More about ALERT()

[HunterEC]

Is there a way to change the ALERT box's colors. Interested in making it red like the default one in Clippper. Also ALERT does not appears in the center of the current window but in the center of the screen. Any way to fix this behavior?

[Enrico Maria Giordano]

You have the source file of Alert() function in source\function\alert.prg.

EMG

[James Bott]

I advise NOT trying to emulate DOS application behavior in Windows applications. If you have users that are currently using a DOS application, they will notice the difference when going to the Windows version, and they will complain. But, all the other applications they use are Windows applications and they generally use Windows standard behavior. So, users have to get used to Windows standard behavior anyway.

New users will wonder why your app doesn't work like most other applications.

You should also do everything in your power to prevent users from ever having to see an alert message.

I highly recommend getting a copy of Alan Cooper's book, "About Face 2.0, The Essentials of User Interaction Design." This will really help you with Windows application design. You can get this book used for almost nothing at Amazon.

James

[HunterEC]

Thank you for the advice James. What we are trying to do is making the learning curve the less steep possible. Once they are comfortable with the first Windows version, we'll change it to a full fledge Windows app.
Also this is a data entry application. Mouse is not mandatory. The faster the user enters the data, the better. We're on the health related business.

We use ALERT() messages to notify the user of a possible health-risk situation. Thank you James for the book info and you're advice is very welcome.

[James Bott]

Understood.

A well designed windows application can be used entirely without a mouse.

It is a challenge to design an application to meet the needs of users of different levels of experience. Novice users tend to use menus the most, then buttonbars, then hot-keys. About Face discusses this issue in depth.

Note that in Windows apps you can also use hot-keys to jump directly to a field within a dialog (unlike DOS apps). This is quite useful when a particular field is often updated without changing other fields.

Your use of the Alert message may be one of few times it is justified. Most often it is used when the programmer doesn't have the time or the inclination to figure out how to handle the situation more gracefully.

"Alert - Problem exists between keyboard and chair."

James

[HunterEC]

James:

I'll take a good look for that book. Now the ALERT() I refer, for example:

If John Doe takes that drug in that dosage there's a risk of heart failure.

So basically it's like a big red banner for the end user so he/she has to stopped the data entry and perform or ask for a review. Thank you for your tips.