[squeak-dev] How do I create a "synthetic" keyboard event?

Eduardo Ochs eduardoochs at gmail.com
Sun Feb 19 03:42:58 UTC 2023


Hi list,

this is a follow-up to these two messages:

http://lists.squeakfoundation.org/pipermail/squeak-dev/2023-February/223407.html
http://lists.squeakfoundation.org/pipermail/squeak-dev/2023-February/223408.html

The first one was a question that I asked, and the second was an
answer by Marcel Taeumel. I was able to decypher almost all his
pointers - but not yet this one:

  HandMorph >> #generateKeyboardEvent:

I am using this code:

  a := Array with: 50 at 100 with: 200 at 300 with: 100 at 400.
  b := (PolygonMorph
          vertices: a color: Color red
          borderWidth: 1 borderColor: Color black).
  World addMorph: b.

  b beSmoothCurve.
  b beStraightSegments.

  b vertices.
  b vertices at: 1.
  b vertices at: 1 put: 40 at 100.
  b vertices at: 1 put: 50 at 100.
  b vertices at: 1 put: 40 at 100. b computeBounds.
  b vertices at: 1 put: 50 at 100. b computeBounds.

  b color.
  b color: Color banana.
  b color: Color red.

  e := EventHandler new.
  b eventHandler.
  b eventHandler: nil.
  b eventHandler: e.

  bl := [ :a :b | { a . b }].
  bl := [ :a :b | Transcript show: { a . b }; cr. ].
  bl numArgs.
  bl value: 2 value: 3.
  bl perform: #value:value: with: 2 with: 3.

  bl := [ :evt :sm | Transcript show: { evt . sm }; cr. ].
  bl := [ :evt :sm | Transcript show: { evt keyValue . sm }; cr. ].
  bl := [ :evt :sm | self halt. ].
  e on: #keyStroke send: #value:value: to: bl.
  b currentHand newKeyboardFocus: b.

It is meant to be used in a workspace. By selecting the right parts of
it and running them with "do it"s or "print it"s in the right order I
can create a PolygonMorph, some EventHandlers, and some blocks, and
then I can make the PolygonMorph react to keyboard events in different
ways. The last line switches the keyboardFocus to my PolygonMorph, and
then I can send several keystroke events to my PolygonMorph, and
inspect their events either on the transcript or on the debugger.

Question: suppose that evt is an event whose printed representation is
this one:

  [79 at 273 keystroke ' ' (32) 956759]

I know that this means that:

  evt position -> 79 at 273
  evt type -> #keystroke
  evt keyValue -> 32
  evt keyCode -> 32
  evt source -> self currentHand
  evt timeStamp -> 956759

How do I write code that creates an event like that? I would like to
create, ahem, "synthetic keystrokes", and experiment with sending them
to certain morphs...

  Thanks in advance!
    Eduardo Ochs
    http://anggtwu.net/eev-squeak.html


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