous string gadget.

If the GFLG_TABCYCLE flag is set, this string participates in cycling activation with Tab or Shift Tab. If only a single gadget has this flag set, then the Tab keys will have no effect. If one of the Tab keys is pressed while in a string gadget without GFLG_TABCYCLE set, nothing will happen, even though other string gadgets may have the flag set.

Activation order is determined by the order of the string gadgets in the gadget list, following the NextGadget link. The tab key will advance to the next string gadget with GFLG_TABCYCLE set, shifted tab will move to the previous gadget. To order gadgets for tabbing (next/previous string gadget), place them in the correct order in the gadget list when they are added to the system. This order must be maintained if the gadgets are removed and put back, or the tabbing order will change.

The tab keys will de-activate the current gadget as if one of the Return or Enter keys had been pressed, sending an IDCMP_GADGETUP message to the application. The application can recognize that tab was pressed by looking for 0x09 (the ASCII tab character) in the Code field of the IDCMP_GADGETUP IntuiMessage. If necessary, it can then inspect the qualifier field of that message to see if the shift key was pressed. The next string gadget with GFLG_TABCYCLE set will be activated, with shifted tab activating the previous string gadget.

Gadget Structure for String Gadgets

To an application, a string gadget consists of a standard Gadget structure along with an entry buffer, an undo buffer and a number of extensions.

For a string gadget, set the GadgetType field in the Gadget structure to GTYP_STRGADGET. Set the SpecialInfo field to point to an instance of a StringInfo structure, which must be initialized by the application.

The container for a string gadget is its select box. The application specifies the size of the container. As the user types into the string gadget, the characters appear in the gadget's container.

String gadgets may hold more characters than are displayable in the container. To use this feature, the application simply provides a buffer that is larger than the number of characters that will fit in the container. This allows the user to enter and edit strings that are much longer than the visible portion of the buffer. Intuition maintains the cursor position and scrolls the text in the container as needed.

The application may specify the justification of the string in the container. The default is GACT_STRINGLEFT, or left justification. If the flag GACT_STRINGCENTER is set, the text is center justified; if GACT_STRINGRIGHT is set, the text is right justified.

When the gadget is activated, the select box contents are redrawn, including the background area. If GFLG_STRINGEXTEND is set for the gadget or the gadget is using a proportional font by default, then the entire select box will be cleared regardless of the font size or StringInfo.MaxChars value. For compatibility reasons, if the string gadget is not extended then the following conditions apply (see the section on "Extending String Gadgets" for more information).

  • If the font is monospace (not proportional), the width of the gadget will be rounded down to an even multiple of the font width.

  • If the string gadget is left justified (GACT_STRINGLEFT), a maximum of StringInfo.MaxChars times the font width pixels of space will be cleared. Thus, if MaxChars is 3 (two characters plus the trailing NULL) and the font width is 8, then a maximum of 3*8 = 24 pixels will be cleared. If the font defaults to a proportional font, then the width returned by FontExtent() will be used as the character width.

No facilities are provided to place imagery within the select box of a string gadget.

String Gadget Imagery and Highlighting

Any type of image may be supplied for the rendering of a string gadget: image, border, or no image at all. The highlighting for a string gadget must be the complementing type (GFLG_GADGHCOMP). Alternate imagery may not be used for highlighting.

StringInfo Structure

String gadgets require their own special structure called the StringInfo structure.

struct StringInfo
    {
    UBYTE *Buffer;
    UBYTE *UndoBuffer;
    WORD BufferPos;
    WORD MaxChars;
    WORD DispPos;
    WORD UndoPos;
    WORD NumChars;
    WORD DispCount;
    WORD CLeft, CTop;
    struct StringExtend *Extension;
    LONG LongInt;
    struct KeyMap *AltKeyMap;
    };
Buffer
The application must supply an input buffer (Buffer) and an optional undo buffer (UndoBuffer) for the gadget. The input buffer is where data typed into the gadget is placed by Intuition. The program can examine this buffer at any time.
A string copied into the input buffer before the gadget is added to the system will be displayed in the gadget when it is displayed, and may then be edited by the user. The input buffer may be initialized to any starting value, as long as the initial string is NULL terminated and fits within the buffer. To initialize the buffer to the empty string (no characters), put a NULL in the first position of the buffer.
Integer gadgets must have the ASCII value of the initial number placed into the Buffer before the gadget is added to the system.
UndoBuffer
If a string gadget has an undo buffer, the undo feature will be enabled. "Undo" allows the user to revert to the initial string (the value in the buffer before gadget activation) at any time before the gadget becomes inactive. The UndoBuffer is used to hold a copy of the previous string while the user edits the current string. When the gadget is activated, the Buffer is copied to the UndoBuffer. The Buffer may be restored at any time up to the time the gadget is deactivated, by typing right-Amiga Q.
Multiple string gadgets may share the same undo buffer as long as the buffer is as large as the largest input buffer.
MaxChars
MaxChars tells Intuition the size of the input buffer. This count includes the trailing NULL of any data entered into the buffer, so the number of characters the gadget may hold is MaxChars - 1.
BufferPos
BufferPos is initialized to the current position of the cursor in the buffer. BufferPos runs from zero to one less than the length of the string. If this position is not within the characters that will be displayed, Intuition will adjust DispPos for the gadget to make the cursor visible.
DispPos
DispPos is initialized to the starting character in the string to display on screen. This allows strings longer than the number of displayable characters to be positioned within the gadget. Intuition will not position the string such that there is empty character space to the right of the string and characters scrolled out of the gadget box to the left.
UndoPos, NumChars, DispCount, CLeft and CTop
These variables are maintained by Intuition and should not be modified by the application. UndoPos specifies the character position in the undo buffer. NumChars specifies the number of characters currently in the buffer. DispCount specifies the number of whole characters visible in the container.
Extension
The StringInfo Extension allows for additional control over string gadget behavior and appearance. See below for details.
LongInt
LongInt contains the integer value entered into an Integer type of string gadget. After the user has finished entering an integer, the application can read the value in this variable.

Gadget Key Mapping

By default, screen characters appear using simple ASCII key translations. If desired, the application can set up alternate key mapping. A pointer to the KeyMap structure is placed into the AltKeyMap field of the StringInfo structure. The GACT_ALTKEYMAP bit in the Activation flags of the gadget must also be set.

See the Console Device and the Keymap Library for more information about the console device and key mapping.

Extended String Gadgets

The StringInfo structure may be extended by setting the GFLG_STRINGEXTEND gadget flag and placing a pointer to a StringExtend structure in the StringInfo Extension variable. GFLG_STRINGEXTEND is available beginning with V37, under V36 the application must use GACT_STRINGEXTEND to get the same functionality. Note that GACT_STRINGEXTEND is not ignored prior to V36 and should only be set in V36 or later systems. GFLG_STRINGEXTEND is ignored prior to V37.

struct StringExtend
    {
    struct TextFont *Font;
    UBYTE            Pens[2];
    UBYTE            ActivePens[2];
    ULONG            InitialModes;
    struct Hook      *EditHook;
    UBYTE            *WorkBuffer;
    ULONG            Reserved[4];
    };
Font
If a font is specified in the StringExtend structure, that font will be used by the gadget. By default, the string gadget inherits the font of the screen on which it appears. Note that this is a pointer to an open font and not a pointer to a TextAttr structure.
Proportional fonts are supported in string gadgets. If the select box of the gadget is not tall enough to render the font, Intuition will fall back to topaz 8.
Pens
Pens specify the pens used to render the text while the gadget is inactive. Pens[0] is the foreground (text) pen, Pens[1] is the background pen.
ActivePens
ActivePens specify the pens used to render the text while the gadget is active. ActivePens[0] is the foreground (text) pen, ActivePens[1] is the background pen.
InitialModes
These modes may be used in StringExtend structure InitialModes field.
SGM_REPLACE If this flag is set, the string gadget will be in replace or overwrite mode. If this flag is cleared, the string gadget will be in insert mode. In replace mode, characters entered overwrite the existing characters. In insert mode, characters entered are inserted into the buffer and the following characters are advanced by one position until the buffer is full. If the buffer is full in insert mode then characters may not be entered until some are deleted.


When using this flag, always initialize StringInfo with an in-range value of BufferPos. While most changes to gadgets require the application to first remove the gadget before modifying the gadget, this flag may be toggled without removing the gadget from the gadget list. The change will take effect on the next character typed by the user.

SGM_NOFILTER Don't filter control chars, enter them into the gadget as typed. In this mode the control character command keys for string gadgets are not active. If the user disables control character filtering from the IControl Preferences editor, there is no way for the application to turn it on for an individual string gadget. In filter mode, control characters may be entered into the string by holding the left Amiga key while the character is entered.


While most changes to gadgets require the application to first remove the gadget before modifying the gadget, this flag may be toggled without removing the gadget from the gadget list. The change will take effect on the next character typed by the user.

SGM_FIXEDFIELD Fixed length buffer used for editing, the user cannot shorten or lengthen the string through edit operations. The field length is taken from the length of the character string in the buffer when the gadget is added to the system. Fixed field mode modifies the meanings of many of the string editing keys, as explained in the tables above. Always set SGM_REPLACE when using a fixed length buffer.
SGM_EXITHELP Allows the help key to be heard by the application from within string gadgets. The gadget will exit immediately when the help key is pressed with the IntuiMessage.Code set to 0x5F.
EditHook and WorkBuffer
EditHook and WorkBuffer are used for custom string editing, which is discussed below.

Custom String Editing

The application may choose to control the editing features provided in string gadgets used within the application. To locally install the custom string editing features, the application provides a hook in the StringExtend structure EditHook field.

A hook is a well-defined calling interface for a user provided subroutine or function. Hooks are more fully described in Utility Library. A string gadget hook is called in the standard way, where the hook object is a pointer to a SGWork structure, and the hook message is a pointer to a command block. However, unlike a function callback hook, a string gadget editing hook is called on Intuition's task context, not on the application's own context. Therefore, a string gadget editing hook must not use dos.library, and may not Wait() on application signals or message ports, and may not call any Intuition function which might wait for Intuition.

The command block starts with either (longword) SGH_KEY or SGH_CLICK. There may be new commands added in the future, so the application should not assume that these are the only possible commands. The hook should return zero if it doesn't understand the command and non-zero if the command is supported.

The SGWork structure, defined in <intuition/sghooks.h>, is listed on the next page. Use this structure as the hook object for custom string editing hooks.

SGWork Structure

struct SGWork
    {
    struct Gadget       *Gadget;
    struct StringInfo   *StringInfo;
    UBYTE               *WorkBuffer;
    UBYTE               *PrevBuffer;
    ULONG               Modes;
    struct InputEvent   *IEvent;
    UWORD               Code;
    WORD                BufferPos;
    WORD                NumChars;
    ULONG               Actions;
    LONG                LongInt;
    struct GadgetInfo   *GadgetInfo;
    UWORD               EditOp;
    };

The local (application) hook may only change the Code, Actions, WorkBuffer, NumChars, BufferPos and LongInt fields. None of the other fields in the SGWork structure may be modified.

Gadget and StringInfo
The values in the string gadget before any modification are available through the Gadget and StringInfo pointers.
PrevBuffer
The PrevBuffer provides a shortcut to the old, unmodified string buffer.
WorkBuffer, BufferPos, NumChars and LongInt
WorkBuffer, BufferPos, NumChars and LongInt contain the values that the string gadget will take if the edits are accepted. If the edit hook updates these values, the gadget will take on the updated values.
IEvent
IEvent contains the input event that caused this call to the hook. This input event is not keymapped. Only use this event for action keys, like the Return key, function keys or the Esc key.
Code
If the input event maps to a single character, the keymapped value will be in the Code field. The Code field may also be modified, and the value placed in it will be passed back to the application in the IDCMP_GADGETUP message when SGA_END is specified in the Actions field.
GadgetInfo
A structure of information defined in <intuition/cghooks.h>. This structure is read only. See the BOOPSI for more information.
Modes
The modes of the gadget such as insert mode, defined below.
Actions
The action taken by the edit hook, defined below.
EditOp
The type of edit operation done by the global hook, defined below.

EditOp Definitions

These values indicate the basic type of operation the global editing hook has performed on the string before the application gadget's custom editing hook gets called. Only global editing hooks must update the value in the EditOp field before they return. The value placed in the field should reflect the action taken.

EditOp Action Taken by Global Hook
EO_NOOP Did nothing.
EO_DELBACKWARD Deleted some chars (possibly 0).
EO_DELFORWARD Deleted some characters under and in front of the cursor.
EO_MOVECURSOR Moved the cursor.
EO_ENTER Enter or Return key, terminate.
EO_RESET Current Intuition-style undo.
EO_REPLACECHAR Replaced one character and (maybe) advanced cursor.
EO_INSERTCHAR Inserted one character into string or added one at end.
EO_BADFORMAT Didn't like the text data, e.g., alpha characters in a GACT_LONGINT type.
EO_BIGCHANGE Complete or major change to the text, e.g. new string.
EO_UNDO Some other style of undo.
EO_CLEAR Clear the string.
EO_SPECIAL An operation that doesn't fit into the categories here.

Actions Definitions

These are the actions to be taken by Intuition after the hook returns. Set or clear these bits in SGWork structure Actions field. A number of these flags may already be set when the hook is called.

Actions Flag Purpose
SGA_USE If set, use contents of SGWork.
SGA_END Terminate gadget, Code field is sent to application in IDCMP_GADGETUP event code field.
SGA_BEEP Beep (i.e., flash) the screen.
SGA_REUSE Reuse the input event. Only valid with SGA_END.
SGA_REDISPLAY Gadget visuals have changed, update on screen.
SGA_NEXTACTIVE Make next possible gadget active.
SGA_PREVACTIVE Make previous possible gadget active.

The SGH_KEY Command

The SGH_KEY command indicates that the user has pressed a key while the gadget is active. This may be any key, including non-character keys such as Shift, Ctrl and Alt. Repeat keys (one call per repeat) and the Amiga keys also cause the hook to be called with the SGH_KEY command. The hook is not called for “key up” events.

The SGH_KEY command must be supported by any custom string editing hook. There are no parameters following the SGH_KEY command longword. All information on the event must be derived from the SGWork structure.

Intuition has already processed the event and filled-in the SGWork structure before calling the hook. The information included in this structure includes the type of action taken (EditOp), the new cursor position (BufferPos), the new value in the buffer (WorkBuffer), the previous value in the buffer (PrevBuffer), the input event that caused this call (IEvent) and more.

Actions with SGH_KEY

If SGA_USE is set in the SGWork structure Actions field when the hook returns, Intuition will use the values in the SGWork fields WorkBuffer, NumChars, BufferPos, and LongInt; copying the WorkBuffer to the StringInfo Buffer. SGA_USE is set by Intuition prior to calling the hook, and must be cleared by the hook if the changes are to be ignored. If SGA_USE is cleared when the hook returns, the string gadget will be unchanged.

If SGA_END is set when the hook returns, Intuition will deactivate the string gadget. In this case, Intuition will place the value found in SGWork structure Code field into the IntuiMessage.Code field of the IDCMP_GADGETUP message it sends to the application.

If SGA_REUSE and SGA_END are set when the hook returns, Intuition will reuse the input event after it deactivates the gadget.

SGA_PREVACTIVE SGA_NEXTACTIVE SGA_END

The hook may set SGA_PREVACTIVE or SGA_NEXTACTIVE with SGA_END. This tells Intuition to activate the next or previous gadget that has the GFLG_TABCYCLE flag set.

If SGA_BEEP is set when the hook returns, Intuition will call DisplayBeep(). Use this if the user has typed in error, or buffer is full.

Set SGA_REDISPLAY if the changes to the gadget warrant a gadget redisplay. Changes to the cursor position require redisplay.

The SGH_CLICK Command

The SGH_CLICK command indicates that the user has clicked the select button of the mouse within the gadget select box. There are no parameters following the SGH_CLICK command longword.

Intuition will have already calculated the mouse position character cell and placed that value in SGWork.BufferPos. The previous BufferPos value remains in the SGWork.StringInfo.BufferPos.

Intuition will again use the SGWork fields listed above for SGH_KEY. That is, the WorkBuffer, NumChars, BufferPos and LongInt fields values may be modified by the hook and are used by Intuition if SGA_USE is set when the hook returns.

Actions with SGH_CLICK

SGA_END or SGA_REUSE may not be set for the SGH_CLICK command. Intuition will not allow gadgets which go inactive when chosen by the user. The gadget always consumes mouse events in its select box.

With SGH_CLICK, always leave the SGA_REDISPLAY flag set, since Intuition uses this when activating a string gadget.

Example String Gadget Editing Hook

;/* strhooks.c - Execute me to compile me with SAS C 5.10
LC -b1 -cfistq -v -y -j73 strhooks.c
Blink FROM LIB:c.o,strhooks.o TO strhooks LIBRARY LIB:LC.lib,LIB:Amiga.lib
quit
**   strhooks.c - string gadget hooks demo
**
** WARNING: This file contains "callback" functions.
** You must disable stack checking (SAS -v flag) for them to work.
*/
#define INTUI_V36_NAMES_ONLY

#include <exec/types.h>
#include <exec/memory.h>
#include <utility/hooks.h>
#include <devices/inputevent.h>
#include <intuition/intuition.h>
#include <intuition/sghooks.h>
#include <graphics/displayinfo.h>

#include <clib/intuition_protos.h>
#include <clib/utility_protos.h>
#include <clib/exec_protos.h>

#ifdef LATTICE
int CXBRK(void)    { return(0); }  /* Disable Lattice CTRL/C handling */
int chkabort(void) { return(0); }  /* really */
#endif

/* our function prototypes */
BOOL IsHexDigit(UBYTE test_char);
ULONG str_hookRoutine(struct Hook *hook, struct SGWork *sgw, ULONG *msg);
void initHook(struct Hook *hook, ULONG (*ccode)());
VOID handleWindow(struct Vars *vars);

struct Library    *IntuitionBase;
struct Library    *UtilityBase;

#define SG_STRLEN     (44)
#define MYSTRGADWIDTH (200)
#define INIT_LATER      0

/* A border for the string gadget */
UWORD strBorderData[] = /* init elements 5 and 7 later (height adjust) */
    {
    0,0,  MYSTRGADWIDTH + 3,0,  MYSTRGADWIDTH + 3,INIT_LATER,
    0,INIT_LATER,   0,0,
    };
struct Border strBorder =
    {
    -2,-2, 1, 0,JAM1,5,strBorderData,NULL,
    };

/* We'll dynamically allocate/clear most structures, buffers */
struct Vars
    {
    struct Window      *sgg_Window;
    struct Gadget       sgg_Gadget;
    struct StringInfo   sgg_StrInfo;
    struct StringExtend sgg_Extend;
    struct Hook         sgg_Hook;
    UBYTE               sgg_Buff[SG_STRLEN];
    UBYTE               sgg_WBuff[SG_STRLEN];
    UBYTE               sgg_UBuff[SG_STRLEN];
    };

/*   Main entry point.
**
** Open all required libraries, set-up the string gadget.
** Prepare the hook, open the sgg_Window and go...
*/
VOID main(int argc, char **argv)
{
struct Vars   *vars;
struct Screen   *screen;
struct DrawInfo *drawinfo;

if (IntuitionBase = OpenLibrary("intuition.library", 37L))
    {
    if (UtilityBase = OpenLibrary("utility.library", 37L))
        {
        /* get the correct pens for the screen. */
        if (screen = LockPubScreen(NULL))
            {
            if (drawinfo = GetScreenDrawInfo(screen))
                {
                vars = (struct Vars *)AllocMem(sizeof(struct Vars),MEMF_CLEAR);
                if (vars != NULL)
                    {
                    vars->sgg_Extend.Pens[0] = drawinfo->dri_Pens[FILLTEXTPEN];
                    vars->sgg_Extend.Pens[1] = drawinfo->dri_Pens[FILLPEN];
                    vars->sgg_Extend.ActivePens[0] = drawinfo->dri_Pens[FILLTEXTPEN];
                    vars->sgg_Extend.ActivePens[1] = drawinfo->dri_Pens[FILLPEN];
                    vars->sgg_Extend.EditHook = &(vars->sgg_Hook);
                    vars->sgg_Extend.WorkBuffer = vars->sgg_WBuff;

                    vars->sgg_StrInfo.Buffer = vars->sgg_Buff;
                    vars->sgg_StrInfo.UndoBuffer = vars->sgg_UBuff;
                    vars->sgg_StrInfo.MaxChars = SG_STRLEN;
                    vars->sgg_StrInfo.Extension = &(vars->sgg_Extend);

                    /* There should probably be a border around the string gadget.
                    ** As is, it is hard to locate when disabled.
                    */
                    vars->sgg_Gadget.LeftEdge = 20;
                    vars->sgg_Gadget.TopEdge = 30;
                    vars->sgg_Gadget.Width = MYSTRGADWIDTH;
                    vars->sgg_Gadget.Height = screen->RastPort.TxHeight;
                    vars->sgg_Gadget.Flags = GFLG_GADGHCOMP | GFLG_STRINGEXTEND;
                    vars->sgg_Gadget.Activation = GACT_RELVERIFY;
                    vars->sgg_Gadget.GadgetType = GTYP_STRGADGET;
                    vars->sgg_Gadget.SpecialInfo = &(vars->sgg_StrInfo);
                    vars->sgg_Gadget.GadgetRender = (APTR)&strBorder;
                    strBorderData[5] = strBorderData[7] =
                          screen->RastPort.TxHeight + 3;

                    initHook(&(vars->sgg_Hook), str_hookRoutine);

                    if (vars->sgg_Window = OpenWindowTags(NULL,
                            WA_PubScreen,       screen,
                            WA_Left,      21,   WA_Top,       20,
                            WA_Width,    500,   WA_Height,   150,
                            WA_MinWidth,  50,   WA_MaxWidth,  ~0,
                            WA_MinHeight, 30,   WA_MaxHeight, ~0,
                            WA_SimpleRefresh, TRUE,
                            WA_NoCareRefresh, TRUE,
                            WA_RMBTrap,       TRUE,
                            WA_IDCMP,         IDCMP_GADGETUP | IDCMP_CLOSEWINDOW,
                            WA_Flags,         WFLG_CLOSEGADGET | WFLG_NOCAREREFRESH |
                                              WFLG_DRAGBAR | WFLG_DEPTHGADGET |
                                              WFLG_SIMPLE_REFRESH,
                            WA_Title,         "String Hook Accepts HEX Digits Only",
                            WA_Gadgets,       &(vars->sgg_Gadget),
                            TAG_END))
                        {
                        handleWindow(vars);

                        CloseWindow(vars->sgg_Window);
                        }
                    FreeMem(vars,sizeof(struct Vars));
                    }
                FreeScreenDrawInfo(screen, drawinfo);
                }
            UnlockPubScreen(NULL, screen);
            }
        CloseLibrary(UtilityBase);
        }
    CloseLibrary(IntuitionBase);
    }
}


/*
** This is an example string editing hook, which shows the basics of
** creating a string editing function.  This hook restricts entry to
** hexadecimal digits (0-9, A-F, a-f) and converts them to upper case.
** To demonstrate processing of mouse-clicks, this hook also detects
** clicking on a character, and converts it to a zero.
**
** NOTE: String editing hooks are called on Intuition's task context,
** so the hook may not use DOS and may not cause Wait() to be called.
*/

ULONG str_hookRoutine(struct Hook *hook, struct SGWork *sgw, ULONG *msg)
{
UBYTE *work_ptr;
ULONG return_code;

/* Hook must return non-zero if command is supported.
** This will be changed to zero if the command is unsupported.
*/
return_code = ~0L;

if (*msg == SGH_KEY)
    {
    /* key hit -- could be any key (Shift, repeat, character, etc.) */

    /* allow only upper case characters to be entered.
    ** act only on modes that add or update characters in the buffer.
    */
    if ((sgw->EditOp == EO_REPLACECHAR) ||
        (sgw->EditOp == EO_INSERTCHAR))
        {
        /* Code contains the ASCII representation of the character
        ** entered, if it maps to a single byte.  We could also look
        ** into the work buffer to find the new character.
        **
        **     sgw->Code == sgw->WorkBuffer[sgw->BufferPos - 1]
        **
        ** If the character is not a legal hex digit, don't use
        ** the work buffer and beep the screen.
        */
        if (!IsHexDigit(sgw->Code))
            {
            sgw->Actions |= SGA_BEEP;
            sgw->Actions &= ~SGA_USE;
            }
        else
            {
            /* And make it upper-case, for nicety */
            sgw->WorkBuffer[sgw->BufferPos - 1] = ToUpper(sgw->Code);
            }
        }
    }
else if (*msg == SGH_CLICK)
    {
    /* mouse click
    ** zero the digit clicked on
    */
    if (sgw->BufferPos < sgw->NumChars)
        {
        work_ptr = sgw->WorkBuffer + sgw->BufferPos;
        *work_ptr = '0';
        }
    }
else
    {
    /* UNKNOWN COMMAND
    ** hook should return zero if the command is not supported.
    */
    return_code = 0;
    }

return(return_code);
}



/*
** This is a function which converts register-parameter
** hook calling convention into standard C conventions.
** It only works with SAS C 5.0+
**
** Without the fancy __asm stuff, you'd probably need to
** write this in assembler.
**
** You could conceivably declare all your C hook functions
** this way, and eliminate the middleman (you'd initialize
** the h_Entry field to your C function's address, and not
** bother with the h_SubEntry field).
**
** This is nice and easy, though, and since we're using the
** small data model, using a single interface routine like this
** (which does the necessary __saveds), it might
** actually turn out to be smaller to use a single entry point
** like this rather than declaring each of many hooks __saveds.
*/
ULONG __saveds __asm hookEntry(register __a0 struct Hook *hookptr,
    register __a2 void  *object,
    register __a1 void  *message)
{
return((*hookptr->h_SubEntry)(hookptr, object, message));
}


/*
** Initialize the hook to use the hookEntry() routine above.
*/
void initHook(struct Hook *hook, ULONG (*ccode)())
{
hook->h_Entry    = hookEntry;
hook->h_SubEntry = ccode;
hook->h_Data     = 0;   /* this program does not use this */
}

/*
** Process messages received by the sgg_Window.  Quit when the close gadget
** is selected.
*/
VOID handleWindow(struct Vars *vars)
{
struct IntuiMessage *msg;
ULONG  class;
USHORT code;

for (;;)
    {
    Wait(1L << vars->sgg_Window->UserPort->mp_SigBit);
    while (msg =
            (struct IntuiMessage *)GetMsg(vars->sgg_Window->UserPort))
        {
        /* Stash message contents and reply, important when message
        ** triggers some lengthy processing
        */
        class = msg->Class;
        code  = msg->Code;
        ReplyMsg((struct Message *)msg);

        switch (class)
            {
            case IDCMP_GADGETUP:
                /* if a code is set in the hook after an SGH_KEY
                ** command, where SGA_END is set on return from
                ** the hook, the code will be returned in the Code
                ** field of the IDCMP_GADGETUP message.
                */
                break;
            case IDCMP_CLOSEWINDOW:
                return;
                break;
            }
        }
    }
}


/*
** IsHexDigit()
**
** Return TRUE if the character is a hex digit (0-9, A-F, a-f)
*/
BOOL IsHexDigit(UBYTE test_char)
{
test_char = ToUpper(test_char);
if (((test_char >= '0') && (test_char <= '9')) ||
    ((test_char >= 'A') && (test_char <= 'F')))
    return(TRUE);
else
    return(FALSE);
}