Evaluation order control

Question

This question is related to Evaluation order of Button[]'s action

Concusion was, Button[]'s actions are evaluated in preemptive link so "the code that needs to be run for the new cells to be created and formatted needs to wait until the preemptive evaluation has finished". To deal with it we only have to add Method->"Queued" for Button[].

I've thougth that in situation:

Button["X",x=3; Pause@1; y=4]
Dynamic@x
Dynamic@y

where cells for x and y are created before pushing Button I don't have to use Method->"Queued". But it seems I have to because Pause is again evaluated at first place.

This is not a big problem since I know how to deal with it but I like to know why something works not as I thought it will.

There is more :) What if I'm working with customized button based on EventHandler, let's take basic case:

SetAttributes[GButton, HoldRest]
GButton[ob_, proc_] := DynamicModule[{},
  EventHandler[
   Framed[ob, Alignment -> Center],    
   {"MouseDown" :> (proc)}, PassEventsUp -> False, 
  PassEventsDown -> False]];

This kind of button works as standard Button but how can I add anything that works as Method->"Queued" in Button[]. I need some sort of oposite to PreemptProtect function but I've field looking fr this.

Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

Check what The Futz just said. However, you can go the ugly workaround way. Not recommended, since I don't think you have any guarantees that your code will be evaluated exactly once only when you click the button, but up to you.

Try this

Print@"I dare you to move the slider after pressing the button"; \
Slider[]
EventHandler[Framed["Benjamin Button"], 
 "MouseDown" :> (Pause[3]; 
   Print@"If you couldn't, it was preemptive")]

and compare with this

Print@"I dare you to move the slider after pressing the button"; \
Slider[]
DynamicModule[{trigger = 0},
 DynamicWrapper[
  EventHandler[Framed["Benjamin Button"], "MouseDown" :> (++trigger)],
  If[trigger =!= 0,
   Refresh[Pause[3]; Print@"If you couldn't, it was preemptive", 
    None]], SynchronousUpdating -> False
  ]
 ]