Show groups of objects from single event

[pjvbh]

Hi:

I would like groups of text objects to show/hide from a single click on a hotspot.

For example, I might have text objects named

Text00_0
Text00_1
Text00_2

Text01_0
Text01_1

etc

... and a %textGroup% variable set by a mouse click to 00, 01, etc.

... and then something like:

Page.ShowObject=("Text + %region% + *")

Can a string be made to concatenate "Text" + %textGroup% + wildcard characters and then used with a single SHOW action?

Thanks,

[Lorne]

Nope. The actions don't support wildcards for the object names at all.

But, you can definitely concatenate text with an expression (using a "Variable - Set Value" action), or even just mix-n-match the variable with the text to form the value you want.

If you only have a few objects, it'll probably be easier to just use separate Show and Hide actions for them.

If you have a lot of objects, though, you could try using a While loop, like this one that would hide 10 objects:

<pre>%i% = 10
WHILE (%i%)
Page.ShowObject=("Text%region%%i%")
%i% = Evaluate(%i% - 1)
END WHILE</pre>

[Lorne]

In fact, here's an example (http://www.indigorose.com/ubbthreads/uploads/11388-Dynamic%20show%20and%20hide.am4) that will show you how it works. /ubbthreads/images/icons/smile.gif

11388-Dynamic show and hide.am4 (http://www.indigorose.com/ubbthreads/uploads/11388-Dynamic show and hide.am4)

[pjvbh]

Lorne:

Thanks very much for the WHILE loop example; it tells me everything I need to know for this page!

[Lorne]

You're welcome Phillip. /ubbthreads/images/icons/smile.gif I was curious to see if it would work. /ubbthreads/images/icons/wink.gif

[pjvbh]

... From the should work but doesn't department :-)

OK, I can't see why this (see attached) does not work.

The WHILE loop that hides the objects is never executed, but I cannot see while the condition is not met. Is there some other factor getting in the way here?

Hope I have attached this list correctly ...



11571-actionlist.txt (http://www.indigorose.com/ubbthreads/uploads/11571-actionlist.txt)

[Lorne]

You aren't initializing %i% to anything before the WHILE loop. The %i% variable will be seen as that exact text (%i%) and so the >= operator in the expression:

%i% >= 0

...will perform a string comparison between the word "%i%" and the word "0".

% comes before 0 in the ASCII table, so that test ends up being false right from the get-go.

That's probably your answer...unless you're initializing %i% some integer larger than -1 somewhere else (i.e. in another action list that happens before this one).

[pjvbh]

Here is the complete action list -- I hope.

I believe that before the WHILE test runs, %i% will have been set:

%i% = "1" (or "2", etc, depending which hotspot was clicked)

Do I need to do that differently to make it an integer rather than a word?

Anyway, while testing I put a text box on the page and set it to display %i% -- and it looked like a 1 was there before the WHILE condition is tested :-)

Is the Equal operator not the correct one to test if %i% has the value 1?


11574-actionlist2.txt (http://www.indigorose.com/ubbthreads/uploads/11574-actionlist2.txt)

[pjvbh]

I have found my error - the value of i was set -- but then un-set again -- by a previous WHILE loop. I must remember to keep refreshing the values of those test text objects. Oops.

Thanks for your help!

[Lorne]

Do I need to do that differently to make it an integer rather than a word?


Nope. There's actually no difference...AutoPlay figures out what you meant by the context. For example:

1 + 1

both values are numbers, so an addition is performed: 2

1 + tree

one of the values is obviously a string, so concatenation is performed: 1tree

1.2.4 + 1.0.1

the values both have more than 2 decimal points, so a "version addition" is performed: 2.2.5