Key command/s for non-default dialog button/s [newbie]

In most dialogs you can use the tab key to change focus (you get a glow ring around each button in turn). You can also use shift-tab to rotate through the buttons in reverse order.

Once you've focussed on the button you want you can press the space bar to 'click' that button.

Camelot's right, but either you're not implementing it correctly or not observing closely what's going on.

If you write this line of code:

display dialog "My dialog" buttons {"A","B","C") default button 1

you will get three buttons with "A" TOTALLY highlighted with a color (the color depending on appearance preferences, I think) and that highlighted button and ONLY that highlighted button will respond to the "RETURN" key. If you had written "default button 2," then "B" will be the highlighted button, and so on.

BUT to see clearly what can be done, and use Camelot's suggestion, write:

display dialog "My dialog" buttons {"A","B","C"} -- NO button will be totally highlighted, as no button has been specified as the default button

HOWEVER, if you now press tab (single presses) you will move a "halo" along from button to button, and the one with the halo will respond to the SPACE BAR. (Or, as Camelot said, you can move the "halo" in reverse order by pressing space and tab together.)

NOW, combine the two approaches. Specify the default button (which will respond to RETURN) and move the halo along with TAB (or SPACE/TAB); you'll see that the "halo" is distinct from the default highlighting, and the button with the halo will respond to the SPACE BAR.

Try it, you'll like it (maybe).

Lance,

No amount of tab clicking produces any halo on any button...

I'm not sure about Leopard, but this would be a prerequisite in Tiger:

Under System Preferences > Keyboard & Mouse > Keyboard Shortcuts, enable Full keyboard access by clicking the "All controls" radio button.

Regards, Andrew99

Hello

If you have only two buttons, you may try something like the following CODE 1 (for ApplesScript 1.10 or later). It will allow you to select button "B" by enter/return key and button "A" by escape key. (Note that you cannot make the cancel button the default button in this method.)

--CODE 1
return choose2("Choose A or B.", {"A", "B"}, 2)
on choose2(t, {a, b}, i)
(*
string t: dialogue text
string a, b: button names
integer i: default button's index in {a, b}
return string: name of button selected
* enter/return key invokes button i and escape key invokes another
*)
try
display dialog t buttons {a, b} default button i cancel button (i mod 2 + 1)
return button returned of result
on error number -128
return {a, b}'s item (i mod 2 + 1)
end try
end choose2
--END OF CODE 1



If you have more than two buttons, you may use 'choose from list' command like CODE 2. In AppleScript 1.10 or later, you can select a list item by typing the first few letters of its name. You may also use up and down arrow keys to navigate through the list. (After all, you need one key stroke (return/enter) to choose the default item, and two or more key strokes to choose the others.)

--CODE 2
return chooseN("Choose A or B or C", {"A", "B", "C"}, 2)
on chooseN(t, ll, i)
(*
string t: prompts
list ll : choices
integer i : default item's index in ll
return string : name of chosen item
*)
tell (choose from list ll default items (ll's item i as list) with prompt t)
if it is false then error number -128
return item 1
end tell
end chooseN
--END OF CODE 2

Hope this may be of some help,
H