# (Lingo symbol sign) [ ] (Lingo list brackets) A: abs() activeWindow (MIAW) actorList addAt() addProp() alignment of member ancestor B: backColor of sprite beginRecording blend of sprite C: cast (undocumented) castNum of sprite (undocumented) castLib (underrepresented) char...of clearGlobals clickLoc clickOn close window contains cursor cursor of sprite D: deleteOne() deleteProp() directToStage of member drawRect of window dropShadow of member E: editable of member editable of sprite EMPTY F: field (keyword) font of member or chunks fontStyle of member or chunks foreColor of sprite forget window freeBlock freeBytes G: getProp() go previous H: hilite a chunk I: idleReadChunkSize ilk() inflate(rect) ink of sprite installMenu intersect(rects) item...of J... K... L: lineHeight of member or chunks loc of sprite M: me (keyword) member of sprite (undocumented) memberNum of sprite menu mouseCast mouseUp moveableSprite of sprite moveToBack [window] (MIAW) moveToFront [window] (MIAW) movieRate of sprite N: number of member number of members (= number of members of castLib) number of members of castLib O: offset(string) on enterFrame on mouseUp on resizeWindow (MIAW) on startMovie on stepFrame on zoomWindow (MIAW) P: paramCount() (= the paramCount) pause picture of member pictureP() platform power() preLoadMode of castLib preLoadMovie preLoadRAM property (keyword) puppetSound puppetTempo puppetTransition put Q: quickTimePresent quit R: randomSeed rect of member rect of the stage (undocumented) repeat with...in... S: score scoreColor of sprite scriptNum of sprite scriptType of member scrollByLine() scrollByPage() searchPath (= searchPaths) searchPaths (= searchPath) selection of a field send #handler(script...) setaProp() setAt() shapeType of member sound playFile soundLevel sprite...within stage (undocumented properties) startTime of sprite (undocumented video property) stopTime of sprite (undocumented video property) string() T: tell...to timer timeoutLapsed top of sprite trace traceLoad trackEnabled(sprite) trackStartTime(member) trackStartTime(sprite) trackStopTime(member) trackStopTime(sprite) trails of sprite type of member U: union(rects) updateFrame updateMovieEnabled updateStage V: version videoForWindowsPresent visible of sprite W: windowList (MIAW) windowType of window (MIAW) X... Y... Z... Outdated: "textAlign/textFont/textHeight/textSize/textStyle of field" "the perFrameHook""[Top] - A-B-C-D-E-F-G-H-I-K-L-M-N-O-P-Q-R-S-T-U-V-W
# Lingo symbol sign
New in the '501 ReadMe':
Windows 3.1 has a limit of 64k (65536 bytes) for any text block or list in memory. As Director creates a list in memory containing all the names you use for variables, handlers, their arguments, and any properties and symbols, this means that you CANNOT use more than aproximately 5,000 different names in your projects (given an average name length of 10 characters). The same applies for entries in user-defined lists. Remember: Director's fields and scripts CANNOT hold more than 32k of text!
5.0 ERROR in the '501 ReadMe'
The '501 ReadMe': '...this means that approximately 0,000 different elements can be stored. The actual number varies with the size of the names'. Yes: '0,000 different elements'... ;)
Should read: My careful guess is '...aproximately 5,000 different elements'.
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[ ] Lingo list brackets
5.0 ERROR:
The Dictionary: 'An empty list consists of two square brackets ([ ]). To clear a list, set the list to [ ].' Should read: This is true for LINEAR lists only, the 'Example 4' in the Dictionary will tell you that an empty PROPERTY list is '[:]'. If you temporarily 'set myPropertyList = [ ]', your list variable's type is changed and it won't be a property list anymore, so you CANNOT add any new properties into it thereafter.
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abs()
5.0 ERROR:
The Dictionary's example does NOT show the result of 'put abs(-2.2)' as '-- 2.2', to indicate that 'abs(integerOrFloat)' will turn a negative into a positive number.
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activeWindow
6.0 ERRORs, partly the same in 5.0:
a) The Dictionary: "...indicates which movie window is currently active."
Should read: "...identifies the 'window' that the movie testing this property is currently playing in."
b) The Dictionary: "For the main movie, the activeWindow is the Stage."
Should read: "For the main movie, the activeWindow property returns 'the stage', or the name you have assigned to 'the stage'." If 'the stage' has a name assigned to it, 'the activeWindow = the stage' also returns TRUE.
c) The Dictionary: "For a movie in a window, the 'activeWindow' is the movie in a window itself."
Should read: "For a movie in a window, the 'activeWindow' returns the 'window' of the movie", and NOT 'the movie itself'.
d) The Dictionary forgets to mention: "The activeWindow property can be tested but not set."
e) The Dictionary's example: "set windowCount = count(the windowlist) into windowCount".
Should read: "set windowCount = count(the windowList)".
f) The Dictionary's example: 'set the title of (getAt(the windowlist, x)) to "Inactive" ' -- what a stupid construction!
Should read: 'set the title of window x to "Inactive" '.
g) The Dictionary's "See Also" mentions 'on activeWindow'
Should read: "See Also: on activateWindow". If it really knew what it was talking about, it would also mention 'the name of window' and 'the frontWindow'.
h) The 'activeWindow' property seems to not be mentioned or explained anywhere in the 5.0 or 6.0 'Learning' handbooks. :-(
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actorList
6.0 ERRORs, partly the same in 5.0 and the '501 ReadMe':
a) The Dictionary: "The 'actorList' property is a list of child objects..."
Should read: "The 'actorList' SYSTEM property is a LINEAR list of child objects..."
b) The Dictionary: "...receive a 'stepFrame' message each time the playback head enters a frame", and later: "...at each frame advance."
Should read: "...receive a 'stepFrame' message each time the playback head enters a frame or an 'updateStage' is issued", and: "...at each frame advance or 'updateStage'."
c) The Dictionary: "Clear objects...by setting 'the actorList to [ ]', which is an empty list."
Should read: "Clear objects...by using the list commands 'deleteAt()' or 'deleteOne()', and clear ALL objects...by setting 'the actorList to [ ]', which is an empty LINEAR list. For this, you can also use the new list command 'deleteAll()'."
d) The Dictionary's example 1: "...from the parent script Moving Ball... add the actorList, new(script "MovingBall",1,200,200)" -- now either the example parent script is named "Moving Ball" or "MovingBall"...
e) The Dictionary's example 2: "put the actorList" -- that's an example for the 'put' command, and redundant too.
f) The Dictionary's example 3: "set the actorList = [ ]" -- another redundant line already mentioned before.
g) The Dictionary's "See Also" should mention 'on stepFrame'.
--
5.0 ERRORs, corrected in the '501 ReadMe':
a) All child objects added into the 'the actorList' do NOT receive an 'enterFrame' event, instead they receive a 'stepFrame' event message.
b) The property 'the actorList' is an empty linear list ([ ]) to start with. Director never puts anything into it; instead only Lingo can add child objects of yours into this system user list with 'add(the actorList, goMyObject)' if you want those objects to receive the 'stepFrame' event and react to it in their 'on stepFrame' handler (e.g. by animating).
c) An example for 'the actorList' is shown as 'Example 5' in the doc's entry on 'ancestor', but it doesn't include the 'on stepFrame me' event handler, which each child object needs to have in its parent or ancestor script to react to the 'stepFrame' event.
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addAt()
5.0 ERROR:
The Dictionary gives an example list with '3' at its 4th entry, but then in the next line the 4th entry is '5', though it should still be '3'. Macromedia Tech Support is still calculating it... ;)
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addProp()
5.0 ERROR:
The Dictionary: 'The addProp command works with LINEAR lists only.'
Should read: 'The addProp command works with PROPERTY lists only.'
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alignment of member
5.0 ERRORs:
a) The Dictionary calls this sweet little property 'the ALIGN of member'; even Macromedia's German 'Lingo-Lexikon' (out in 10/96) has it wrong, the "Learning Lingo" handbook gets it mixed up. Only Director's 'Online Help' has it right.
b) The Dictionary: 'The parameter whichcastMember can be either a cast name or cast number.'
Should read: 'The parameter whichcastMember can be either a MEMBER name or MEMBER number', though it still works with the Director version 4 keyword 'cast' instead of 'member', but in the 5.0 docs the word 'cast' is mostly used for 'castLib'.
c) The Dictionary's last paragraph in the given explanation equals the 4th paragraph; just overwrite it with something useful... ;)
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ancestor
5.0 ERROR, corrected in the '501 ReadMe':
The Dictionary's 'Example 5' belongs to its entry on 'the actorList' instead.
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backColor of sprite
5.0 ERROR:
The Dictionary: 'The sprite must be a puppet before you can set its background color using Lingo.'
Should read: 'If you want the new setting to persist, the sprite must be a puppet when you change its background color using Lingo.'
[Top]
beginRecording
New in the '501 ReadMe':
You CANNOT use score recording ('beginRecording...endRecording') in an 'on enterFrame' handler. I would never dare to myself ;), but I guess what would happen is: When your handler with the score recording code finishes, Director would immediately generate an 'exitFrame' event. That would NOT leave it up to YOU to decide what to do and where to go after your recording session, because Lingo would go and look for an 'on exitFrame' to execute, or leave the frame. So remember to have score recording sessions only in 'on exitFrame' handlers or in movie or object scripts.
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blend of sprite
5.0 ERROR:
The Dictionary: 'Blend values can be from 0 to 100.'
Should read: 'Blend values can be between 0 and 100, but in steps of mostly 2 at a time.' You CANNOT set 100 different blend values; only about 50 are possible. The steps vary between 1, 2, and 3 at a time. If your blend value is not accurate, Director will use the next possible value.
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cast
New in the '501 ReadMe':
a) The 'cast' keyword is missing from the docs, although it's still valid and useful when used in combination with 'set the castnum of sprite x = the number of cast y'. The 'cast' keyword specifies to Lingo that the next expression refers to a specific castMember in any of the used castLibs.
b) The expression 'the propertyName of CAST whichcastMember' was used in earlier versions of Director and is equal to using the keyword 'member' in the expression 'the propertyName of MEMBER whichcastMember' (for more info, see Macromedia TechNotes TN#3184 'Member vs. Membernum' and TN#3187 'Director 5 and the mouseCast').
[Top]
castNum of sprite
New in the '501 ReadMe':
a) The 'castNum of sprite' property is missing from the docs, although it's still valid and very useful: This sprite property determines the overall number of the castMember associated with the sprite. Setting 'the castNum of sprite' lets you switch the castMember assigned to a sprite (stage update needed, and the sprite must be a 'puppet' to keep its new setting).
b) The 'castNum of sprite x' returns a single castMember number that is a composite of the sprite's castLib-internal 'memberNum' and the number of the castLib it's in: (65536 * the castLib number) + (the member number), example: 262145 is the number of member 1 in castLib 4. If the member is in castLib 1 (internal), its number will be the true number in that castLib (ie 1 to 32,000).
c) Using 'the castNum of sprite' is recommended in place of 'the memberNum of sprite', because the later only returns the castLib-intern number of a member, and if you want to change to a 'memberNum' from a different castLib, then you also have to set 'the castLibNum of sprite' accordingly.
[Top]
castLib
- 5.0 Dictionary Error, cleared in 6.0:
- The Dictionary has the separating ruler line missing, and the title and "Syntax" for 'castLib' are not formatted in bold: They seem to be part of the explanation for the keyword 'case'. You might even not have known that this keyword exists... ;-)
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char...of
5.0 ERROR:
The Dictionary's second example tries to retrieve a fifth char, although there are only four in the given string. Black it out, because the then following paragraph has it right.
[Top]
clearGlobals
5.0 ERROR, corrected in the '501 ReadMe':
The Dictionary: 'This command sets all user-defined global variables to 0.'
Should read: 'clearGlobals' sets all your user-defined global variables to the keyword '<Void>' (empty, nothing), and after using this command, 'voidP(gVarName)' will result in TRUE, which it wouldn't if all variables were just set to 0. Anyway: 'gVarName=0' will also result in TRUE.
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clickLoc
5.0 ERROR:
The Dictionary repeats a part of its explanation for the 'clickLoc' function in the explanation for 'clickOn'; just overwrite it with something useful... ;)
New in the '501 ReadMe':
You CANNOT have a Lingo repeat loop checking for a changing return value from 'the clickLoc' function, because during a repeat loop, all occuring 'clickLoc' (and 'clickOn') events and their locations on stage are stored and queued in memory, but NOT served instantly. You will only get the 'clickLoc' value from before the repeat loop started. Once the Lingo repeat loop has finished, the next (stored) 'clickLoc' from the event queue will be delivered and can then be tested.
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clickOn
New in the '501 ReadMe':
You CANNOT have a Lingo repeat loop checking for a changing return value from 'the clickOn' function, because during the Lingo repeat loop, all occuring 'clickOn' (and 'clickLoc') events and the numbers of the clicked sprites are stored and queued in memory, but NOT served instantly. You will only get the 'clickOn' value from before the repeat loop started. Once the Lingo repeat loop has finished, the next (stored) 'clickOn' from the event queue will be delivered and can then be tested.
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close window
6.0 ERRORs, partly the same in 5.0:
a) The Dictionary mentions "Use the complete pathname", but forgets to emphasize to put an expression like '(the pathName & aMovieNameWithoutExtension)' into parenthesis which it mentions in its explanation for '& concatenator'. Do NOT explicitly code the movie name for a 'window' command with its extension (".DIR"), which will change after protection.
b) The Dictionary forgets to mention that the 'windowIdentifier' can also be a 'name of window' set by Lingo, which does NOT have to be a movie name at all (see the 6.0 Dictionary on 'open window').
c) The Dictionary forgets to mention that the windowObject expression '(window "aStringName")' can be stored as a variable and then be used as a shortcut: 'close gMyWindow'.
d) The Dictionary forgets to mention that a 'closed' window is still active and playing and in RAM, though it's not visible, until it's possibly deleted with 'forget window'.
e) The Dictionary forgets to mention that it might be good to 'close' a window before 'forgetting' it, to activate its optional event handler 'on closeWindow' in its movieScript, so it can possibly stop its sound playing and reset global variables. I guess Macromedia just loves putting out loads of TechNotes to straighten out all these weaknesses...
[Top]
contains
5.0 ERROR:
The Dictionary's example wants to test for numeric letters, but includes a dot (full stop) in the expression 'put "1234567890." into digits', just rub it out... ;)
[Top]
cursor
5.0 ERROR:
The Dictionary: 'On the Macintosh, this statement changes the cursor to a watch cursor ... cursor 4.'
Should read: That is also true for Windows... ;)
[Top]
cursor of sprite
5.0 ERRORs:
a) The Dictionary: 'To use custom cursors, set the cursor of sprite property to an external resource that contains the cursor', but that's NOT true on Windows, which is mentioned in the 'Note' on the same page in the Dictionary: On Windows you can only set the 'cursor of sprite' to either one of the seven system cursors, or to a list containing your cursor member(s).
b) The Dictionary's example for the 'cursor of sprite' property is not worth a cent: It issues a 'cursor' command instead of setting 'the cursor of sprite'... ;)
[Top]
deleteOne()
5.0 ERROR:
The Dictionary: 'The deleteOne command works with linear lists only.'
Should read: 'The deleteOne() command works with LINEAR AND PROPERTY lists', because it does work with both types of lists.
[Top]
deleteProp()
5.0 ERROR:
The Dictionary: 'For LINEAR lists, this is the same as the deleteAt command', but then it continues: '...works with PROPERTY lists only.'
Should read: Carrying the name "Prop" in it, the 'deleteProp()' command is specialized for property list, but you CAN use 'DeleteProp(myList, myProperty)' on LINEAR lists, only the 'myProperty' argument then has to be a valid integer 'position' value for the list entry. But why care: Just stick to the linear list command 'deleteAt()'.
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directToStage of member
New in the '501 ReadMe':
On Windows, the 'directToStage' property of an .AVI video member CAN be disabled by setting it to FALSE. With this you can use the ink setting of 'background transparent' for that .AVI video sprite, and you also can animate other sprites in front of the video.
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drawRect of window
6.0 ERRORs, partly the same in 5.0:
a) The Dictionary: "This window property identifies the rectangular coordinates of the section of the movie..."
Should read: "This window property identifies the rectangular coordinates of the section of the WINDOW that the movie will fit or rescale itself into." The 'drawRect of window' starts with (0,0) at the left top corner of the window, not of the screen!
b) The Dictionary: "However, text in strings doesn't rescale when a this property is changed."
Should read: "However, text in FIELDS on the movie's stage doesn't rescale when this property is changed."
c) The Dictionary forgets to mention that if 'the drawRect of window' is smaller than the window itself, the rest of the window will show 'the stageColor' of the movie in that window, and if 'the drawRect' is bigger than 'the rect of window', the overspilling parts of the movie won't be visible. Scalling a movie will be quite time-consuming!
d) The Dictionary's example: "The portion of the movie within the rect is the part of the movie..."
Should read: "The rect defines the area of the window that the movie will rescale itself into."
e) The Dictionary's "See Also" forgets to mention 'the rect of window', which starts with (0,0) at the left top corner of the screen.
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dropShadow of member
5.0 ERROR:
The Dictionary: 'This field...property determines the size of the field cast member's drop shadow.'
Should read: '...determines the size of the drop shadow under the field's CHARACTERS'.
[Top]
editable of member
New in the '501 ReadMe':
Remember when using editable fields: If you apply any INK other than 'copy' (ink 0) to an editable field sprite on stage, that field will NOT be editable in a projector.
[Top]
editable of sprite
New in the '501 ReadMe':
If you apply any INK other than 'copy' (ink 0) to an editable field sprite on stage, that field will NOT be editable in a projector.
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EMPTY
5.0 ERROR:
The Dictionary gives examples that erase all text in a field by putting EMPTY ("") into it, but that is NOT recommended, because the field will lose all its font formattings, like typeface, style and size.
Should read: Put a white SPACE (" ") into a field that you want to empty, because then it will keep the formattings from the first char (and line) of that field.
[Top]
field
5.0 ERROR:
The Dictionary's first example: 'put char 5 to 10 of member "enty" into myKeyword'.
Should read: 'put char 5 to 10 of FIELD "enty" into myKeyword', because using the keyword 'member' together with a chunk expression produces an error alert.
New in the '501 ReadMe':
For movies created in Director 5, 'the type of member' returns '#field' for field castMembers and '#richText' for text castMembers. However, field castMembers originally created in Director 4 still return '#text' for their 'type of member' (to provide backward compatibility for Director 4 movies).
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font of member
5.0 ERROR:
The Dictionary: 'When tested, it returns the HEIGHT of the first LINE of the field.'
Should read: 'When tested, it returns a string containing the NAME of the TYPEFACE of the FIRST CHAR of the field or chunk.'
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fontStyle of member
5.0 ERRORs:
a) The Dictionary: 'In addition, you can use the word "normal" to remove all of the styles that are currently applied.'
Should read: You CANNOT use "normal" to remove font styles, use the expression "plain" instead, which is also the return string if you test 'the fontStyle' of a field or chunk of it that has no styling (bold, italic, underline) attached to it.
b) The Dictionary forgot to list the only three cross-platform style names: "bold", "italic", "underline".
c) The Dictionary's example gets the names for the castMembers "Rokujo" and "Poem" mixed up: God might forgive, Lingo won't... ;)
d) The Dictionary's forgets to mention that you can also test AND set 'the fontStyle' of single chunks of a field (chars, words, lines, items), which applies to other formattings as well.
3) The Dictionary's forgets to mention that when you test a field or chunks of it, the 'fontStyle' returns a string containing the formatting style of the FIRST CHAR in it only, which applies to other formattings as well.
[Top]
foreColor of sprite
5.0 ERRORs:
a) The Dictionary: '...in order to set it with Lingo the sprite must be a puppet.'
Should read: 'If you want the new setting to persist, the sprite must be a puppet when you change its foreground color using Lingo.'
b) The Dictionary's second example uses 'set the backColor of sprite...' That misses the subject... ;)
[Top]
forget window
New in the '501 ReadMe':
When a 'forget window' command is given for a movie-in-a-window (MIAW), the window and the movie in it will be totally deleted from screen, from memory, and from Lingo's 'the windowList', but without calling the 'on stopMovie', 'on closeWindow', or 'on deactivateWindow' event handlers in the movieScript of that MIAW. If a sound is playing in a MIAW when it is deleted, the sound continues to play until another movie requests that sound channel or stops the sound.
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freeBlock
5.0 ERROR:
The Dictionary's "See Also" mentions: 'fontSize of field cast member property'.
Should read: 'See Also: the size of member property'.
[Top]
freeBytes
5.0 ERROR:
The Dictionary's "See Also" mentions: 'fontSize of field cast member property'.
Should read: 'See Also: the size of member property'.
New in the '501 ReadMe':
On Macintosh there is said to be some dependancy between what the 'freeBytes' property indicates and the 'Use System Temporary Memory' setting in Director's preferences or in the projector's options, but I don't quite understand it... ;)
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getProp()
5.0 ERROR:
The Dictionary gives an example which is NOT a property list, although 'getProp()' only works with PROPERTY lists. The 'getProp()' function produces an alert 'Script ERROR: Handler not defined' when used on linear lists.
[Top]
go previous
5.0 ERROR:
The Dictionary: 'This command sends the playback head to the previous marker in the movie'.
Should read: "This command sends the playback head back two markers..." (same as 'go marker(-1)'), as 'go loop' is the command that goes to the 'previous' marker (same as 'go marker(0)').
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hilite
5.0 ERROR, corrected in the '501 ReadMe':
The Dictionary mentions that the color for a 'hilite' color for text is set in the 'Display Properties' dialog box of Windows or in the Macintosh 'Control Panels'.
Should read: Director uses hilighting colors depending on the movie's palette, and on the backcolor and the forecolor(s) of the chunk (part) of the field that is being hilited.
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idleReadChunkSize
5.0 ERRORs:
a) The Dictionary's syntax: 'the idleReadChunkSize of member whichcastMember'. But that produces an error alert!
Correct syntax: 'the idleReadChunkSize', as this is a basic property for Director, and not a property of a member.
b) The Dictionary does NOT mention the default size for the movie property 'the idleReadChunkSize'.
Should read: The default setting for 'the idleReadChunkSize' (for castMembers included in the idle preload queue) is 32,768 bytes (32k): 'put the idleReadChunkSize -- 32768'.
[Top]
ilk()
5.0 ERROR:
The Dictionary states that the 'ilk()' function accepts the type '#linearlist' for points and rects.
Should read: The type '#linearlist' is only correct for pure linear lists, NOT for points and rects (they check ok for the common type '#list').
[Top]
inflate()
5.0 ERROR:
The Dictionary's second example 'inflate(rect(0,0,100,100) -10, -10)' is FALSE, instead it should read: 'inflate(rect(0,0,100,100) +10, +10)', because the example increases the width and the height of the given rect by 20 pixels.
[Top]
ink of sprite
5.0 ERRORs:
a) The Dictionary's first example mixes up 'sprite (i + 1)' and 'sprite 3', and gets weird with 'the ink effect of sprite property'.
b) God knows why the Dictionary's "See Also" mentions 'the foreColor of sprite'... ;)
[Top]
installMenu
5.0 ERROR:
The Dictionary: '...using the number of member property to refer to the field cast member: installMenu member "Menubar".'
Nice try, but what happened to 'the number of member' in that passage...? ;) See 'menu' for more confusion... ;)
New in the '501 ReadMe':
When using 'installMenu whichMenuFieldMember' on Windows, NOT all of the special characters mentioned in the docs are supported, such as custom accelerator keys, separator lines, and certain styles like bold and outline.
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intersect()
5.0 ERROR:
The Dictionary: '...the rectangled formed where rectangle intersects rectangle Ramp'.
Should read: '...the rectangled formed where rectangle TOOLKIT intersects rectangle Ramp', given the two variables 'Toolkit' and 'Ramp' are valid rectangles.
[Top]
item...of
5.0 ERROR:
The Dictionary's example tries to retrieve a fifth item, although there are only four in the given string. Black it out, because then the following paragraph has it right.
[Top]
lineHeight of member
5.0 ERRORs, corrected in Macromedia's TechNote 3155:
a) You can set a field's 'lineHeight of member' property with Lingo, but you will NOT retrieve its new value with Lingo; the value indicated by this property is always the default 'lineHeight' of that field or line at the given font size.
b) Setting a field's 'lineHeight' property with Lingo does NOT persist across sessions: If you set the 'lineHeight' property of a field or line with Lingo, save the movie and quit Director, then re-open that movie, the previous set lineHeight will be back at the default value according to the given font size. Use some Lingo in your 'on startMovie' to on-the-fly adjust the 'lineHeight' property of the fields you want to display on stage with different settings.
c) Custom 'lineHeight' values do not combine well with scrolling fields on Windows.
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loc of sprite
5.0 ERROR:
The Dictionary: 'This property determines the stage coordinates of the specified sprite.'
Should read: 'This property determines the stage coordinates of THE REGISTRATION POINT OF THE MEMBER of the specified sprite on stage'. The "stage coordinates of the specified sprite" are given in 'the rect of sprite'.
[Top]
me
5.0 ERROR:
The Dictionary's example misses the point: 'set myBird1 to new(script "Bird")'. Can you see a 'me' in there? ;)
Should read: The 'on new' handler in the mentioned parent sript "Bird" WOULD use the 'me' keyword to return the (memory) address of the created object back to the caller in the following way:
on new me return me end new[Top]
member of sprite
New in the '501 ReadMe':
This sprite property is missing from the docs: 'the member of sprite channelNumber' indicates in one expression both the member's castLib-internal number and the number of the castLib that member is in, example: '(member 205 of castLib 3)'. For more info, see Macromedia TechNotes TN#3184 'Member vs. Membernum' and TN#3187 'Director 5 and the mouseCast', and see 'castNum'.
[Top]
memberNum of sprite
New in the '501 ReadMe':
The 'memberNum of sprite' property only indicates the sprite member's castLib-internal number (ie 1 to 32,000); it does NOT refer to its castLib number. When you want to set 'the memberNum of sprite' to a member from a different castLib, you need to adjust 'the castLibNum of sprite' to avoid a destruction of castLib links. For more info, see Macromedia TechNotes TN#3184 'Member vs. Membernum' and TN#3187 'Director 5 and the mouseCast', and see 'castNum'.
[Top]
menu
5.0 ERRORs:
a) The Dictionary: 'You refer to a particular menu definition by its cast member NAME or number', but that is opposed to the "Learning Lingo" handbook on page 115: 'Note: ...you must refer to the cast member by number - NOT by name'. Haven't yet tried it out myself, but it seems to be that way, because the Dictionary's entry on 'installMenu' uses 'the number of member' property to install a field containing a 'menu' (but then again uses 'installMenu member "Menubar"' ;)).
b) The Dictionary: 'Special symbols should follow the item name, and precede the '~' symbol.'
Should read: 'Special CHARACTERS should follow the item name, and precede the '|' symbol.'
c) Correction from the '501 ReadMe': Custom menus on Windows do NOT support all of the special characters mentioned in the docs, such as custom accelerator keys, separator lines, and certain styles like bold and outline.
[Top]
mouseCast
5.0 ERROR, corrected in the '501 ReadMe':
When the mouse is NOT over any sprite (just over a plain part of the stage), the 'mouseCast' function returns -1, because then it's also not over any castMember. The returning value of -1 has been re-installed with the 501 update, it returned 0 in Director 5.0; this time the docs were quicker than the developers... Anyway: To be prepared for any future changes, just test 'if (the mouseCast < 1)' or 'if (the mouseCast > 0)'.
[Top]
mouseUp
5.0 ERRORs:
a) The Dictionary's second example: 'This statement has Lingo exit the repeat loop or handler... if the mouseUp then exit'.
Should read: 'if (the mouseUp) then exit REPEAT', which will quit only the repeat loop, because the command 'exit' will definitely quit the whole handler immediately.
b) The Dictionary's first example for 'mouseUp' is not fair: At least on Macintosh a repeat loop with a beep in it will queue up the beeps and drive another user of the program we all share crazy... ;
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moveableSprite of sprite
5.0 ERROR:
The "Learning Lingo" on page 78: 'The moveableSprite of sprite property applies only in the frame in which the command is used. The command has no effect after the playback head enters another frame or loops and re-enters the current frame.' Strange, eh?
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moveToBack/moveToFront [window]
6.0 ERROR, same in 5.0:
The Dictionary's example: "set myWind=getAt(the windowList,1) ... moveToBack myWind"
Should read: Forget that complicated construction; in this case just use 'moveToBack window 1' or 'moveToFront window 1'. But please do moveToBack your wind... ;)
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movieRate of sprite
5.0 ERROR:
On Windows, the 'movieRate of sprite' property of an .AVI video sprite is NOT reset to 0 when the video finishes playing or is stopped; therefore the 'movieRate' is not a reliable property to work with on Windows. (See 'the duration of member' for a workaround.)
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number of member
5.0 Dictionary Errors:
a) The Dictionary's example uses 'set the memberNum of sprite 1 to the number of member...'
Should read: 'set the castNum of sprite 1 to the number of member...', as is mentioned in the '501 ReadMe' and Macromedia TechNote TN#3184 'Member vs. Membernum' (see 'member of sprite' and 'memberNum of sprite').
b) The Dictionary: "When 'whichcastMember' is an integer..."
Should read: "The parameter 'whichcastMember' must be a castMember's name." If you use integer numbers, you don't get a useful result, try: 'put the number of member 884735 -- 884735', and add one more: 'put the number of member 884736 -- -32768'.
c) The Dictionary lists this property in the wrong order: It belongs to be listed after the doc entry 'the number of lines in'.
d) The Dictionary forgets to mention that this property reports -1 if the member by the given name does NOT exist.
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number of members
- 6.0 Dictionary Errors, same in 5.0:
- " This property indicates the number of the last cast member in the current movie. "
...should read:
" This property indicates the number of the last cast member in the ACTIVE CASTLIB. If no castLib is active, it indicates the number of cast members of the first internal castLib. "
...because that property doesn't do what Macromedia wants it to do (601 on Macintosh). :-(
The Dictionary's Example is worth NOTHING: It uses 'number of members of castLib', but that's supposedly a different property, documented on the same page in the Dictionaries.
" repeat with i = 1 to the number of members of castLib whichCast ... "
...in the Example should read:
" set x = the number of members of castLib whichCast
repeat with i = 1 to x ... "
...because that's quicker than getting the 'number of members of castLib...' again every cycle of the loop. Again: This is NOT an example for 'number of members'!
The 5.0 Dictionary lists this property together with 'number of member' in the wrong order: both belong after the entry 'number of lines in'.
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number of members of castLib
- 6.0 Dictionary Errors, same in 5.0:
- " This cast member property... "
...should read:
" This CASTLIB property... "
The Dictionary forgets to mention that the parameter 'whichCast' can be the name OR the number of the addressed internal or external castLib.
" repeat i with i = 1 to... "
...in the Example should read:
" repeat with i = 1 to... "
...the 5.0 Dictionary starts "i = 0 ... repeat i to..."; what a shame!
" repeat ... to the number of members of castLib... "
...in the Example should read:
" set x = the number of members of castLib...
repeat with i = 1 to x ... "
...because that's quicker than getting the 'number of members of castLib...' again every cycle of the loop.
" put...(the type of member i of castLib...&&... "
...the Example misses closing parenthesis; should read:
" put...(the type of member i of castLib...) &&... "
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offset(string)
5.0 ERROR:
Small typo in the Dictionary: 'This function gives the first place that THE first character...occurs...' ;)
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on enterFrame
New in the '501 ReadMe':
You CANNOT use score recording ('beginRecording...endRecording') in an 'on enterFrame' handler. I would never dare to myself ;), but I guess what would happen is: When your handler with the score recording code finishes, Director would immediately generate an 'exitFrame' event. That would NOT leave it up to YOU to decide what to do and where to go after your recording session, because Lingo would go and look for an 'on exitFrame' to execute, or leave the frame. So remember to have score recording sessions only in 'on exitFrame' handlers or in movie or object scripts.
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on mouseUp
5.0 ERROR:
The Dictionary's example: 'set the memberNum of sprite 10 to the number of member "Dimmed"'.
Should read: 'set the CASTNUM of sprite 10 to the number of member "Dimmed"', because 'the memberNum' works only intra-castLib. If the member "Dimmed" is in a different castLib than the original castMember of sprite 10, the linkage information to that (external) castLib might be destroyed. See the 'Lingo User's Journal' May 1996, Macromedia TechNotes TN#3184 'Member vs. Membernum', and also 'memberNum'.
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on resizeWindow
6.0 ERROR, same in 5.0:
The Dictionary's example: "on resizeWindow centerPlace .. set the loc of sprite 3 to centerPlace .. end"
Should read: To my knowledge, NONE of Director's event handlers accepts any arguments passed in. In this context it's even worse: Where the heck should this event handler get its argument from when the window has been resized by the user and the event is automatically sent? I guess, 'centerPlace' was meant to be a global variable... This same bad example is also used in the Dictionary's entry for 'on zoomWindow'.
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on startMovie
5.0 ERROR:
The Dictionary: 'This event handler contains statements that are activated after the movie preloads cast members...'
Should read: "This event handler contains statements that are activated after the movie preloads castLibs that are set to 'Preload: Before Frame One', and after the first frame is displayed, or the targeted frame if you are coming from another movie..."
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on stepFrame
New in the '501 ReadMe':
The 'stepFrame' event message is missing from the docs, but it's still valid in Director 5, and 'on stepFrame me' handlers of child objects in 'the actorList' are served with the 'stepFrame' event at every single update of the stage.
5.0 ERROR in the '501 ReadMe':
'Objects in the actorList receive a stepFrame message ... at each frame advance.'
Should read: The child objects you add into 'the actorList' receive that 'stepFrame' event at EVERY update of the stage, including 'updateStage' and 'go someFrame' commands (see 'updateStage' for a workaround).
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on zoomWindow
6.0 ERROR, same in 5.0:
The Dictionary's example: "on zoomWindow centerPlace .. set the loc of sprite 3 to centerPlace .. end"
Should read: To my knowledge, NONE of Director's event handlers accepts any arguments passed in. In this context it's even worse: Where the heck should this event handler get its argument from when the window has been zoomed by the user and the event is automatically sent? I guess, 'centerPlace' was meant to be a global variable... This same bad example is also used in the Dictionary's entry for 'on resizeWindow'.
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paramCount()
5.0 ERRORs:
a) The Dictionary's syntax: 'the paramCount', but its example uses 'paramCount()'.
Should read: Appearently both expressions work.
b) The Dictionary's "See Also" should mention 'param()'.
[Top]
pause
5.0 ERROR, corrected in the '501 ReadMe':
The explanation for the 'pause' command mentions the 'perFrameHook', but that is no longer supported and should be ignored.
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perFrameHook
5.0 ERROR, corrected in the '501 ReadMe':
The 'perFrameHook' property is no longer supported in Director 5 and should be ignored (it was once used when exporting Director movies to a video recording machine).
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picture of member
5.0 ERRORs:
a) The Dictionary's example will NOT work: it has the words 'member' missing twice.
Should read: 'set the picture of MEMBER whichcastMember = the picture of MEMBER whichcastMember'.
b) The Dictionary's "See Also" mentions 'the type of sprite property', but what does a sprite have to do with the 'picture of member', except displaying it on stage? I guess, if the type of the 'picture of member' changes (e.g. from bitmap to rich text), the 'type of sprite' will too. But then again, according to the Dictionary the different types of sprites are no longer used in Director 5 Lingo, only during score recording to delete an existing sprite by setting its 'type of sprite = 0' (see 'type of sprite' for info).
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pictureP()
5.0 ERROR:
The Dictionary's states: '...you must test whether a cast member has a picture by checking the cast member's picture of member property.'
Should read: You CANNOT test 'the picture of member' of a castMember that has no 'picture', because that produces an error alert.
WORKAROUND:
The 'rect of member' of castMembers without a 'picture of member' property is 'rect(0,0,0,0)'. You can test if a member has a 'picture' with 'if NOT (the rect of member x = rect(0,0,0,0))'. Testing the 'rect of member' of an empty member slot AFTER the last castMember in a castLib produces an error alert. An empty member slot BEFORE the last member in a castLib might return a strange 'rect of member', like 'rect(373, -29664, 180, 22346)'. Well, at least happened to me... ;)
TIP: Equivalent to 'pictureP(x)' is 'ilk(x, #picture)'. You can also store 'the picture of member' into a variable, and then assign a castMember to it, but consider memory problems. See more tips at 'picture of member'.
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platform
5.0 ERROR, halfway corrected in the '501 ReadMe':
The Dictionary: 'This system property indicates which platform the movie is playing on.'
Should read: With 'Create Projector for: Windows 3.1' and the projector playing on Win95, the 'platform' property will still indicate 'Windows, 16'. With 'Create Projector for: Standard Macintosh' and the projector playing on a Power Macintosh, the 'platform' property will still indicate 'Macintosh, 68K'. Only 'Create Projector for: All Macintosh Models' will correctly indicate the Macintosh platform it is currently playing on (see Gretchen's 501 BugList for a nice little table).
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power()
5.0 ERRORs:
a) The Dictionary's example 'set vResult = power(4,3)' will work out as 'vResult = 64.0'.
b) The Dictionary forgets to mention that the 'power()' function ALWAYS returns a floating point number with one or two decimal place(s).
c) The Dictionary's "See Also" should mention 'sqrt()', and possibly 'the floatPrecision'.
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preLoadMode of castLib
- 6.0 Dictionary Error, same in 5.0:
- " ...same effect as setting Load Cast in the...dialog box. "
...should read:
" ...same effect as setting 'Preload:' in the...dialog box. "
- 5.0 Dictionary Error, corrected in 6.0:
- ' set the preLoadMode of castLib "Buttons" = TRUE '
...should read:
' set the preLoadMode of castLib "Buttons" = 1 '
...because this property takes a NUMERIC value between 0 and 2.
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preLoadMovie
5.0 ERROR:
The Dictionary: 'This command preloads the specified movie entirely into memory.'
Should read: 'preLoadMovie' will only preload the castMembers that are in the FIRST FRAME of the specified movie, plus any castLib of that movie which has a setting of 'Preload: Before Frame One' (in the 'Movie Cast' dialog box).
[Top]
preLoadRAM
5.0 ERROR:
The Dictionary forgets to mention: 'The DEFAULT setting for this system video property is FALSE (0).'
[Top]
property
New in the '501 ReadMe':
Remember: You CANNOT use 'put...into' to change properties, property variables, or values in property lists; for these you MUST use the 'set...to' command.
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puppetSound
5.0 ERROR:
The Dictionary: 'Use puppetSound to restore control of the sound channel to the score.'
Should read: 'Use puppetSound 0 to restore the control of the FIRST sound channel to the score.' You can also use 'puppetSound 1, 0' to de-puppetize the first sound channel.
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puppetTempo
5.0 ERROR:
The Dictionary: '...the maximum frames per second is 60.'
Should read: The maximum for 'puppetTempo' is 120 fps (frames per second), same as in the 'Frame Properties: Tempo' dialog box, so no problem to hurry things up a bit... ;).
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puppetTransition
5.0 ERROR:
The Dictionary: 'Transitions marked with an asterisk (*) in the table will not work on monitors that are set to 32 bits'. But the "Using Director" handbook states on page 86: 'bit and pixel dissolves do not work in 16-, 24-, and 32-bit environments.' My cross-platform experiences are that bit and pixel dissolves do work on 16-bit monitors.
[Top]
put
New in the '501 ReadMe':
Remember: You CANNOT use 'put...into' to change properties, property variables, or values in property lists; for these you MUST use the 'set' command.
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quickTimePresent
5.0 ERRORs:
a) The Dictionary: 'When the extension is not present, the quickTimePresent function is FALSE (1)'
Should read: '...is FALSE (0)'
b) The Dictionary's example: 'if the quickTimePresent = 1 then set the movieRate of sprite QTsprite.'
Should read: '...set the movieRate of sprite QTsprite = 1'.
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quit
5.0 ERROR:
a) The Dictionary's example: 'if the key = "q" and the commandDown then quit'.
Should read: This is only necessary if Lingo has set 'the exitLock = TRUE', because otherwise pressing the mentioned key combination will quit the projector or the Director program anyway... ;)
b) The "See Also" section in the Dictionary should mention the new command 'halt', which actually makes the 'quit' command obsolete. The 'halt' command works the same way as 'quit' does, except it does NOT quit the authoring evironment.
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randomSeed
5.0 ERROR:
Small typo in the Dictionary: 'This property specifies THE seed for generating random numbers'. ;)
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rect of member
New in the '501 ReadMe':
The 'rect of member' property of a bitmap, a pict, a field, a richText, a shape or button, a film loop, a digital video, or even for a movie member starts with position (0,0) at the left top corner of the graphic member's bounding rectangle. This used to be different in Director 4, where the starting position (0,0) of 'the rect of cast' was in the left top corner of the 'Paint Window' easle.
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repeat with...in ... end repeat
6.0 ERROR, same in 5.0:
The Dictionary's example: "repeat with x in [1,2,3,4] .. put i .. end repeat"
Should read: "repeat with x in [1,2,3,4] .. put X .. end repeat"
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score
5.0 ERROR:
The Dictionary's example: 'set the score to media of member "Waterfall".'
Should read: 'set the score to THE media of member "Waterfall"'.
TIP: A useful EXAMPLE for the 'score' property can be found at Gretchen's 501 BugList.
[Top]
scoreColor of sprite
5.0 ERROR:
The Dictionary: '...can be tested but not set.'
Should read: You CAN set 'the scoreColor of sprite' during score recording.
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scriptNum of sprite
5.0 ERROR:
The Dictionary: '...can be tested, but not set.'
Should read: You CAN set 'the scriptNum of sprite' during score recording.
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scriptType of member
5.0 ERRORs:
a) The Dictionary: 'Possible values are #MOVIE, #SPRITE, #FRAME, and #PARENT.'
Should read: The 'scriptType of member' only returns one of the three types that are also shown in the script's 'Cast Member Properties' dialog box:
-- #movie
-- #score
-- #parent
b) The Dictionary titles this property 'scriptType of script', but you CANNOT use the expression '...of script'; you have to use 'the scriptType of MEMBER scriptNameOrNumber' instead.
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scrollByLine()
5.0 ERROR:
The Dictionary's second example should read: 'This statement scrolls the field member "Today's News" up ONE line', because the example 'scrollByLine member "Today's News", -1' uses a value of -1, not of -5!
[Top]
scrollByPage()
5.0 ERROR:
According to Gretchen's 501 BugList, if you scroll backwards by page in a field using 'scrollByPage member whichMember, -1', the field will actually scroll backwards a page length PLUS 1 line (at least on Macintosh).
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searchPath
5.0 ERRORs:
a) The Dictionary: 'This function provides a list of the pathnames that are searched when Director resolves filenames.'
Should read: The 'searchPath' function (or is it actually a property?) is an empty linear list ([ ]), until you 'add' any absolute pathnames as strings into it by yourself. Macromedia's Tech Note #3125 'Using the searchPath in Director': 'Absolute Pathnames are Lingo strings which contain all path information from the root of a device down to the named file. The Lingo function 'the moviePath' returns an absolute pathname of the currently loaded movie, in the format of the platform where the movie is currently playing.'
b) The Dictionary gives the impression of 'the searchPath' being different from 'the searchPaths' property, but that's NOT true: 'the searchPath' is identical to 'the searchPaths' and addresses the identical list; changing one of the properties will change the other one imminently too.
c) The Dictionary's 'Example 3' for Macintosh has the delimiting comma and the third necessary quotes missing, the given 'searchPath' should read: '["hard drive:director:projects", "cdrom:sources"]'.
[Top]
searchPaths
5.0 ERROR:
The 'searchPaths' property is absolutly identical to 'the searchPath' (see 'searchPath').
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send
God knows what to where...
5.0 ERROR:
The 'send' command has no help info and no entry anywhere in the docs. If you happen to see it listed in Director's online 'Lingo Menu': return it back to sender... ;)
TIP: You can use the undocumented 'send' command to call handlers in other scripts: 'send #mouseDown(script "Button Actions", possibleParameters)', but this is actually the same as just using: 'mouseDown(script "Button Actions", possibleParameters)', which is also used by the 'new(script...)' birthing method of Lingo objects.
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shapeType of member
5.0 ERROR:
The Dictionary's example: 'set shapeType of member 100 = #oval'. Should read: 'set THE shapeType of member 100 = #oval'. Beware of using absolute member numbers, better to use 'the number of member memberName'!
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selection
5.0 ERROR:
This function (or is it actually a property?) does not work the way it should: sometimes 'the selection' returns an additional (null) character inside the selected portion of the focused editable field. I've seen this happen, too, although it lately works ok on my Mac 68K, but see more at Gretchen's 501 BugList.
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setaProp()
5.0 ERROR:
The Dictionary: 'setaProp x, #c, 10' Should read: 'setaProp NEWLIST, #c, 10', because 'newList' is the used example list. (And there's also a typo before that in 'These statements ... add(s) the item #c:10 to the list').
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setAt()
5.0 ERROR:
The Dictionary: 'If the list contains fewer items than the position...Lingo gives a script error' ("index out of range").
Should read: That is only true for PROPERTY lists; LINEAR lists will react to the index being out of range like the Dictionary say above that statement: '...the [linear] list is expanded with blank entries', which means that new entries with the value of 0 are added before the new entry position, delimited by commas.
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sound playFile
5.0 ERROR:
The Dictionary: '...using the sound playFile command when playing digital video...'
Should read: On Windows, Director CANNOT play audio sound together with video or with audio-only QuickTime at the same time!
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soundLevel
5.0 ERRORs:
a) The Dictionary only mentions "Macintosh's speaker"... ;)
b) The Dictionary dares to say: 'Now that Macintosh computers can produce multichannel sound...'
Should read: 'Now that finally WINDOWS computers can...' Indication of Macromedia being 'gated'? ;)
c) The Dictionary: '...this property is becoming obsolete.'
Should read: Although 'the soundLevel' has its restricted levels from 0 to 7 (yes, Macintosh ;) ), it is still Director's general sound volume control. If you only set 'the volume of sound soundChannelNumber' instead, you will for instance NOT change the volume of a video sprite.
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sprite...within
5.0 ERROR:
The Dictionary's example: '...checks wether two sprites intersect...'
Should read: '...checks wether the first sprite lies entirely inside the second sprite...'. The 'sprite x intersects y' test is a different thing.
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stage
main movie window object
- Missing from the Dictionaries 4.0 - 6.0:
- " The object 'the stage' is a 'window' and has some of the common 'window' properties, like 'the drawRect / fileName / name / rect / titleVisible / visible / windowType of the stage'. Also some of the 'window' commands can be used with 'the stage': 'close the stage' and 'open the stage' (including 'closeWindow' and 'openWindow' events), or 'moveToBack' and 'moveToFront' the stage'. "
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startTime of sprite
undocumented video sprite property
New in the '501 ReadMe':
The 'startTime of sprite' was available in Director 4 and is still valid and necessary in 501, although it's missing in the docs: It determines at how many ticks into the digital video the specified video sprite will start to play. Do NOT use 'trackStartTime(sprite)' or 'trackStartTime(member)' for this purpose, those are different properties, will only deal with a specified single track of the video, and CANNOT be set, and just forget what the "Learning Lingo" tells you about it! The same applies to the undocumented property 'the stopTime of sprite'.
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stopTime of sprite
undocumented video sprite property
New in the '501 ReadMe':
The 'stopTime of sprite' was available in Director 4 and is still valid and necessary in 501, although it's missing in the docs: It determines at how many ticks into the digital video the specified video sprite will stop playing. Do NOT use 'trackStopTime(sprite)' or 'trackStopTime(member)' for this purpose, those are different properties, will only deal with a specified single track of the video, and CANNOT be set, and just forget what the "Learning Lingo" tells you about it! The same applies to the undocumented property 'the startTime of sprite'.
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string()
5.0 ERRORs:
a) The Dictionary's example forgets to show the result of 'put string(2+2)' as '-- "4" '.
b) The Dictionary's example: 'This statement converts the symbol #red to a string: put string(123) -- "123" '
Should read: That's a different example. It should read: 'put string(#red) -- "red" '.
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tell...to
6.0 ERRORs, partly the same in 5.0:
a) The Dictionary's syntax: "tell object to statement(s) ".
Should read: "tell object to statement ". If a single line is used for the 'tell...to' command, only ONE statement is possible. Also prefer to not have one MIAW 'tell' another MIAW, instead have windowObject1 'tell the stage to tell windowObject2 to...'.
b) The Dictionary: "...by sending a value back to the movie."
Should read: "...by 'returning' a value back to the movie, which can then be tested in 'the result'." A more easier way is to put the value or some text into a global variable, which then can be read by 'the stage' and other MIAW's as well.
c) The Dictionary: "...identifies the window by using the full pathname or its number in 'the windowList'."
Should read: "...identifies the window by using its name, which can be its full pathname, or its number in 'the windowList'."
d) The Dictionary: "...it's a good idea to store the full pathname as a global variable".
Should read: "...it's a good idea to store the complete windowObject as a global variable", or at least: "...to store the window's NAME as a global variable", because 'the name of window' doesn't NEED to be its movie name.
e) The Dictionary's last example does NOT cause a window "Control Panel" to do anything, it just tells the window "Simulation" to act: 'tell window "Simulation" to go to frame "Save" '.
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"textAlign/textFont/textHeight/textSize/textStyle of field"
These outdated Director 4 field property names are listed in Director 5 as the member properties:
'the alignment/font/lineHeight/fontSize/fontStyle of member'.
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timer
5.0 ERROR:
The Dictionary: 'set the timer = startTicks'
Should read: That does NOT really make sense (although it works), and it should be the other way round: 'set vStartTicks = the timer'.
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timeoutLapsed
5.0 ERROR:
The Dictionary: 'The timeoutLapsed property can be tested, but not set directly in Lingo.'
Should read: You can test AND set 'the timeoutLapsed', no problem.
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top of sprite
5.0 ERRORs:
a) The Dictionary: "The coordinate is the number of pixels from the upper left corner of the stage."
Should read: "The value indicates the DISTANCE in pixels from the TOP of the stage." (Can a single number be a 'coordinate'? <g>)
b) The Dictionary: "...can be set with the spriteBox command."
Should read: "...can be set with the spriteBox command, when 'the stretch of sprite' is set to TRUE."
c) The Dictionary's "See Also" gets confused about "locH left of sprite, of sprite".
Should read: "See Also: ...locH of sprite, left of sprite'. And it should mention the 'stretch of sprite' and the 'rect of sprite'.
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trace
6.0 ERRORs, same in 5.0:
a) The Dictionary doesn't explain what happens when 'the trace' is on.
Should read: The 'Learning Lingo' 6.0 on page 53: "The Message window, when tracing is on, displays a record of the frames that play and the handlers that run in the movie."
b) The Dictionary's "See Also" should mention 'the traceLoad' and 'the traceLogFile', because those properties enable more/different debugging. These cross-references as well as the default values are missing from the Dictionary's entries on 'traceLoad' and 'traceLogFile' as well.
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traceLoad
6.0 ERRORs, same in 5.0:
a) The Dictionary doesn't explain where "the amount of information" is displayed when 'the traceLoad' is on: In Director's Message window, unless a string name for 'the traceLogFile' has been specified.
b) The Dictionary doesn't mention the default setting for 'the traceLoad': FALSE (0).
c) Typo in the Dictionary: "The traceLoad property can BE tested and set."
d) The Dictionary's "See Also" should mention 'the trace' and 'the traceLogFile', because those properties enable more/different debugging. These cross-references as well as the default values are missing from the Dictionary's entries on 'trace' and 'traceLogFile' as well.
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trackEnabled(sprite)
5.0 ERROR:
The Dictionary: 'This property can be tested and not set.'
Should read: You can test AND set 'trackEnabled(sprite)', as is mentioned on page 109 of the "Learning Lingo" handbook. Why else should it have that name?
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trackStartTime(sprite/member)
5.0 ERRORs:
a) The Dictionary: 'This sprite property gives the starting time of a digital video movie.'
Should read: 'This FUNCTION gives the starting time of a specified TRACK OF a digital video movie'.
b) Correction in the '501 ReadMe': Use 'the startTime of sprite' to test and set the starting point for a video sprite. Do NOT use 'trackStartTime(sprite)' or 'trackStartTime(member)', those are different properties, which will only deal with a specified single track of the video, and CANNOT be set, and just forget what the "Learning Lingo" tells you about it (applies to 'trackStopTime(sprite/member)' as well)! Use 'the startTime of sprite' to test and set the beginning point for a video sprite (see 'startTime of sprite').
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trackStopTime(sprite/member)
5.0 ERROR, corrected in the '501 ReadMe':
Do NOT use 'trackStopTime(sprite)' or 'trackStopTime(member)' to determine at how many ticks into the digital video the specified video sprite will stop its playing, those are different properties, which will only deal with a specified single track of the video, and CANNOT be set, and just forget what the "Learning Lingo" tells you about it (applies to 'trackStartTime(sprite/member)' as well)! Use 'the stopTime of sprite' to test and set the ending point for a video sprite (see 'stopTime of sprite').
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trails of sprite
60 ERROR, same in 5.0:
The given settings for 'the trails of sprite' should be (also) named TRUE or FALSE (instead of 1 or 0, which is identical), because 'trails' can only be turned ON or OFF for a sprite on stage.
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type of member
5.0 ERROR:
The Dictionary forgot to list the type '#empty'. If you test 'the type of member nameOrNumber [of castLib libNameOrNumber]', and there's no member with the given name or number, its type will return '#empty'.
New in the '501 ReadMe':
For movies created in Director 5, 'the type of member' returns '#field' for fields and '#richText' for richText members. However, fields originally created in Director 4 still return '#text' for their 'type of member'. Take this into consideration when working with updated Director 4 movies.
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union()
5.0 ERROR:
The Dictionary: 'Syntax: union rect rect1, rect2'.
Should read: 'Syntax: union(rect1, rect2)'.
This function definitely needs parenthesis, and it will NOT accept the additional word 'rect' (the Dictionary's example uses the correct syntax).
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updateFrame
5.0 ERROR:
The Dictionary's example: 'set the type of sprite 20 to 1', but what would this be needed for? It's opposed to what the Dictionary says about 'the type of sprite' NOT being needed anymore. The Dictionary doesn't say much about this anyway, in earlier versions 'type 1' was used for a bitmap sprite (see info at 'type of sprite').
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updateMovieEnabled
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- 5.0 Dictionary Error, cleared in 6.0:
- Missing:
" You can test and set 'the updateMovieEnabled', its default is FALSE (0). "
...means that your movies will NOT automatically save themselves out when castMembers or the score have been changed during run-time.
The Dictionary forgets to mention if the saving inlcudes compacting the movie and its castLibs, or not. And remember: URL-linked files can create problems when being saved.
The Dictionary's Example for 'updateMovieEnabled' is doubled, delete the second.
updateStage
5.0 ERROR, corrected in the '501 ReadMe':
The explanation for the 'updateStage' command mentions the 'perFrameHook', but that property is no longer supported and should be ignored.
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version
5.0 ERROR:
The Dictionary should read: "The global variable 'version' shows the same string THAT appears IN the 'Finder's Get Info' dialog box on the Macintosh".
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videoForWindowsPresent
5.0 ERROR:
The Dictionary's example: 'if the videForWindows = FALSE then go to...' (yes: "videForWindows"!).
Should read: 'if the videoForWindowsPresent = FALSE then go to...'
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visible of sprite
5.0 ERROR:
The possible settings for 'the visible of sprite' should be named FALSE or TRUE, instead of 0 and 1 (which is identical), because the 'visible' can either be turned off or back on for a sprite on stage.
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windowList
6.0 ERROR, same in 5.0:
The Dictionary: "This property is a list of all the known movie windows."
Should read: Only movies-in-a-window (MIAW's) created by Lingo are in this global LINEAR list (in the form of windowObject expressions), but the stage itself -- which actually is a 'window' too -- is not by default included in 'the windowList'. This Lingo system property is NOT cleared by 'clearGlobals'. Setting 'the windowList = [ ]' will 'forget' and delete ALL windows, unless there's a copy of that windowObject in some variable of yours!
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windowType of window
6.0 ERROR, same in 5.0:
The Dictionary lists the window types of 0, 1, 2, 3 ,4 , 5, 8 ,12, 16, and 49, but forgets to include the type -1, which is the DEFAULT type for a newly created MIAW (in contradiction to what the 6.0 'Learning Lingo' says about 0 being the default type, although -1 and 0 seem to be the same 'window' type). Also type 5 does NOT function (at least on Macintosh). The 5.0 Dictionary is even worse: "Possible values...0 to 16". If you use another number for 'windowType' than the ones I mention, Director will pick one of the possible types. On Macintosh only, there are ways of adding special windoid types (WDEF) to the resources of your projector.
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