* Learning LUA

[David2416]

I have been looking at The Finished Example (https://fhug.org.uk/kb/kb-article/iup-g ... -and-tips/)

It's not quite finished as these two lines need adding:
1. require("iuplua");
2. iup.SetGlobal("CUSTOMQUITMESSAGE","YES");

I have two/three questions:
1. If line two is omitted, then when run from the Run command it crashes FH. Is it known why?

2. dlg = iup.dialog followed by dlg:show() is used to get user input whereas in Norman's Probate plugin
local r = fh.getParam is used. I guess that this is using the fhUtils library. What are the implications of each approach?

Or perhaps where can I find guidance on this?

Thanks

David

[ColeValleyGirl]

1. If line two is omitted, then when run from the Run command it crashes FH. Is it known why?

It's an interaction between FH and IUP -- the standard IUP behaviour causes problems for FH.

2. dlg = iup.dialog followed by dlg:show() is used to get user input whereas in Norman's Probate plugin
local r = fh.getParam is used. I guess that this is using the fhUtils library. What are the implications of each approach?

fh.getParam question (19055) is relevant. My summary there:

Joop, in V6 fhUtils didn't exist and many of us got used to the idiosyncrasies of iup, but it has always been a royal pain in the backside to use, even for simple purposes. fh.getParam is a way of hiding the complexity (once you've done the initialisation step) and creating simple table-driven interfaces.

If you need a more complex dialog, you'll probably need to get to grips with it at some point, but for people who are writing simple plugins, fhGetparams allows them to focus on the logic of what they're trying to achieve, not jumping through the iup hoops. I've found it an enormous timesaver when writing DEAs, and I've generated some pretty complex interfaces in the past.

[David2416]

Helen, thank you for your reply. Gives me some insight.

[David2416]

I am endeavouring to create a rich text hyperlink to a source note.
Currently I am coding

AddInfo(sourcePtr,"NOTE2","<web=\""..fld.."\">")

This generates a note as required

Screenshot 2022-11-07 075812.jpg

To get it to show as rich text I have to check the box in the screen below

Screenshot 2022-11-07 172536.jpg

I am clearly missing something; I have tried richTextRecordLink (ptr, text) and richTextReplace (s, old, new) in the FHUtils.lua file and also at Mike Tate's Move Note URL to Rich Text Web Link and tried fhSetValueAsRichText failing to get the desired result. I cannot find any documentation for fhSetValueAsRichText?

I would very much appreciate some guidance, please.

Thank you

[tatewise]

All the relevant advice is in the How to Write Plugins help pages.

Under The Family Historian API > Function Index, you'll find fhSetValueAsRichText among the other fhSetValueAs... functions and is crucial in creating a Rich Text Note instead of a plain text Note.

Under The Family Historian API > Rich Text Syntax there are examples of creating Rich Text.

Presumably, AddInfo(...) is a function you have created as it is not a standard API function, which internally needs to create a Rich Text Object and use fhSetValueAsRichText. It would help to see the script of that function to give detailed advice. I suspect you are using fhSetValueAsText and maybe not even creating a Rich Text Object.
richTextRecordLink(...) and richTextReplace(...) are nothing to do with rich text web links.

[David2416]

Thank you Mike for that guidance , I will look at those references and how I get on. I quite enjoy the challenge of getting things working.
As you suspectedAddInfo is using fhSetValueAsText. Clearly not a Rich Text Object

The next step is to add a Media Record, but one step at a time.

[David2416]

All the relevant advice is in the How to Write Plugins help pages.

Under The Family Historian API > Function Index, you'll find fhSetValueAsRichText among the other fhSetValueAs... functions and is crucial in creating a Rich Text Note instead of a plain text Note.

Under The Family Historian API > Rich Text Syntax there are examples of creating Rich Text.

Now I have found that, it's obvious; I first Googled "The Family Historian API" which led me to https://www.family-historian.co.uk/help ... pi/api.htm.

Now I have also found it by Clicking "How to Write Plugins" in the Plugin Screen right at the end of the first page. And the Context and Index tabs.

Thank you again for pointing it out to me.

[tatewise]

Also, when editing a Plugin script, use the Help menu that links to the same Plugin Help & API as well as Lua and IUP guides.

The available Help is also identified in the FHUG KB advice on Getting Started Writing Plugins.

[David2416]

Brilliant, Thanks again.
Progress made, working link with preamble and postscript:

Screenshot 2022-11-08 100848.jpg

Still work to do to capture "Website Note Date Accessed" the "Further info section"

... and then the Image for Media tab, and error checking and etc. etc.

It is actually usable