105) How can I force a dialog window to display? I manage a

"working" dialog, and do some computing, but the dialog window appears blank
until the work has finished.  How can I force it to be displayed?

Answer: Use this.  (David Brooks, Systems Engineering, Open Software
Foundation)

/*
 * This procedure will ensure that, if a dialog window is being mapped,
 * its contents become visible before returning.  It is intended to be
 * used just before a bout of computing that doesn't service the display.
 * You should still call XmUpdateDisplay() at intervals during this
 * computing if possible.
 *
 * The monitoring of window states is necessary because attempts to map
 * the dialog are redirected to the window manager (if there is one) and
 * this introduces a significant delay before the window is actually mapped
 * and exposed.  This code works under mwm, twm, uwm, and no-wm.  It
 * doesn't work (but doesn't hang) with olwm if the mainwindow is iconified.
 *
 * The argument to ForceDialog is any widget in the dialog (often it
 * will be the BulletinBoard child of a DialogShell).
 */

ForceDialog(w)
     Widget w;
{
  Widget diashell, topshell;
  Window diawindow, topwindow;
  Display *dpy;
  XWindowAttributes xwa;
  XEvent event;
  XtAppContext cxt;

/* Locate the shell we are interested in.  In a particular instance, you
 * may know these shells already.
 */

  for (diashell = w;
       !XtIsShell(diashell);
       diashell = XtParent(diashell))
    ;

/* Locate its primary window's shell (which may be the same) */

  for (topshell = diashell;
       !XtIsTopLevelShell(topshell);
       topshell = XtParent(topshell))
    ;

  if (XtIsRealized(diashell) && XtIsRealized(topshell)) {
    dpy = XtDisplay(topshell);
    diawindow = XtWindow(diashell);
    topwindow = XtWindow(topshell);
    cxt = XtWidgetToApplicationContext(diashell);

/* Wait for the dialog to be mapped.  It's guaranteed to become so unless... */

    while (XGetWindowAttributes(dpy, diawindow, &xwa),
           xwa.map_state != IsViewable) {

/* ...if the primary is (or becomes) unviewable or unmapped, it's
   probably iconified, and nothing will happen. */

      if (XGetWindowAttributes(dpy, topwindow, &xwa),
          xwa.map_state != IsViewable)
        break;

/* At this stage, we are guaranteed there will be an event of some kind.
   Beware; we are presumably in a callback, so this can recurse. */

      XtAppNextEvent(cxt, &event);
      XtDispatchEvent(&event);
    }
  }

/* The next XSync() will get an expose event if the dialog was unmapped. */

  XmUpdateDisplay(topshell);
}