Problem: IDL "CURSOR" routine fails to return results on Mac OS X

PROBLEM:

When displaying an IDL session to a Mac OS X 10.4 and later display, the IDL "CURSOR" routine can hang and does not return output. Only by interrupting the routine can you force the return of results.

CAUSE & SOLUTION:

The cause of the problem is that the "click_through" events need to be activated in the Quartz window manager.

To correct the problem:

> Mac OS X 10.4 - Enter the following command at an X11 xterm prompt:

defaults write com.apple.x11 wm_click_through -bool true

Then restart X11.

After that, the IDL CURSOR routine should then function correctly.

> Mac OS X 10.5 - Enter the following command at an X11 xterm prompt:

defaults write org.x.x11 wm_click_through -bool true

> Mac OS X 10.7 - The steps to get the CURSOR routine to work are as follows:

1. Open the X11 preferences dialog, then select the "Windows" pane.
2. Enable "Click-through Inactive Windows."