ShowMessage v1.1
Copyright (c)1992 by Bill Aycock


ShowMessage is a small desk accessory that displays the GEM messages it
receives.  It is intended to help programmers debug applications that send
or receive messages through the GEM message pipe.  ShowMessage runs on any
ST or TT in any resolution, and uses under 3K of memory.

Install ShowMessage as a resident desk accessory.  (It will also run as a
normal program, an AUTO PRG, or a non-resident ACC, but it will just tell
you it can't do anything. :-)  If the application you're testing uses an
appl_find call to determine the destination of a message, remember that you
may need to rename ShowMessage to ensure it receives the proper messages.

After ShowMessage is installed, choose the ShowMessage item from the Desk
menu.  You'll see an alert that displays ShowMessage's appl_id and shows
the contents of the AC_OPEN message it has received.  The alert's two exit
buttons let you turn ShowMessage on or off.  The default exit button shows
you the current state (off, when you first select ShowMessage).

When ShowMessage is on, every time it receives a GEM message (other than
an AC_OPEN message), it displays, in the lower left corner of your screen,
the hex values of the 16 message bytes.  (On large-screen monitors, the
display will be in the middle left of the screen.  Send me your monitor for
awhile, and I'll be glad to fix this. :-)  The GEM message type, sender's
appl_id, number of extra bytes in the message (e.g., those past the 16th),
and the other five words of the message are shown.  If the message is a
normal GEM message (or a Whatis or Cal v6 message), the message type is
also shown in text form.

ShowMessage then pauses for 30 seconds (or until you press any key) to
give you time to write down the information if you wish.


Notes:

ShowMessage will not respond to the messages it receives.  If your
application sends a message, then waits for a return message without
allowing for a timeout, the application will wait forever.  Also,
ShowMessage will not read any extra bytes of a message (those past the
16th) from the GEM message pipe.  If either restriction presents a problem
for you, let me know and I'll update this program accordingly.


      Bill Aycock
      18 April 1992
