Show Message Script Step

[kenneth2k1]

Hey all!

I have a question about showing a message. Perhaps you can answer it for me. One script I have does a loop through all the records to change contents of a field. I put a "Freeze Window" command in while it makes the changes. Right now, there are only 10 records in my Db, but if there's hundreds or thousands it may take a while to go through all of them. I want to put a message up just before freezing the window to say "Please Wait," but without the OK or Cancel button of the Show Message step. is there a way to do that?

Thanks,

Ken

[SteveB]

I don't think so. You might want to consider the Troi Dialog Plugin. He has a flash message command that has no buttons, and you can control how long the users sees the message. www.troi.com

[kenneth2k1]

Yeah, thanks. I'll check it out. I use the Activator plugin from Troi, and it works pretty good.

Ken

[bobsmith]

One think I do is duplicate the layout except put a graphic that says

"Please Wait.......", switch to that layout prior to the loop then switch back after loop is complete. This will appear that a message is over the layout.

[tlsparker]

When I have a time-consuming operation, I'll send the user to another layout altogether. In a script, I turn user abort off, toggle status area, and try to make it difficult to stop the process short of killing the application. I have a sample file called message.zip on my site.

Tom

http://www.tgparker.com/filemaker

[kenneth2k1]

Thanks for all your help, I think I will just duplicate the layout with a message box.

Ken

[kenneth2k1]

Thanks for the help.

I have another question: My script contains several sub-scripts. I put a "Go to Layout" step, and had it point to a layout that says "please wait..." Then I freeze the window.

The problem is that it is not freezing the window. The sub-scripts all have print commands, and it flashes the "Now Printing" dialog for each sub-script. So basically the "Freeze Window" command is not working. Is there anything that I am missing about this command?

Thanks,

Ken

[Vaughan]

Can you post the script steps? You might have to put Freeze Window in each sub-script as well.

Whenever I make a script, the Freeze Window step is always put in, usually at the top under Allow User Abort [Off] unless there is some reason not to.

[Kurt Knippel]

Sometimes what can happen is that the functioning of the script is such that script continues processing before the actual monitor can refresh the screen in its frozen state, so you are seeing what would normally be hidden by the "frozen layout".

Try sticking a Pause/Resume Script [0:00:01] ( a 1 second pause) after the Freeze Window. This should give the monitor pleanty of time to properly refresh your screen.

[kenneth2k1]

Thanks guys for your prompt reply.

Actually, Kurt, that is how I have it. It looks like this:

Go to Layout [Certain Layout]

Freeze Window

Pause Script [00.00.02]

Perform Script [sub-Scipts, "Certian Subscript"]

Perform Script [sub-Scripts, "Certain Subscript"]

and on......and on...... and on........ (until all 33 of them are complete)

When this is executed, it brings up that "Now Printing" dialog for each script step.

Hey Vaughan: while I have your attention, will you please look at the posting: Question on sub-scripts. I have another question for you.

Thanks!

Ken

[kenneth2k1]

Any Ideas???

I've tried going to another layout and freezing the screen, but the "Now Printing" still comes up. Is this just unavoidable??

[droosan]

I haven't messed with it alot, but as far as I understand, Freeze Window only freezes Filemaker windows. Isn't your "Now Printing" coming from your operating system? If so, I doubt you can freeze that from Filemaker.

[kenneth2k1]

yeah, that's what I've discovered. Thanks for the reply.

Ken