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LETTERS

FLOATING BUGS
I liked Issue 15's article on floating windows and have successfully implemented your routines. I did, however, find one bug. Your routine HideReferencedWindow can leave the process's window list pointing to a deallocated window when there are no floating windows.
-- Chester Murphy

Thanks for pointing this out. It's fixed -- along with some other small bugs -- in the code on this issue's CD. (It's been fixed since Issue 16's CD.)
-- Dean Yu

PRAGMATIC SOLUTION
Floating windows is one of my favorite subjects. I tried to compile your WindowExtension example, using THINK C 6.0. My first problem was with USES68KINLINES. THINK C checks the #pragma parameter with the function declaration. So I tried to use A1 and D0 as parameters, but then I needed a few more #pragmas for the activate handlers. I still don't have a working version.

Also, could you explain why we need CallUniversalProc? I'm quite happy with the C syntax.

Thank you very much for doing such a good job on the article.

-- Robert Puyol

The use of USES68KINLINES has changed since Issue 15 went to press. Currently, #pragma parameters aren't used any more, so you shouldn't have any problems using the header file with THINK C. Additionally, the new version of the floating windows code uses the universal header files that are discussed in the "Making the Leap to PowerPC" article in Issue 16 and are on this issue's CD. We recommend using CallUniversalProc in your source code (or one of its specific variants, like CallActivateHandlerProc in the floating windows code) to allow for greater portability of your source code between platforms. For a detailed explanation of using CallUniversalProc and UniversalProcPtrs, check out the aforementioned article in Issue 16.
-- Dean Yu

DESKTOP FILES REDUX
I liked Issue 15's Puzzle Page, about the damaged desktop files. I've seen this bug often, since I fix a lot of damaged hard disks. You probably know this, but if the desktop files get hosed in a certain way, rebuilding them in the Finder won't fix them. You have to delete them (or rename them) to get the Finder to build new files from scratch. AutoDoubler comes with a little utility called Desktop Reset just for deleting the desktop files.
-- David Shayer

I didn't know this when I wrote that Puzzle Page, but you're right. When the desktop file gets damaged to the point where the File Manager can't open it, the Finder can't rebuild the file, so you have to throw it away or rename it. Thanks for the feedback.
-- Konstantin Othmer

IF MORE OF YOU DON'T WRITE, WE'LL HAVE TO START MAKING THEM UP! We welcome timely letters to the editors, especially from readers reacting to articles that we publish in develop. Letters should be addressed to Caroline Rose (or, if technical develop-related questions, to Dave Johnson) at Apple Computer, Inc., 20525 Mariani Avenue, M/S 303-4DP, Cupertino, CA 95014 (AppleLink CROSE or JOHNSON.DK). All letters should include your name and company name as well as your address and phone number. Letters may be excerpted or edited for clarity (or to make them say what we wish they did). *



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