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[wahorger]

This function does not throw up a dialog box as described in the manual. Both the PAUSE and PAUSE@ with the same message both go to the OUTPUT window. There is no modal dialog box presented.

Any idea on how to present a dialog box to the user when an error is found and a PAUSE is indicated?

[PaulLaidler]

Here is some code to get you started with ClearWin+ formatted windows...

[LitusSaxonicum]

A modal dialog box of the sort that Paul has given you is a direct substitute for PAUSE. Indeed, with another button you could have a 'Continue' or a 'Quit'. Indeed, the number of options is verging on limitless, and Clearwin+ gives you the wherewithall to program whatever you want.

Particular points I would pick up on are as follows, and if you don't address them from the outset, you will find yourself doing it all again should you ever transfer your application fully to Windows.

1. It would be unusual not to have a caption on this sort of dialog.
2. It would be usual to have a standard icon (%si) to indicate the severity of the condition that gave rise to the popup.
3. The MS User Experience guide tells you not to use modal dialogs if you can, and at the very least, if they are used for non-critical conditions you can put a 'Don't ask me again' radio button. That means checking the status of that before showing the dialog, and also your program needs to know what to do instead.
4. If you have multiple possible replies, then the default has to be the one that does least damage, and they need to be aligned correctly as per the latest version of Windows, or users will click the wrong one (and then get cross, especially if they lost work!).
5. Verdana isn't installed with all versions of Windows, so probably you need to check which version is being used, and probably use the system font anyway. Note that the system font changes between windows versions, and the user can change it too, so some preliminary work to determine how the system is set up is required. The layout of Winio@ dialogs depends on the font metrics, and getting it wrong messes up the layout.
5. This spacing & layout can also be a problem if the system font setting is 'large fonts'.
6. You may need to change the layout and the font size if the user runs a high resolution display, and the positioning of the dialog is a multi-screen layout is in use (because it will popup straddling the junction if you don't.
7. Verdana has well-known defects relating to non-English language setups.
8. You have to beware of colour choices, for example, users associate blue text with a link.
9. Some of these issues get more significant when you have a range of messages to accommodate.

If you get things right from the start life gets easier - until Microsoft changes the norms with a different version of Windows! I recommend reading the User Experience Guidelines on MSDN first.

Note that the Winio@ calls can span across several subroutines &/or functions, so a lot of common stuff only needs to be programmed once.

Eddie

[wahorger]

Thanks to you both for the quick response.

I must have misread the help pages; to me, they implied that a "standard" dialog box was available.

Obviously, I was wrong, and will implement the simple message box to help guide the eventual users.

So far, things are working quite well, and I am having much success in conversion to SilverFrost FTN95.