StrongED

Hello

I encounter two issues with StrongED:
1) Nothing happens when a I press a figure on the keyboard
2) When I open an existing (BASIC) file and what to save back again, it just “forgots” the path, the name and the file type of the file. I have to retype the name, specify again the file type et drag & drop the icon to the directory.

The wreid thing is that none of these two problem occur with the simple !Edit.

Thanks for your help.

Regards

François

1) Nothing happens when a I press a figure on the keyboard

Is this a key on the numeric keypad or one above the normal keys?

2) When I open an existing (BASIC) file and what to save back again, it just “forgots” the path, the name and the file type of the file. I have to retype the name, specify again the file type et drag & drop the icon to the directory.

It sounds like you’re opening a StrongED window and then dragging the BASIC to it. If you do this then you’ve created a new file (which has no path yet) and inserted the BASIC file into it, ie it’s become part of the newly created file.

If you want to open the BASIC file on its own either drag it to StrongED’s iconbar icon or Shift-doubleclick it.

It sounds like you’re opening a StrongED window and then dragging the BASIC to it.

Ah, newbies…

Trust me, within a week you’ll be wondering how you ever coped with the braindead Windows insistence (inherited by all of Windows’ imitators, such as X) that an application must have at least one window open at all times, even if it’s a completely blank one.

I’m pretty certain I’ve seen this exact question come up before, along with the “all NetSurf downloads stall” (translation: “What’s drag and drop?”) one. Please can someone start a prominent FAQ (preferably distributed with the RISC OS image itself) for the exceedingly basic questions such as these which both we and the Raspberry Pi forum receive from recent Linux refugees on a regular basis?

Please can someone start a prominent FAQ (preferably distributed with the RISC OS image itself) for the exceedingly basic questions such as these which both we and the Raspberry Pi forum receive from recent Linux refugees on a regular basis?

https://www.riscosopen.org/wiki/documentation/show/RISC%20OS%20Beginners%20FAQ

If a specific issue is not there and you feel there is an answer…

THanks for your answers.
Ok, now I get it on how to open a file under RiscOS.
Regarding my issue with entering numbers under !StrongED, these are the one above the normal keys.
I am currently using a small keyboard with no numeric keypad.
Thanks for your help.

François

Regarding my issue with entering numbers under !StrongED, these are the one above the normal keys.

Do the keys work in Edit? If they do then it’s likely to be a StrongED issue, if they don’t then it may be a keyboard or OS issue.

Just a passing thought: Is it just the number keys which don’t work? Can you type letters and punctuation, but not numbers?

If the keyboard doesn’t seem to be working at all, check that the StrongED window has the input focus (title bar tinted yellow, flashing cursor somewhere in the window). If it doesn’t, click somewhere in the body of the text. Clicking on the title bar, scrollbars or any of the other window furniture is not sufficient – you must place the cursor explicitly. Remember: This is not Windows!

Hello

THe keys are working fine in !Edit or in !Fireworkz for example.

So far, it is only with !StrongED that i encouter such issue.

François

Please can someone start a prominent FAQ (preferably distributed with the RISC OS image itself) for the exceedingly basic questions such as these which both we and the Raspberry Pi forum receive from recent Linux refugees on a regular basis?

Like this one: https://www.riscosopen.org/wiki/documentation/show/RISC%20OS%20Beginners%20FAQ ?

Please feel free to add to it :)

So far, it is only with !StrongED that i encouter such issue.

That’s a little surprising. Can the keys be used to enter other characters as well? If so, what happens if you try to enter them in StrongED?

It may be that the KeyExtend module, which StrongED uses for keyboard input, is somehow failing but I’m not sure right now what could be causing this.

Hello

Other keys are working perfectly well.
As a fallback, I a m using the “integrated numpad” of my keyboard accessible via the key “fn”.
But the normal numerical keys in the top line of the keyboard do not work with !StrongED.
But they work fine under any other application I tested so far (!Edit, !Writer+, !Fireworz)

Regards

All the keys seem to work ok in StrongEd from my Logitech setup here.

One thing I have noticed though is that occasionally there is an input “freeze” on some key presses. However, in this case, it appears to be USB related, as the trackball doesn’t respond either.

I always have !Alarm running in the icon bar, so I can tell at a glance if the machine is locked up, & whenever the freezes occur, the clock is still ticking. Fortunately, whatever the RISC OS equivalent is to Linux’s “hot plug” actually does work, so you could see what happens if you unplug & replug your keyboard just in case it’s relevant?

It may be that the KeyExtend module, which StrongED uses for keyboard input, is somehow failing

Regardless of whether that is the case, it would be better if StrongED used DeepKeys as Zap et al do.

Regardless of whether that is the case, it would be better if StrongED used DeepKeys as Zap et al do.

Perhaps DeepKeys should be integral to the OS build? That way everyone has access to the module without fetching it from a.n.other site.

Perhaps the person with the source could be prevailed upon to offer it to the ROOL guys.

It can certainly be included in the standard Boot sequence (in ToBeLoaded). If the ROOLers wanted it, they know they only need ask.

However, DeepKeys does a number of things and it may be that only some of them fit neatly into ‘the plan’, others may not.

Hello

I just find out that if I a configure my (belgian layout) keyboard as “UK English (default)”, then the numeric keys at the top of the keyboard works well.
But with the Belgian layout, they don’t.

Again this issue only occurs with !StrongED.

Regards

Hello

Anyone with a non-UK keyboard to confirm this bug with StrongED. Or could somebody configure its keyboard for BE layout and test wether the numeric keys on top of the keyboard are working or not?

THanks

François

Or could somebody configure its keyboard for BE layout and test wether the numeric keys on top of the keyboard are working or not?

Same effects that you get here from my Logitech keyboard. No top row numbers, just accented char’s. However the same effect is present for the ROM based iedit.

HTH.

Same effects that you get here from my Logitech keyboard. No top row numbers, just accented char’s. However the same effect is present for the ROM based iedit.

If the Belgian layout is like the French AZERTY, you need to Shift to get to the numbers.

Read the Wiki page [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AZERTY ] and try to imagine how unfriendly it is for writing code. I can switch to and from AZERTY for plain typing, but it drives me up the wall being stuck with it for programming. So much so that my next computer might end up being another import from the UK instead of something bought in France.

Hi Rick

I understand your are using a french layout keyboard?
Does StrongED properly capture the numeric keys on the top of the keyboard (thoses accessible with Shift ;) )?

Thanks for your input.
François

No, I use a UK layout keyboard. Also, I don’t have StrongEd (I’m a Zap guy).

When I have some time, I’ll find the standard Pi image and boot that and reconfigure my keyboard to France and see what happens with StrongEd.

Does StrongED properly capture the numeric keys on the top of the keyboard (thoses accessible with Shift ;) )?

No, it doesn’t. It is indeed a KeyExtend issue, the module assumes that the digits 1 – 9 are always input without any modifiers being pressed. Presumably it’s never been tested with a non-UK keyboard. I’ve done a quick hack of the module such that it allows Shift with 1 – 9 and that seems to work.

Drop me an email at fjgraute at planet dot nl and I’ll send you a copy for you to try.

and try to imagine how unfriendly it is for writing code.

Indeed, and it’s not just the numbers. For example, Z is in a different place and I use Ctrl-Z fairly often. I suspect my muscle memory would have quite a problem with that.

Regardless of whether that is the case, it would be better if StrongED used DeepKeys as Zap et al do.

It’s something I’ve considered several times over the years but I’ve never felt fully confident to have a go at it. Partly because of not being entirely up to speed with RISC OS keyboard handling and, to be brutally honest, StrongED’s key handler being a bit of a mess.

However the issue raised in this thread, along with others that have been raised over the years on the StrongED mailing list, make me think that I really should bite the bullet and see if I can convince StrongED to use DeepKeys instead.

It’s something I’ve considered several times over the years but I’ve never felt fully confident to have a go at it.

If I can be of any help, do ask.

Hello Fred

I confirm that your quick hack seems to work fine.

Thank you very much!

François