Using system requesters for info dialog and progress bar? (OS 3.2)

[Warty]

I'm getting to the point where I need to actually let the user know about status of in-progress copy actions, and failures, errors, that sort of thing. Before I roll my own status/progress window, and my own info dialog box, I wanted to see if I can use the ones built into 3.2.

I scanned through the auto docs, and didn't see anything about progress bar used in 3.2 (see screenshot). Safe to assume I need to make my own there? (fuel gauge example is enough to go on). (I did find some references on the web to a progress bar class in non-3.2 land, as part of an Enhancer pack I don't have).

For the general info dialog box (see screenshot), is that this: requester.class/RM_OPENREQ. I'm assuming so, it looks like it has all the right stuff.

[Warty]

Spelunking in the header files, I noticed all this beautiful stuff, going all the way back to 2.1 NDK:

/**********************************
* progress window type attributes *
**********************************/

#define REQP_Total				(REQP_Dummy+1)
	/* (ULONG) Total number of levels for the progressbar. (default: 100)
			(OM_NEW, OM_SET, RM_OPENREQ) */
#define REQP_Current			(REQP_Dummy+2)
	/* (ULONG) The current level of the progressbar. (default: 0)
			(OM_NEW, OM_SET, RM_OPENREQ) */
#define REQP_AbortText			REQ_GadgetText
	/* (UBYTE *) Text to be put into the gadget that will abort the progressbar.
			If not present, no gadget will be created.
			(OM_NEW, OM_SET, RM_OPENREQ) */
#define REQP_ProgressText		REQ_BodyText
	/* (UBYTE *) Text to be shown over the progressbar.
			(OM_NEW, OM_SET, RM_OPENREQ) */
#define REQP_OpenInactive		(REQP_Dummy+3)
	/* (BOOL) Open window inactive if ta_Data is TRUE.
			(OM_NEW, RM_OPENREQ) */
#define REQP_NoText				(REQP_Dummy+4)
	/* (BOOL)  No text-gadget in progressbar if ti_Data is TRUE
			(OM_NEW, RM_OPENREQ) */
#define REQP_Dynamic			(REQP_Dummy+5)
	/* (BOOL)  TRUE if the pb should size automatically when
		a too long progresstext is set. Default is TRUE.
		(OM_NEW, OM_SET, RM_OPENREQ) */
#define REQP_CenterWindow		(REQP_Dummy+6)
	/* (struct Window *) The progressbar is centered over this window.
		(OM_NEW, OM_SET, RM_OPENREQ) */
#define REQP_LastPosition		(REQP_Dummy+7)
	/* (BOOL) Open progressbar on the same place the last was. Default is TRUE.
		(OM_NEW, OM_SET, RM_OPENREQ) */
#define REQP_Percent			(REQP_Dummy+8)
	/* (BOOL) Render numeric percentage display.
		(OM_NEW, RM_OPENREQ) */
#define REQP_Ticks				(REQP_Dummy+9)
	/* (WORD) If present, how many tick marks
		(OM_NEW, RM_OPENREQ) */
#define REQP_ShortTicks			(REQP_Dummy+10)
	/* (BOOL) Enable small intermediate tick marks.
		(OM_NEW, RM_OPENREQ) */

But then this (still) in the 3.2 NDK header:

/* The REQ_Type must be used to set what type of requester you
* want to use. Here are the definitions:
*/
#define REQTYPE_INFO 0 /* Normal information/query requester like EasyRequest() */
#define REQTYPE_INTEGER 1 /* Get an integer from the user */
#define REQTYPE_STRING 2 /* Get a string from the user */
#define REQTYPE_PROGRESS 3 /* Progressbar window (NOT IMPLEMENTED YET) */

http://amigadev.elowar.com/read/ADCD.../node0637.html

So I guess that's the answer.

[a4k-oerx]

Amiga Installer has a progress bar, is there maybe a source available somewhere to adopt things from?

Or can REQ_Image be used with a pointer to a custom image which gets changed in background?

[Warty]

The system definitely has progress bars in use, at least in 3.2, but I don't know HOW it's doing it.

I did play around with the REQTYPE_PROGRESS type, and it opens a window with a progress bar. The problem, as I see it, is that the window is essential model: it needs the user to hit enter before code execution continues. What you want for a progress bar is a window that stays open without user input, and takes updated values for the bar's progress. I'm sure 3.2 knows how to do that, but I haven't stumbled on how they do it. It might be they are using a totally different thing to do it, and not a system requester at all.

It's not a huge deal to make my own window to do it, but always better to do things the "system way" whenever possible...

[Minuous]

The way that AsyncWB etc. do it is that they just make a small window (eg. with window.class) and put a fuelgauge.gadget in it. fuelgauge_gc.doc in the NDK has the documentation you will need.

[Warty]

Yep, that's what I ended up doing. It's fine. I needed to do some magic in there anyway, as I wanted a callback function in case people want to cancel an operation part way through.

I have to say I'm impressed by the team keeping all those auto docs up to date and accurate. I mean, just the fact they are typo free as far as I have seen so far, is rather amazing. Some serious discipline going on there!