Common Desktop Environment: Desktop KornShell User's Guide

Appendix B
dtksh Convenience Functions

The dtksh utility includes a file of convenience functions. This file is itself a shell script containing shell functions that may be useful to a shell programmer. The shell functions perform operations that dtksh programmers frequently have to do for themselves. These include functions for quickly creating certain kinds of dialogs (help, error, warning, and so on), a function for easily creating a collection of buttons, and functions that make it easier to configure the constraint resources for a child of a form widget. It is not a requirement that shell script writers use these convenience functions; they are supplied to make it easier for developers to write shorter and more readable shell scripts.

Before a shell script can access these functions, it must first include the file containing the convenience functions. The convenience functions are located in the file /usr/dt/scripts/DtFuncs.sh. Use the following notation to include them in a shell script:

. /usr/dt/lib/dtksh/DtFuncs.dtsh

DtkshAddButtons

DtkshAddButtons adds one or more buttons of the same kind into a composite widget. It is most often used to add a collection of buttons into a menupane or menubar.

Usage:

DtkshAddButtons parent widgetClass label1 callback1
                [label2 callback2 ...]

DtkshAddButtons [-w] parent widgetClass variable1 label1 callback1 \
                [variable2 label2 callback2 ...]
The -w option indicates that the convenience function should return the widget handle for each of the buttons it creates. The widget handle is returned in the specified environment variable. The widgetClass parameter can be set to any of the following, but it defaults to XmPushButtonGadget if nothing is specified.

Examples:

DtkshAddButtons $MENU XmPushButtonGadget Open do_Open Save do_Save
                Quit exit

DtkshAddButtons -w $MENU XmPushButtonGadget B1 Open do_Open B2 Save
                do_Save

DtkshSetReturnKeyControls

DtkshSetReturnKeyControls configures a text widget within a form widget so that the Return key does not activate the default button within the form, but instead moves the focus to the next text widget within the form. This is useful if you have a window that contains a series of text widgets, and the default button should not be activated until the user presses the Return key while the focus is in the last text widget.

Usage:

DtkshSetReturnKeyControls textWidget nextTextWidget formWidget
                          defaultButton
The textWidget parameter specifies the widget to be configured to catch the Return key and force the focus to move to the next text widget (as indicated by the nextTextWidget parameter). The formWidget parameter specifies the form containing the default button and should be the parent of the two text widgets. The defaultButton parameter indicates which component is to be treated as the default button within the form widget.

Examples:

DtkshSetReturnKeyControls $TEXT1 $TEXT2 $FORM $OK
DtkshSetReturnKeyControls $TEXT2 $TEXT3 $FORM $OK

DtkshUnder, DtkshOver, DtkshRightOf, and DtkshLeftOf

These convenience functions simplify the specification of certain classes of form constraints. They provide a way of attaching a component to one edge of another component. They are used when constructing the resource list for a widget. This behavior is accomplished using the ATTACH_WIDGET constraint.

Usage:

DtkshUnder widgetId [offset]

DtkshOver widgetId [offset]

DtkshRightOf widgetId [offset]

DtkshLeftOf widgetId [offset]
The widgetId parameter specifies the widget to which the current component is to be attached. The offset value is optional and defaults to 0 if not specified.

Example:

XtCreateManagedWidget BUTTON4 button4 XmPushButton $FORM \
        labelString:"Exit" \
        $(DtkshUnder $BUTTON2) \
        $(DtkshRightOf $BUTTON3)

DtkshFloatRight, DtkshFloatLeft, DtkshFloatTop, and DtkshFloatBottom

These convenience functions simplify the specification of certain classes of form constraints. They provide a way of positioning a component, independent of the other components within the form. As the form grows or shrinks, the component maintains its relative position within the form. The component may still grow or shrink, depending upon the other form constraints specified for the component. This behavior is accomplished using the ATTACH_POSITION constraint.

Usage:

DtkshFloatRight [position]

DtkshFloatLeft [position]

DtkshFloatTop [position]

DtkshFloatBottom [position]
The optional position parameter specifies the relative position to which the indicated edge of the component is positioned. The position value is optional and defaults to 0 if one is not specified.

Example:

XtCreateManagedWidget BUTTON1 button1 XmPushButton $FORM \
        labelString:"Ok" \
        $(DtkshUnder $SEPARATOR) \
        $(DtkshFloatLeft 10) \
        $(DtkshFloatRight 40)

DtkshAnchorRight, DtkshAnchorLeft, DtkshAnchorTop, and DtkshAnchorBottom

These convenience functions simplify the specification of certain classes of form constraints. They provide a way of attaching a component to one of the edges of a form widget in such a way that, as the form grows or shrinks, the component's position does not change. However, depending upon the other form constraints set on this component, it may still grow or shrink in size. This behavior is accomplished using the ATTACH_FORM constraint.

Usage:

DtkshAnchorRight [offset]

DtkshAnchorLeft [offset]

DtkshAnchorTop [offset]

DtkshAnchorBottom [offset]
The optional offset parameter specifies how far from the edge of the form widget the component should be positioned. If an offset is not specified, then 0 is used.

Example:

XtCreateManagedWidget BUTTON1 button1 XmPushButton $FORM \
        labelString:"Ok" \
        $(DtkshUnder $SEPARATOR) \
        $(DtkshAnchorLeft 10) \
        $(DtkshAnchorBottom 10)

DtkshSpanWidth and DtkshSpanHeight

These convenience functions simplify the specification of certain classes of form constraints. They provide a way of configuring a component so that it spans either the full height or width of the form widget. This behavior is accomplished by attaching two edges of the component (top and bottom for DtSpanHeight, and left and right for DtSpanWidth) to the form widget. The component typically resizes whenever the form widget is resized. The ATTACH_FORM constraint is used for all attachments.

Usage:

DtkshSpanWidth [leftOffset rightOffset]

DtkshSpanHeight [topOffset bottomOffset]
The optional offset parameters specify how far from the edges of the form widget the component should be positioned. If an offset is not specified, then 0 is used.

Example:

XtCreateManagedWidget SEP sep XmSeparator $FORM \
                      $(DtkshSpanWidth 1 1)

DtkshDisplayInformationDialog, DtkshDisplayQuestionDialog, DtDisplayWarningDialog, DtkshDisplayWorkingDialog, and DtkshDisplayErrorDialog

These convenience functions create a single instance of each of the Motif feedback dialogs. If an instance of the requested type of dialog already exists, then it is reused. The parent of the dialog is obtained from the environment variable $TOPLEVEL, which should be set by the calling shell script, and then should not be changed. The handle for the requested dialog is returned in one of the following environment variables:

Note: If you are attaching your own callbacks to the dialog buttons, do not destroy the dialog when you are done with it. Unmanage the dialog, so that it can be used again at a later time. If it is necessary to destroy the dialog, then be sure to clear the associated environment variable so the convenience function does not attempt to reuse the dialog.

Usage:

DtkshDisplay<name>Dialog title message [okCallback closeCallback
                        helpCallback dialogStyle]
The Ok button is always managed, and by default unmanages the dialog. The Cancel and Help buttons are only managed when a callback is supplied for them. The dialogStyle parameter accepts any of the standard resource settings supported by the associated bulletin board resource.

Example:

DtkshDisplayErrorDialog "Read Error" "Unable to read the file"
                 "OkCallback" \
                 "CancelCallback" "" DIALOG_PRIMARY_APPLICATION_MODAL

DtkshDisplayQuickHelpDialog and DtkshDisplayHelpDialog

These convenience functions create a single instance of each of the help dialogs. If an instance of the requested type of help dialog already exists, then it is reused. The parent of the dialog is obtained from the environment variable $TOPLEVEL, which should be set by the calling shell script, and then should not be changed. The handle for the requested dialog is returned in one of the following environment variables:

Note: If it is necessary to destroy a help dialog, then be sure to clear the associated environment variable so that the convenience function does not attempt to reuse the dialog.

Usage:

DtkshDisplay*HelpDialog title helpType helpInformation [locationId]
The meaning of the parameters is dependent upon the value specified for the helpType parameter. Their meanings are:

Example:

DtkshDisplayHelpDialog "Help On Dtksh" HELP_TYPE_FILE
                       "helpFileName"
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