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Class: ActiveHelp


Inheritance:

   Object
   |
   +--EventListener
      |
      +--ActiveHelp
         |
         +--FlyByHelp

Package:
stx:libview2
Category:
Interface-Help
Version:
rev: 1.107 date: 2019/06/28 06:49:48
user: cg
file: ActiveHelp.st directory: libview2
module: stx stc-classLibrary: libview2
Author:
Claus Gittinger

Description:


The active help (tooltip) listener.

The one and only instance of myself intercepts incoming mouse & keyboard 
events for the display device, being especially interested in view-enter/
leave events. When such an event arrives, it asks the corresponding view
or its model for a help message and displays it via an ActiveHelpView.
Actually, the view is first asked if it would like to display it itself
- for example, in some information-view at the bottom of its main window.

The query for the helpText is repeated along the view's superView chain, 
until any model or view returns a nonNil answer for the 
#helpTextFor:<aSubView> at:<position> or #helpTextFor:<aSubView> message.

All I need for automatic help is some model/view/applicationModel along
the superview chain of the entered component, which responds to the
#helpTextFor: message with a non-nil (string-) answer.
I close down the help view after a while, if a key is pressed or the mouse
moved to another view.

Who should provide the helpText:
    the best place is the application object (an instance of ApplicationModel)
    or the topView, if it's a derived class of StandardSystemView.
    This should know about its components and return the string
    when asked via #helpTextFor:<aSubView>.
    See examples in FileBrowser, Launcher etc.

Be aware, that for applicationModels, there must be a link from the
topView to this applicationModel 
(set via: aTopView application:anApplicationModel)
otherwise, the helpManager has no means of finding the application which
corresponds to a view.

Who should display the helpText:
    by default, the helpListener opens a little popup view, which displays the
    returned help message. However, a nice trick which can be used by applications
    is to create an infoLabel as a subview of the topFrame (a la windows)
    and display the text right in the #helpTextFor: method. To cheat the
    help listener, this method should then return nil, to keep it silent.


Usage:
    If help is to be shown for all views (as enabled by the launchers help menu),
    use 'ActiveHelp start' and 'ActiveHelp stop'.

    Individual apps may enable/disable active help for themself by:
    'ActiveHelp startFor:app' or 'ActiveHelp stopFor:app', passing either
    the topView or the topViews application as argument.
    This is usually done by applications which want to show contextHelp in
    some infoView.
    Late note: thsi is no longer recommended - one such mouse watcher process is
    good enough for all views.
    


Related information:

    ActiveHelpView
    WindowGroup
    WindowEvent
    ApplicationModel
    StandardSystemView

Class protocol:

accessing
o  debugging

o  debugging: aBoolean
self debugging:true
self debugging:false

o  debuggingHelpText

o  debuggingHelpText: aBoolean
self debuggingHelpText:true
self debuggingHelpText:false

o  singleton

initialization
o  initialize
(comment from inherited method)
called only once - initialize signals

queries
o  currentHelpListener
return the activeHelp listener if activeHelp is turned on, nil otherwise

usage example(s):

     ActiveHelp currentHelpListener
     FlyByHelp currentHelpListener

o  delayTime

o  isActive
return true, if activeHelp is turned on

usage example(s):

     FlyByHelp isActive

o  showTime
set the number of seconds, a help messages is to be shown.
The default is 45 seconds.
0 means: show forever (i.e. until mouse is moved)

start & stop
o  initiateHelp
determine where the mouse pointer is located,
and start showing a tooltip for it.
This can be called to force update of the tooltip,
in case a widget has changed its mind
(typically: an undo menu button function might wonna do this,
to show changed info)

o  start
start activeHelp for all apps

usage example(s):

     ActiveHelp start
     FlyByHelp start

o  startFor: anApplicationOrTopView
start activeHelp for a single app

o  stop
stop activeHelp for all (except for individual apps)

usage example(s):

     ActiveHelp stop
     FlyByHelp stop

o  stopFor: anAppOrTopView
stop activeHelp for a single app

times
o  delayTime: numberOfSeconds
set the delay (the time, the cursor has to be in the view
before help is shown). The default is 2 seconds.

usage example(s):

     ActiveHelp delayTime:0.5
     ActiveHelp delayTime:2
     ActiveHelp delayTime:10

o  showTime: numberOfSeconds
set the number of seconds, a help messages is to be shown.
The default is 30 seconds.
0 means: show forever (i.e. until mouse is moved)

usage example(s):

     ActiveHelp showTime:10
     ActiveHelp showTime:99999 
     ActiveHelp showTime:30


Instance protocol:

event handling
o  buttonMotion: buttonAndModifierState x: x y: y view: aView
handle motion events - prepare to show help

o  handleMouseIn: aView x: x y: y
handle motion events - if the mousepointer left the
previous helped view, hide the help

o  keyPress: key x: x y: y view: view
unconditionally hide the help view

o  keyRelease: key x: x y: y view: view
unconditionally hide the help view

o  pointerEnter: state x: x y: y view: aView
handle pointer entering a view; prepare to show help

o  pointerLeave: state view: aView
handle pointer leaving a view; hide help text

o  processEvent: ev
DebuggingEvents := true

help texts
o  basicHelpTextFor: aView at: aDevicePointOrNil
retrieve helptext for aView as a string;
walk along the view's superView chain,
asking models and views encountered while walking.
The first one who understands and returns a nonNil answer to the
#helpTextFor:at: or #helpTextFor: message ends this search and the
returned string is returned.

o  helpTextFor: aView at: aDevicePointOrNil
retrieve helptext for aView as a string;
walk along the view's superView chain,
asking models and views encountered while walking.
The first one who understands and returns a nonNil answer to the
#helpTextFor:at: or #helpTextFor: message ends this search and the
returned string is returned.

o  helpTextFromModel: aModelOrTopView view: aView at: aPointOrNil
helper: ask aModel for its helpText.

o  helpTextFromView: aView at: aPointOrNil
helper: ask aView for its helpText.

private
o  hideIfPointerLeft: aView
hide help, if the pointer is not in aView

o  interestedIn: aView
return true, if I am interested in aView (either listeningForAll,
or in my list of apps)

o  targetViewInitiatesHelpViaSensor
true if the target view is asked to show the help via the sensor;
false, if I do it myself synchronously.

queries
o  delayTime

o  showTime
how long shall the help be shown;
0 means: forever (until user moves the mouse);
>0 means that number of seconds

show & hide help
o  hideHelp
hide the help text - nothing done here

o  hideHelpIgnoringErrors
hide the help text

o  initiateHelp
determine where the mouse pointer is located,
and start showing a tooltip for it right now.
This can be called to force update of the tooltip,
in case a widget has changed its mind
(typically: an undo menu button function might wonna do this,
to show changed info)

o  initiateHelpFor: aView
start showing a tooltip for aView right now.
This can be called to force update of the tooltip,
in case a widget has changed its mind
(typically: an undo menu button function might wonna do this,
to show changed info)

o  initiateHelpFor: aView at: aPointOrNil
ask aView for helpText, passing x/y coordinates;
start a timeout process to display this helpText after some delay;
Normally used internally, but can also be used by widgets to force
re-negotiation of the displayed helpText
(for example in a menu, when the selection changes)

o  initiateHelpFor: aView at: aPointOrNil now: showItNow
ask aView for helpText, passing x/y coordinates;
start a timeout process to display this helpText after some delay;
Normally used internally, but can also be used by widgets to force
re-negotiation of the displayed helpText
(for example in a menu, when the selection changes)

o  stopHelpDisplayProcess

start & stop
o  listenFor: anAppOrTopView
start listening

o  listenForAll
start listening

o  start

o  stop

o  unlistenAll
stop listening

o  unlistenFor: anApp
stop listening for an app


Demonstration:


    ActiveHelp start


    ActiveHelp stop


Examples:


Active Help for a single view or app (whatever the global settings are): Can be initiated by an app when its opened.
      |app top myAppClass|

      Class withoutUpdatingChangesDo:[
          myAppClass := ApplicationModel 
                          subclass:#'Demos::DemoApp'
                          instanceVariableNames:''
                          classVariableNames:''
                          poolDictionaries:''
                          category:'demos'.

          myAppClass 
              compile:'helpTextFor:aView    Transcript showCR:''hello''. ^ ''this is some helpText'''.

      ].
      app := myAppClass new.

      top := StandardSystemView new.
      top extent:300@100.
      top application:app.
      top open.

      ActiveHelp startFor:app.

      Class withoutUpdatingChangesDo:[
          myAppClass removeFromSystem
      ]
Active Help (for all views): (make certain that activeHelp is turned on ... ... otherwise, you will see nothing) the following example uses a Plug as a model replacement. In concrete application, you would create a method to implement the helpText query message.
      |app top button1 button2|

      app := Plug new.
      app respondTo:#helpTextFor:
               with:[:view | 
                             view == button1 ifTrue:[
                               'this is button1'
                             ] ifFalse:[
                               view == button2 ifTrue:[
                                 'some help for button2'
                               ] ifFalse:[
                                 nil
                               ]
                             ]
                    ].

      top := StandardSystemView new.
      top extent:300@100.
      button1 := Button label:'b1' in:top.
      button1 origin:0.0@0.0 corner:0.5@30. 
      button2 := Button label:'b2' in:top.
      button2 origin:0.5@0.0 corner:1.0@30.
      top model:app. '<-- normally this would be: top application:app'.
      top open
(make certain that activeHelp is turned on ... ... otherwise, you will see nothing) alternatively, display of the helpMessage in a local, private view:
      |app top button1 button2 infoView|

      app := Plug new.
      app respondTo:#helpTextFor:
               with:[:view | infoView label:'info ...'.
                             view == button1 ifTrue:[
                               infoView label:'this is button1'
                             ].
                             view == button2 ifTrue:[
                               infoView label:'some help for button2'
                             ].
                             nil
                    ].

      top := StandardSystemView new.
      top extent:300@100.
      button1 := Button label:'b1' in:top.
      button1 origin:0.0@0.0 corner:0.5@30. 
      button2 := Button label:'b2' in:top.
      button2 origin:0.5@0.0 corner:1.0@30.
      infoView := Label label:'info ...' in:top.
      infoView level:-1; origin:0.0@1.0 corner:1.0@1.0.
      infoView topInset:(infoView preferredExtent y negated - 3);
               leftInset:3; 
               rightInset:3; 
               bottomInset:3;
               adjust:#left.
      top model:app. '<-- normally this would be: top application:app'.
      top open


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