when is status(currentplatform)useful/necessary?

[harryk]

As a follow-up on another discussion, I'd like to bring in this question:

When is the checking out of the used platform (Win/Mac) with status (CurrentPlatform) really useful or even necessary?

Harryk

(had some troubles finding the right section, but as developer's solution are often ment cross-platform, I chose this section)

[Vaughan]

PCs and Macs handle fonts differently, especially when printed. It's common to design a printed layout in two versions -- one Mac and one PC -- and use a script to select between them automatically.

[BobWeaver]

Also there are other things that function differently, or need to be done differently on different platforms.

If Abs(Status(CurrentPlatform))=1

# Mac

Perform Applescript[....]

Else

# PC

Send Message[....]

End If

[CobaltSky]

Yet another area where testing for platform is desirable is in providing customised message dialogs - especially those that refer to keys such as Alt (Option on MacOS) Command (Ctrl on Windows) - or things such as the System Sub-directory (FileMaker Extensions Folder on MacOS).

Unless your solution uses the right language for the platform it is running on, your dialogs will confuse more than they clarify or inform.

[CG Software LLC]

I use the platform to decide wether to zoom or maximize windows as I like to keep everything at max on Winodows platform and zoomed on Macs.

And of course it's nice to have custom dialogs that make sense to each platform as Ray pointed out.

Thomas