answer

Typecommand
DictionaryLCS
LibraryLiveCode Script
Syntax
answer [<iconType>] <prompt> [with <button1> [or <buttons>]] [titled <windowTitle>] [as sheet]
Summary

Displays a dialog box with a message and up to seven buttons.

Introduced1.0
Changes

The answer...as sheet form was introduced in version 2.0.

OSmac, windows, linux, ios, android
Platformsdesktop, mobile
Parameters
NameTypeDescription
iconType

Displayed on the left side of the dialog box. If you do not specify an icon, none is displayed.

information: Non-critical notification
question: Request for information from the user
error: Notification of error or failure condition
warning: Notification of unexpected or abnormal condition
prompt

The dialog box expands if necessary to fit the contents on desktops, display space on iOS and Android devices can be more restrictive and not provide enough space to expand sufficiently.

button1
buttons

Up to seven buttons can be specified, separated by the word "or". The buttons and the dialog box expand if necessary to fit the button names; the total number of characters in the buttons is limited only by the maximum dialog box size and the font size. Display space on iOS and Android devices can be more restrictive and not provide enough space to expand sufficiently. The last button you specify is the default button. Pressing Return or Enter is equivalent to clicking the default button. If you do not specify any button names, the dialog box contains a single OK button.

windowTitle

If specified, appears in the title bar of the dialog box. If you do not specify a windowTitle, the title bar is blank.

Example
answer "Go ahead?" with "Yes" or "No" or "Maybe"
answer information filesProcessed && "files were exported."
answer "Greetings!" with "Log In" or "Cancel" titled "Login"
answer the currPrompt of me with "OK" or "Cancel" as sheet
Values
NameTypeDescription
It

The name of the button the user chooses is placed in the it variable.

RelatedKeyword: gRevAppIcon, image, gRevProfileReadOnly, gRevSmallAppIcon
Property: HTMLText
Command: breakpoint, answer effect, answer page setup, answer color, answer printer, ask, answer file
Glossary: property, OS X, variable, message, modal dialog box, dialog box, command
Description

Use the answer command to get information or a confirmation from the user before continuing. The user must click one of the buttons to dismiss the dialog box.

The prompt can be either formatted text (in the htmlText property's format) or plain text. If the prompt contains <p> or a start/end tag pair, the answer command assumes the text is in the same format as the htmlText property. Otherwise, the answer command assumes the text is plain text.

The position and appearance of the dialog box varies between platforms. On Mac OS systems, the dialog box is centered on the screen; on Unix and Windows systems, the dialog box is centered over the active window. On Windows systems, the buttons are shown in reverse order (the first button is on the right side).

On OS X systems, the image specified in the gRevAppIcon variable appears as the application icon in the answer dialog box (unless the answer...as sheet form is used). If you specify an iconType, the image specified in the gRevSmallAppIcon variable is used instead, along with the special icon specified by the iconType.

If the as sheet form is used, the dialog box appears as a sheet on OS X systems. On other systems, the as sheet form has no effect and the dialog box appears normally. Attempting to open a sheet from within another sheet displays the second stack as a modal dialog box instead.

*Cross-platform note:* On OS X systems, there is no image for the question icon. Therefore, the information icon appears instead. In addition, the image specified by the gRevAppIcon keyword appears if you don't specify an iconType. If you specify an iconType, the image specified by the gRevSmallAppIcon keyword appears instead, along with the standard icon specified by the iconType. Android and iOS do not support iconType and 'as sheet'.

*Cross-platform note:* The order in which the buttons on the answer dialog appear is platform-dependent. On Windows and Unix systems, the default button is on the left. On Mac OS and OS X systems, to confirm with Apple human interaction guidelines, the default button is always on the right. On iOS and Android, the buttons usually appear from top to bottom.

*Cross-platform note:* Mobile does not support iconType and 'as sheet'.

The ability to provide formatted text for the prompt was introduced in version 2.0.