Do you type messages into the message box? Do you hate to retype long hypertalk commands over and over again? If you do, this is for you.
Command History for Hypercard gives you the ability to recall recently typed messages to the message box, or execute them from a menu.
The best way to understand it is to try it so...
Type "flash" into the message box and type return.
Now look in the "History" menu in the menu bar. If you pull it down, you will see the command "flash" in the first line. Select it to execute "flash" again.
Now type "beep" into the message box. The "History" menu now has two items, "beep" and "flash". Select whichever you want to execute it.
Next, try out the keyboard part. If you hold down the option key and type the up or down arrows, you can cycle through the last 15 commands you have typed into the message box. Try it now and you will alternate between "flash" and "beep". They will not be executed until you press return.
Now that you've tried it (and liked it I'm sure!), you will probably want to install it into your home stack so that you can use it all the time.
First of all, go to the Home stack and SAVE A COPY. The installation procedure adds new XCMDs and XFCNs and modifies the stack script of your Home stack. If something goes wrong, you want to have a backup!
If you have extensively modified your Home Stack scripts, you should read the technical notes below. Otherwise, click on the "Install Command History" button and when the screen flashes, you are done!
If you use it, please send the $10 Shareware fee to:
Steve Martin
6632 Warm Breeze Lane
Dallas, TX 75248-5021
If you have comments or questions please contact me! I can be reached electronically as follows:
Compuserve: 72727,1471
Genie: S.MARTIN8
Arpanet: SMARTIN@CSC.TI.COM
Also, look for my chapter on Large Stacks in Tricks of the HyperTalk Masters, an upcoming Hayden "Macintosh Library" Book, edited by The Waite Group.
Technical Notes
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Command History adds the following scripts to your home stack, ArrowKey, DoMenu, Idle, and ReturnKey. If they are already there, you will have to do some script hacking to install the new ones. The easiest way to do this would be to install them as normal and then edit your stack script, renameing the new handlers (CHArrowKey,CHDoMenu, or something like that) and then calling them at the beginning of your own handlers.
Special thanks to:
Nine to Five Software Company
P.O. Box 915
Greenwood, IN 46142
(317) 887-2154
& Michael Long
for the Menu management XCMDs and XFCNs.
Special thanks also to Alan Josephson and Fred Hollander for beta testing and to my wife Carolyn who wanted a word processor (so I got a Mac II of course!)