Check if window exists

[ChiSao]

Hi,

I have a multi Window Solution and qould like to ask if its possible to check if a Window is open or not.

Because I would like to avoid the same window more than once at a time.

thx

ChiSao

[El_Pablo]

Function "WindowsName" returns a list with the name of all windows.

Do a patterncount with the window you want to check to see if it exists.

Eg

WindowNames return

Window_a

Window_a0

Window_B

If you check for "Window_a" it will return 2.

For better result check for a custom function in fmfunctions.com or briandunning.com that will allow to check the exact presence of an element name in the list.

[efen]

Commit records

If[ValueCount(windowNames(Get(WindowName)))>1]

Close window [current window]

End if

[David Jondreau]

No need for a custom function.

Let([

//Grab window names

windows = WindowNames(Get(FileName));

//add pilcrow as delimiter

windows = ¶ & windows & ¶;

//Grab test window name

thisWindow = Get(WindowName);

//add delimiter

thisWindow = ¶ & thisWindow & ¶;

//test

test = PatternCount(windows;thisWindow)

];

test

)

[ChiSao]

Thx a lot!

Exactly what I was looking for

[David Jondreau]

I should have commented that the testWindow = Get(windowName) should really be testWindow = "The Name of Window".

As written, the result will always be true.

[El_Pablo]

In fact, the calculation you wrote is what my CF would look alike.

It is always useful to have a custom function that checks if an element is in a list.

It's even easier with FM11 since we can now import CF :.

[dcol]

Found a very quick and easy way to test whether a window exists:

If [ Position ( WindowNames; "{window name}¶" ; 1 ; 1 ) > 0 ]

Replace {window name} with the name of the window you are looking for. Since the WindowNames function returns a list of names followed by carriage returns, the ¶ symbol is necessary to distinguish between similarly named windoes. For example, if you performed a "new window" command while the window you are looking for (say "Contacts") is open, FM will create a new window with the same name followed by " - 2" or " - 3" etc (e.g. Contacts -2, Contacts -3). With the ¶ FM will always refer to only the original window.

[comment]

If [ Position ( WindowNames; "{window name}¶" ; 1 ; 1 ) > 0 ]

This will fail in two cases: (a) when the window you are looking for is the last one on the list (no trailing ¶), and (: when an existing window has a name that ends with with searched name.

It's best to use the FilterValues() function for this.

[dcol]

Right you are!

In my case the window I am looking for is named "Contacts," so I entered the following and it works better than my prior post:

If [FilterValues ( WindowNames ; "Contacts" ) ≠ ""]

I love one-line solutions.

Thanks!

[Vaughan]

Don't use ≠ "" this never has been a good practice and I believe that it now breaks in some circumstances.

Use instead the IsEmpty() function - that's what it's for. Or in this eaxmple, Not Isempty.

Not Isempty( FilterValues ( WindowNames ; "Contacts" ) )

[Jed69]

This is brilliant works great for me, however I would like to make it so that if the window starts with a name in this case Event Detail it will work.

eg Not Isempty( FilterValues ( WindowNames ; "Event Deail" ) )

Thought about using a left function but can not get my head around where to implement it.

Can anyone help.

John

[Vaughan]

There is an alternative method to determine whether a window is open: select the window by name and see whether there was an error.

Set Error Capture [on]

Select Window [ windowname ]

Set variable [ $error ; Get( lastError ) ]

Set Error Capture [off]

If [ $error = 0 ]

#window with that name exists and is selected

End If

[Jed69]

Hi Vaughan, Thank you for the code, looks great and I think it would work well for me. However I am still not sure how to get it to return when I only want it to check the start of the Window name.

For example, the window´s name is "Event Detail - and the date of the event" So I want it to select any window that starts Event Detail regardless of the other information that follows it.

Sorry if i am missing something obvious.

many thanks

John

[comment]

Try:

If [ Position ( ¶ & WindowNames ; ¶ & "Event Detail" ; 1 ; 1 ) ]

...

[Jed69]

Brilliant Comment, just worked out how this works, Just what I need. Thank you

[Rich S]

Try:

 

If [ Position ( ¶ & WindowNames ; ¶ & "Event Detail" ; 1 ; 1 ) ]
...

 

Sorry for being dense, but where would that line of code go in the script? Also, say I have more than one window open beginning with the name, WEBSITE; how would I close all those windows in one shot?

[LaRetta]

Your script would look something like this, considering that you use a global text field called Phrase to hold the portion of the window name you are looking for:

 

Script Name:  Close all phrase windows

 

Set Variable [ $windows ; Value: WindowNames ] 

Loop

Exit Loop If [ Let ( $count = $count + 1 ; $count > ValueCount ( $windows ) ) // we're counting through all the windows ]
If [ LeftWords ( GetValue ( $windows ; $count ) ; 1 ) = tableName::Phrase  // or replace blu field reference to Phrase with text as "website"  ]

Close Window [ Name: GetValue ( $windows ; $count ) ; Current file ]

End If

#

End Loop 

 

ADDED:  I thought it faster and best to set a variable with the window names instead of recalculating WindowNames again each time but ... if Users continually are opening a WEBSITE window then some might be opened while the script is running (although unlikely).  However small, the possibility exists so you may wish to loop the WindowNames instead.