Showing popup menu in a thread?

[Dude]

I really need to show a popup menu that is triggered from inside a thread, because my main window is invisible and I need the popup menu to appear on demand, at any time.

The following doesn't work. What to do? Thanks.

Code: Select all

Enumeration
  #Menu_Item_0
  #Menu_Item_1
  #Menu_Item_2
  #Menu_Item_3
EndEnumeration

Global Menu=CreatePopupImageMenu(#PB_Any)

If Menu
  MenuItem(#Menu_Item_0, "Open")
  MenuItem(#Menu_Item_1, "Save")
  MenuItem(#Menu_Item_2, "Save as")
  MenuItem(#Menu_Item_3, "Quit")
EndIf

Procedure ShowMenu(null)
  Repeat
    Sleep_(1)
    If GetAsyncKeyState_(#VK_CONTROL) & $8000
      Debug "Showing menu now"
      DisplayPopupMenu(Menu,WindowID(0),20,20) ; Doesn't show!
      Repeat : Sleep_(1) : Until GetAsyncKeyState_(#VK_CONTROL)=0
    EndIf
  ForEver
EndProcedure

CreateThread(@ShowMenu(),0)

OpenWindow(0, 200, 200, 200, 120, "Example", #PB_Window_Invisible)
Debug "Press Ctrl to see popup menu"
Repeat : Until WaitWindowEvent()=#PB_Event_CloseWindow

[firace]

You can solve this by posting a custom event to the main loop.
Does this do what you want?

Code: Select all

Enumeration
  #Menu_Item_0
  #Menu_Item_1
  #Menu_Item_2
  #Menu_Item_3
EndEnumeration

Global Menu=CreatePopupImageMenu(#PB_Any)

If Menu
  MenuItem(#Menu_Item_0, "Open")
  MenuItem(#Menu_Item_1, "Save")
  MenuItem(#Menu_Item_2, "Save as")
  MenuItem(#Menu_Item_3, "Quit")
EndIf

OpenWindow(0, 200, 200, 200, 120, "Example", #PB_Window_Invisible)

Procedure ShowMenu(null)
  Repeat
    Sleep_(1)
    If GetAsyncKeyState_(#VK_CONTROL) & $8000
      Debug "Showing menu now"
      PostEvent(123)
      Repeat : Sleep_(1) : Until GetAsyncKeyState_(#VK_CONTROL)=0
    EndIf
  ForEver
EndProcedure

CreateThread(@ShowMenu(),0)

Debug "Press Ctrl to see popup menu"

Repeat 
  e = WaitWindowEvent()
  If e = 123:       DisplayPopupMenu(Menu,WindowID(0),20,20) : EndIf  
Until e=#PB_Event_CloseWindow

[Dude]

Thanks firace, I'll work off that.

[mk-soft]

Please use valid event numbers for PostEvent.

Code: Select all

;- Constants
Enumeration #PB_Event_FirstCustomValue
  #My_DoEvent
EndEnumeration

Tipp for updates menus and gadgets from threads
http://www.purebasic.fr/english/viewtop ... 12&t=66180

[Dude]

Is there any reason why DisplayPopupMenu() can't be called in a thread? The manual doesn't say it's prohibited, like it does for OpenWindow().

[Marc56us]

The main function of a thread is to work in the background, so in a non-interactive gui way.
A popupmenu is a function to interact with the user so in forground.
A popupmenu is a gadget designed to be triggered normally by the user and not auto triggered by the program.
The documentation only refers to the conventional use of objects.
Otherwise it would make several megabytes

[Dude]

A popupmenu is a gadget designed to be triggered normally by the user and not auto triggered by the program.

Yep, that's what my app does. It has no visible window 99% of the time, but does sometimes (to change app Settings). My app's purpose is to show a popup menu whenever a key or mouse button is pressed, at any time, no matter what the user is doing. Hence, I can't use hotkeys to do it, because mouse buttons can't be assigned as a hotkey. So I have to wait for the keypress or mouse button in a thread, which then shows the popup menu.

The other issue is that while the popup menu is shown, my app can't process any other window events, like #PB_Event_CloseWindow. I don't know the best way to code around all these problems.

[Bisonte]

The other issue is that while the popup menu is shown, my app can't process any other window events, like #PB_Event_CloseWindow.

The other question is: Have you ever closed manually a window with an opened menu? No, it's not possible.
Only if the menu is closed, other interaction is possible.

Usually everything needed for user interaction is plugged into the MainThread and all other threads send messages to this MainThread via PostEvent.

Other procedures should not be used.

[Dude]

Have you ever closed manually a window with an opened menu? No, it's not possible.

What? Of course you can. Open a menu in Notepad (or whatever) and then click the Close (X) button while that menu is open: the window will close. Same if you send a #WM_CLOSE message to Notepad when it has a menu open, whether that menu is from the menu bar or a right-click popup menu in the text area. It closes when it receives the #WM_CLOSE message -- an open menu doesn't stop it at all.

[Bisonte]

I see what you mean, but the menu closes before! the window accept the click. The same is on standard PB Windows with an open menu

[Marc56us]

When a PopUpMenu or Menu is opened in the main thread, the other events are managed (At least CloseWindows) either in PB or with other languages. But if you look closely, the system first closes the menu before leaving. (As Bison said before me)

A PopUpMenu needs to know the active gadget to know which PopUpMenu to activate. I haven't tested it, but it's not sure if you can make a SetActiveGadget() in a thread.