Bug 1410 – Mac: Can't open a modeless dialogue from a modal one.

••• Introduction •••
••• Keywords •••

Audacity 3.0.3 development began 19th April 2021

Audacity Bugzilla

Bug 1410 - Mac: Can't open a modeless dialogue from a modal one.


Summary:	Mac: Can't open a modeless dialogue from a modal one.

Status:	RESOLVED FIXED

Product:	Audacity
Classification:	Unclassified
Component:	User Interface
Version:	2.1.3
Hardware:	Per OS macOS

Importance:	P4 Repeatable
Assigned To:	Default Assignee for New Bugs

URL:
Keywords:	wx3

Depends on:
Blocks:
	Show dependency tree / graph

Reported:	2016-06-21 13:06 UTC by Gale Andrews
Modified:	2019-05-28 12:51 UTC (History)
CC List:	6 users (show)

See Also:
Steps To Reproduce:	1 In 2.1.2, use File > Import > Audio..., choose "All files" and select a text file or some app. 2 The "Error importing" dialog appears. Click the "?" button. 3 Click in the Help dialog that appears. There is only a ding sound.
Release Note:
First Git SHA:
Group:	---
Workaround:
Closed:	2019-05-28 00:00:00

Flags:	gale: Regression+ petersampsonaudacity: Test‑OK‑Mac+

Attachments
Add an attachment (proposed patch, testcase, etc.)

Note You need to log in before you can comment on or make changes to this bug.

Description Gale Andrews 2016-06-21 13:06:33 UTC

With the switch to wx3, we can't open a modeless dialogue from a modal one on Mac because the modeless dialogue does not accept mouse clicks. 

This has meant e.g. we can't, as we would prefer, open a modeless Help dialogue from Timer Record (bug 1407) or from the "Error importing" dialogue.

Comment 1 Paul L 2016-06-21 13:37:47 UTC

As titled, this bug can't be fixed unless wxWidgets is fixed.

Do you instead expect some code-arounds as for but 1407 to fix this specific occasion of the problem?

Comment 2 Paul L 2016-06-21 13:41:04 UTC

I need more exact steps to reproduce.  I get an error dialog with no ? button.

Comment 3 Paul L 2016-06-21 13:44:07 UTC

I do get such a dialog if I do File, Import... not Open as the steps say.

In 2.1.3 the ? now brings up a modal help dialog, because of my recent fixes.

In fact the comments and variable names in the code suggest that it was the original intention that this error dialog be modal, and the mistake was that it was not so in 2.1.2.

Comment 4 Paul L 2016-06-21 13:47:24 UTC

I just confirmed that on 2.1.1, this error dialog is modal and does not "ding."

I repeat, in this instance, it was not the intention to open a modeless dialog during a modal dialog.

And now the problem that was new in 2.1.2 is fixed in 2.1.3.

Comment 5 Gale Andrews 2016-06-21 14:57:18 UTC

Paul, I get the "?" button with Open or Import if I import a text file rather than an app, but I changed the steps to Import.

My intention is merely to log the bug so as to populate dependencies for bug 1405. I could (and almost did) call this an Enh.
   
I did not realise the help dialogue for error importing was actually modal in 2.1.1 but I don't think it changes anything. Without this bug, we would still today have modeless "Help on the Internet" presumably because someone wanted that. 

It looks like we need a policy on whether Help dialogues are modeless or not, and whether it should be different between opening from a menu or a dialogue and different according to the help contents. Unless the policy is never to have a modeless help dialogue open from a modal one, I would argue that this bug (or enh) stands.

Comment 6 Peter Sampson 2019-05-28 12:51:04 UTC

Testing on macOS 10.1.45 with 2.3.2

This works fine now - I get linked at Step 3 to the proper help page in the Manual "Importing Audio"