Short:    BOOPSI pop-up, cycle and button gadget
Author:   tanti@intercom.it (Massimo Tantignone)
Uploader: tanti@intercom.it (Massimo Tantignone)
Version:  40.12
Type:     dev/gui
Requires: AmigaOS 3.0+

select.gadget 40.12 (25.5.98) by Massimo Tantignone

The select.gadget is a shared library which, when opened, adds to the system
a public BOOPSI gadget class called "selectgclass". This class implements a
button-like selection gadget, with features similar to those of a traditional
GadTools cycle gadget, but with the additional ability to open, when pressed,
a pop-up menu which allows the user to pick his choice more easily.

The look and behavior of the gadget and its pop-up menu can be configured
using the attribute tags of the class.

The library is freeware; if you use it, you are allowed to distribute it
with your software.

Some highlights:

- A delay can be set for the appearance of the pop-up menu, allowing for a
  gadget which reacts like a normal cycle gadget upon "quick" clicks, and
  like a pop-up gadget if the mouse button is kept pressed a little longer.

- It is optionally possible to have a "sticky" pop-up menu which remains
  open when the mouse button is released.

- The gadget can be made "quiet", that is, the currently selected item can be
  not displayed. Useful to attach a small pop-up button to string gadgets.

- The gadget can be configured to always behave like a cycle gadget, and
  even like a plain button gadget.

- The gadget can broadcast changes in its value to target objects via the
  BOOPSI notification system.

- All changes done with SetGadgetAttrsA() to the gadget's position, size
  and look are visually executed in real-time.

- The gadget's dispatcher is able to swap the stack when needed.

- The gadget can be added to requesters and window borders.

- The pop-up menu can have a drop shadow.

- The gadget's "pop-up" symbol can be placed at the left side, at the right
  side, or it can also not appear at all; its width is also configurable.
  The gadget's default imagery for the symbol is fully scalable, and it can
  be replaced by the application with a custom image.

- The default values for unspecified attributes can be globally set by the
  user with an ASCII preferences file; the changes are applied in real-time
  (to gadgets created afterwards) via file notification.

Furthermore, the library offers some functions which allow to "transform"
a normal gadget into a custom gadget having (almost) the same features of
the "selectgclass" gadgets.

This way it's possible, for example, to create GadTools GENERIC_KIND gadgets
and turn them into pop-up gadgets, obtaining all the benefits of this type
of gadgets while also keeping the benefits of the GadTools automatic gadget
creation (and deletion) system.

Lastly, this gadget class supports VisualPrefs and takes full advantage of
the graphic enhancements it brings to the system.

Author:

Massimo Tantignone
Via Campagnoli, 4
28100 Novara (NO)
ITALY

E-mail: tanti@intercom.it