This document covers the following topics:

• #DLG$PARENT

• #DLG$WINDOW

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#DLG$PARENT

You use this generated variable of type "user" to work with MDI child windows, for example. When you create a dialog, Natural generates this variable in order to hold the handle of the parent dialog. In event-handler code, you can, for example, use this variable to open an MDI child dialog from another MDI child dialog, as shown below.

Example:

OPEN DIALOG 'MDICHILD' #DLG$PARENT #CHILD-ID

#DLG$WINDOW

You use this generated variable to dynamically set the attributes within a dialog. When you create a dialog, Natural generates this variable in order to hold the handle of the dialog window. #DLG$WINDOW is the default name of this variable; you may change it by overwriting the Name entry in the upper left of the dialog's attributes window. In event-handler code, you can, for example, use this variable to minimize the dialog window if certain logical condition criteria are met, as shown below.

#DLG$WINDOW represents the graphical user interface aspects of a dialog, while the *DIALOG-ID system variable represents the runtime aspects. *DIALOG-ID must be used in OPEN DIALOG, CLOSE DIALOG and SEND EVENT statements.

Example:

... 
IF ... 
   #DLG$WINDOW.MINIMIZED := TRUE 
END-IF 
...