SASQUATCH@ALBION.BITNET ("Kevin Lepard, 629-1827", 517) (12/20/89)
I've got a suggestion for a new feature in a new version of GS system software (whenever such a beast might be released). In MSWord on the Mac, you can pull down and access menus from the keyboard. This is done by hitting the "." key on the numeric keypad followed by a number, 0 to X, where the number is the menu you want to pull down. Then you can select features by using the arrow and return keys. For example, if I want to pull down the NDA menu, I hit "." then "0" which pulled it down, then highlighted the NDA I wanted, then pressed return. I believe ESC exited, and the left and right arrows could be used to move between menus (not sure about that last part, it's been a while). This is a really great feature. It would allow macro programs to access any feature in a program without having to fuss with mouse movements and clicks, and would allow those of us who are highly proficient with keyboards and numeric keypads and find the mouse to be an annoyance and inconvenience to use pull-down menus from the keyboard. It seems to me that if this were implemented in system software (in a tool or keyboard manager or something?) it would work with any properly designed commercial software currently available. What do others think about this? Do you think this is a good idea or am I all alone here? To Apple folks, is this something that could be done? And if it is, what is the best way for me to push to have it accomplished in the next version of system software? Just thinkin'..... Kevin Lepard Bitnet: Sasquatch@albion.bitnet
cbdougla@uokmax.ecn.uoknor.edu (Collin Broadrick Douglas) (12/20/89)
In article <8912191931.AA25577@apple.com> SASQUATCH@ALBION.BITNET ("Kevin Lepard, 629-1827", 517) writes: >I've got a suggestion for a new feature in a new version of GS system >software (whenever such a beast might be released). > >In MSWord on the Mac, you can pull down and access menus from the keyboard. >This is done by hitting the "." key on the numeric keypad followed by a >number, 0 to X, where the number is the menu you want to pull down. Then >you can select features by using the arrow and return keys. For example, >if I want to pull down the NDA menu, I hit "." then "0" which pulled it >down, then highlighted the NDA I wanted, then pressed return. I believe >ESC exited, and the left and right arrows could be used to move between >menus (not sure about that last part, it's been a while). > [munch munch] >It seems to me that if this were implemented in system software (in a tool >or keyboard manager or something?) it would work with any properly designed >commercial software currently available. probably > >What do others think about this? Do you think this is a good idea or am I >all alone here? no you aren't! > >To Apple folks, is this something that could be done? And if it is, what >is the best way for me to push to have it accomplished in the next version >of system software? > >Just thinkin'..... > >Kevin Lepard >Bitnet: Sasquatch@albion.bitnet I've wanted a feature like this for a long time. this feature is also used in Mousewrite for the Apple //e. What really made me want this kind of feature is when my mouse started bugging out on me (it would lock up, refuse to move and reboot the system -- an ADB problem). It would also be nice if there were some easy way to move the mouse with the keyboard like maybe using the keypad as a mouse controller and the shift key as the mouse button? anyway, I really like Kevin's idea! Collin Douglas cbdougla@uokmax.ecn.uoknor.edu
mattd@Apple.COM (Matt Deatherage) (12/20/89)
[stuff about mousing from the keyboard not quoted] The ROM 03 GS has the capability to do this built into the new Keyboard Microcontrol (Key Micro) chip. By pressing the shift key five times in a row, you activate "sticky keys". This makes any modifier pressed active until a non-modifier key is pressed, at which time the modifiers apply to it. For example, you can press and release Control, Command and Escape and get to the CDA menu without holding down more than one key at a time. (This also works for Control-Open Apple-Reset, which is really weird.) You can turn the keypad into a directional keyboard mouse by pressing Shift- Command-Clear. Then 5 is a click, 0 is a drag, and the keys around 5 move the "mouse" in the direction implied by arrows moving out from the 5 key. Although this could be used for macro capability, it would be really weird, since the mouse would have to moved to a "home" position for the relative offsets Keyboard Mouse gives to get to an absolute position. It has already been suggested (and is being considered) to add these "universal access" features to ROM 01 GS's. Personally, I think Word's keypad menu scheme is bogus, annoying and counter- intuitive. I keep pressing keys on the keypad and having weird things happen, and then I have to press "num lock" to get a "9" out of a key labeled "9". I don't like it. -- ============================================================================ Matt Deatherage, Apple Computer, Inc. | "The opinions represented here are Developer Technical Support, Apple II | not necessarily those of Apple Group. Personal mail only, please. | Computer, Inc. Remember that." ============================================================================
dlyons@Apple.COM (David A. Lyons) (12/21/89)
In article <8912191931.AA25577@apple.com> SASQUATCH@ALBION.BITNET ("Kevin Lepard, 629-1827", 517) writes: >I've got a suggestion for a new feature in a new version of GS system >software (whenever such a beast might be released). [Summary: do a "keyboard mouse" that's smart enough to know where menus and menu items are.] This is a decent idea, but it doesn't *need* to be in the System Software; it's a perfectly good idea for a third-party product. I wrote an experimental utility along these lines a couple years ago, using FakeMouse. It worked pretty well, although it only knew where the menus were, not how the items are spaced within the menus. It turns out the item spacing is not something you can determine in a guaranteed way, but it would work fine most of the time to assume a standard item height. -- --David A. Lyons, Apple Computer, Inc. | DAL Systems Apple II Developer Technical Support | P.O. Box 875 America Online: Dave Lyons | Cupertino, CA 95015-0875 GEnie: D.LYONS2 or DAVE.LYONS CompuServe: 72177,3233 Internet/BITNET: dlyons@apple.com UUCP: ...!ames!apple!dlyons My opinions are my own, not Apple's.