Ok, so i would write in the page-up hardkey only the call to the function like:

pagenumber++;
scheduleAfter(10, jumpto(pagenumber));


And on the activity level definde the actual function to make the page jump.

var jumppages = new array[];
var pagenumber = 0;

jumppages[0] = CF.widget("jump1", "hiddenpage", "mainactivity");
jumppages[1] = CF.widget("jump2", "hiddenpage", "mainactivity");
jumppages[2] = CF.widget("jump3", "hiddenpage", "mainactivity");


function jumpto(whichpage)
{
jumppages[whichpage].executeActions;
}


I think i start to understand why after reading this thread: [Link: remotecentral.com]

So it would be best to have only some basic switch statements etc. on the page level, and let them call the functions on activity level to avoid them getting reinitialized and defined every 100 milisec.


Unfortunately this example does not work as on the hardbuttons the variables defined in the activity are unknown. I get: ReferenceError: pagenumber is not defined

I guess this is again a stupid problem, but i do not see it. I have read chapter 6 and 7 of the Developers guide once more. as my pages are under the activity, the variables set should be visable on all the pages under that activity.
Doe the hard-key's in the activity not fall into the same scope ?

Part of the problem is you don't fully understand how scheduleAfter() works.

It takes 2 or more parameters....

Param 1. Millisecond time (must be > 0)
Param 2. Function previously defined or inline declared that will be executed.
Param 3. Optional First parameter to pass to function when invoked.
Param 4. Second parameter to pass... and so on.

You have:
scheduleAfter(10, jumpto(pagenumber));

which only defines the time and a function(). However, I suspect that when the function is called, pagenumber is out of scope because there is no current activity. That's why you are suspecting that scopes don't work. You are missing the parameter to pass in to the function. What I have defined below should work.

You can use a direct call as you suggest but I would recommend using CF.activity().scheduleAfter() to do this.

function jumpto(whichpage)
{
if (jumppages[whichpage])
CF.activity().scheduleAfter(5,function (w){w.executeActions();},jumppages[whichpage]);
}

This way, in a page script, you could also call the function if you needed to.

Then, in your hard key script...
pageNumber++;
jumpto(pagenumber);

Note that you HAVE A PROBLEM with this. What happens when you reach the end of the array? You have not written code to set the index back to 0.


With regard to variable scoping, the activity variables should be visible to the Hard Buttons in the current activity. You mention that you defined script for Hard Button Page Up. Where did you define this script? Home, target activity, or on System Page? It should be in the target activity where you coded page script above.

This is also a case where I am flying blind. You should use Diagnostics.log and try/catch to see where your real problem is if the above does not work. This is user error, not Pronto Error. I know many don't like to hear this but it is usually the case. I, too have errors every now and then that usually turn out to be stupid mistakes. Sometime I spend 3-4 hours trying to find them.

Good luck.

Thanks,

[quote]
With regard to variable scoping, the activity variables should be visible to the Hard Buttons in the current activity. You mention that you defined script for Hard Button Page Up. Where did you define this script? Home, target activity, or on System Page? It should be in the target activity where you coded page script above.
[/quote]

I did this in the same activity. I started a new config, made one device (my activity) and added 4 pages, made one hidden (named: hiddenpage) with 3 buttons (jump1, jump2 and jump3) on it with a normal jump action to the other 3 pages (named page1, page2 and page3)

In the property's of the device i had the following:

var pagenumber = 0;
var jumppages = new array[];
jumppages[0] = CF.widget("jump1", "hiddenpage", "mainactivity");
jumppages[1] = CF.widget("jump2", "hiddenpage", "mainactivity");
jumppages[2] = CF.widget("jump3", "hiddenpage", "mainactivity");
function jumpto(whichpage)
{
jumppages[whichpage].executeActions;
}

The hardkeys page-up and page-down i also did in the same propertys of the device as the above code is in. So thats why i thought i did it in the right scope.


I changed the function to your function and the hardkey script also, but get the same error (have a _PS_DEBUG_ panel on my page1, page2 and page3)
It does complain on the variabele pagenumber: "ProntoScript Error: ReferenceError: pagenumber is not defined Offending sctip: (untagged)"

According to the flanagan book (i bought it in the meanwhile) pagenumber is not a reserved word.

[quote]
Note that you HAVE A PROBLEM with this. What happens when you reach the end of the array? You have not written code to set the index back to 0.
[/quote]

I did realise that, but left that out to first see if i could jump from page 1 to page 2 and 3. I understand i would get an exception if i tried a indexnumer from the array without data.


[quote]
This is user error, not Pronto Error. I know many don't like to hear this but it is usually the case.
[/quote]

I am certain it is user error in my case. It is no problem to say that to me. I am here to learn.

If you want to email me a stripped-down config with ONLY the activity in question, I will have a look.

I will make recommendations based on what I see there.

My addy is on profile.

i did sent you the file, thanks.

You've got mail. You missed tagging page and jump buttons. Your activity has incorrect prontoname "main" and you have a syntax error declaring your array. This caused the activity to not initialize which means your pagenumber variable is never declared in the activity scope.

// The following line causes error which prevents activity from initializing properly. When this occurs, the pagenumber variable is never declared.


var jumppages = new array[];

should be either:

var jumppages = [];

or

var jumppages = new Array();

Like i wrote you back already, i must perhaps request my school money back..
thanks..

I've had this same exact problem happen to me on occasion. Things should work but they don't. Variable are defined but they are NOT.

Here's how I solve this problem.

At the end of the activity or page script, I log to the diagnostics log.

For example:
// at start of script.
Diagnostics.log('initiating activity script');

// at end of script.
Diagnostics.log('completed activity script');


Then, as I continue onward and something does not work, I look at the diagnostics log.

Barry Gordon frequently uses the Page vs Activity script and he has another clever solution.

He puts a widget in the system area of the page that is red with with text that says "Error". At the end of his page script, he simply does GUI.widget('Error').visible = false;

This way, when he loads up a page if the widget is visible, something went wrong.

We all have different ways of debugging. To each his own. However, finding this problem where a script does not initialize as expected is a royal pain.

Here's another solution that I sometimes use.

var x;

try
{
// do anything you need to do inside this block. Note that x is declared outside but not assigned.

}
catch(e)
{
Diagnostics.log('error: ' + e);
}

I frequently use the diagnostic log versus System.print simply because I do much of my scripting in the Activity Script and using eval(widget.label). When you encounter problems during activity initialization, PS_DEBUG is somewhat useless. However, let it be known that if you do the base mod for the 9600 and use System.setDebugMask(9), System.print() comes in very handy.

I also looked if i could find a on-line javascipt checker.
one is http://www.jslint.com/ and that sort of works.
It at least find my dumb mistakes.

But it also complains about things the 9600 has no problems with:

Problem at line 9 character 21: Use the array literal notation [].
var jumppages = new Array();

You should investigate the options file that ships with the product. I use JSLint in MS Visual Studio as an external tool to check all my stuff.

I works ok now.
I can see some error lines when the page jumps over, but cannot read them since they dissapear since the new page is built up i guess.

The error that you are seeing is 100% normal. This is an "Actionlist Error" that is simply logged indicating that the actionlist is terminating due to a page jump.

You cannot trap this error. If you had the base-station mod and were using System.setDebugMask(9), you'd be able to see this on the PC screen.

Personally, I've asked Philips to try and do away with the error. I can't recall if this message shows up in the Diagnostics log. I think it may and that's why I asked that it be removed. There is no reason to fill up the diagnostic log with a false error that is expected as the actionlist is being cancelled by a jump.

For the reasons stated above there is an option in the debug system that goes with the Base station mod that drops those messages from the PC display screen but does write them to its internal log file.