shortcut flexibility

[Katerina]

I wish the program accepted 2 key input instead of 1 key for accessing commands.

there are so many commands and we are limited to the # of keys to assign.

example:Za - zoom allZo-zoom outZw- zoom windowZp-zoom previousZi-zoom in

Mi- mirrorMv-move

[Ariel]

or how about a simple double-tap (or even triple-tap) on a key as another modifier. IMHO, this is much easier than using keyboard combinations.

ariel

[Guest]

Ariel,

Double keying a specific shortcut, ex '4', will make that tool active and bring up a properties dialog box with it.

4 = rectangle tool.

Key 4 one time and the rectangle tool is active and your cursor is a plus sign allowing you to draw away.

Key 4 two times, the properties dialog box comes up for the rectangle tool. It allows you to enter specific measurements of the rectangle in the dialog, click ok and click in the drawing and boom! it's there.

[Ariel]

yes, that's right, Katie. thanks for reminding me. So does this mean that assigning double-keys for the other unused keys wouldn't be difficult to implement?

how about triple-keying?

ariel

[Guest]

I'm not an engineer, so I have no idea how easy or difficult it is to make "changes".

I just try to support what they create!

I will add these to the wish list.

[jan15]

quote:

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Originally posted by Aikaterini:

I wish the program accepted 2 key input instead of 1 key for accessing commands.

there are so many commands and we are limited to the # of keys to assign.

---

Single keys are always associated with Tools, not Commands. Options within each tool can be selected by a single keystroke. I use ] for the second option, and [ for the first. And a lot of the Tools have double key options. Try pressing the key for any tool twice quickly and see what happens. For example, pressing the Selection tool shortcut key twice de-selects everything; pressing the Zoom In or Out key twice zooms by a preset increment; pressing the Rotate key twice allows rotating by a specified angle; and pressing an object creation tool key twice opens a dialogue box.

Commands are always combinations of Ctrl and/or Shift and/or Alt and another key. But those are either slow (two-handed) or painful (one-handed). I've found some ways to help with that:

1. Use a keyboard macro utility program (which can assign a new meaning to any keystroke or combination). That allows assigning function keys in place of those painful Control-key combinations. I use a macro utility called mgSimplify, which cost $30 after a 30 day free trial. Another one that I found works well and has no problems with VectorWorks is called EZMacros, same price and trial.

Some programs have macro utilities built in, such as SketchUp and Microsoft Word. I wish VectorWorks had that. Then all keys could be macro'd, because they would have a different meaning when writing text.

2. With mgSimplify or EZMacros, you can also macro keys that you don't need when writing text, such as Ins ~ and \

3. Use a Focus brand FK-8200 keyboard, which has 12 extra function keys which can be assigned any meaning you want. It also has a built-in calculator in the numeric keypad, which can send the values it calculates to the screen. The FK-9200 is the same but with a built-in trackball.

With all of the above, I have 31 single keystrokes assigned to Tools, and 27 single keystrokes assigned to Commands.

4. Buy a 5-button programmable mouse that allows one of the buttons to simulate the Ctrl key. Then Ctrl-key combinations can be done with two hands (and therefore not painful), but without taking your hand off the mouse (and therefore not slow). Two that I know of that do this are the Kensington Optical Elite and the Microsoft Intellimouse Optical. I also programmed a button to simulate the Shift key, so that I can keep my left hand on the mouse and Nudge with just one finger of my right hand.

[ 02-07-2003, 10:46 AM: Message edited by: jan15 ]

[Katerina]

Thanks for extra info Jan.

I will look into it.

[Ariel]

somewhat related to Katerina's original post, does mgSimplify or another keyboard macro utility allow you to make two-key combinations as well? Wouldn't it be great to assign the command, ctrl or shift keys to one of the function keys such that when I, for example,press F5, release, then press L would be like pressing the ctrl+alt+L combination? I have Quickeys on the mac and I don't think it can do that.

ariel

[jan15]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Ariel:

somewhat related to Katerina's original post, does mgSimplify or another keyboard macro utility allow you to make two-key combinations as well? Wouldn't it be great to assign the command, ctrl or shift keys to one of the function keys such that when I, for example,press F5, release, then press L would be like pressing the ctrl+alt+L combination? I have Quickeys on the mac and I don't think it can do that.

---

1. Long answer:

Quickeys IS similar to mgSimplify and EZMacros. I used it when I worked on Macs. I did that for a few years before MiniCad/VectorWorks became available on Windows machines. Before that, I worked in AutoCad on DOS machines.

No, they won't do what you suggested. They're Macintosh/Windows-style macro utilities. Only a single key, either alone or in combination with Ctrl, Alt, or Shift can be the macro, or "hotkey". The meaning assigned to the hotkey can be any sequence of keystrokes and/or mouse clicks, but the "hotkey" or "shortcut" that implements that sequence has to be a single keystroke. The reason for that is that in Macintosh/Windows keyboard command input, the release of a key is the "delimiter" that tells the computer you're done typing the command, in the same way as the release of a mouse button tells the computer you're done selecting a tool or command by icon or pull-down menu.

Under MS-DOS, keyboard command input is done by a "command line", in which the delimiter is the Enter key. A command consists of any string of characters followed by the Enter key. The Enter key tells the computer you're done typing the comand. DOS macro utilities just substitute one command line for another command line or series of command lines. For example:

"ZA"[Enter]

as a macroinstruction for:

"ZOOM"[Enter] "ALL"[Enter]

AutoCad has a command-line system of keyboard input; and it has a DOS-style macro facility built in. So it can have 2-key commands, followed by the Enter key (or its surrogate the Space bar), but you have to press the Enter key or Space bar after EVERY keyboard command.

In order for VectorWorks to offer two-key implementation of tools or commands, it would have to completely change the keyboard input system.

One way to do that would be to use the DOS/AutoCad system, in which all commands have to be followed by the Enter key. Would you like that?

Or maybe all tools could be implemented by a 2-key combination. The computer would do nothing if you press just one letter key. It would wait for you to type another one to finish the tool selection.

Or it could wait a second or two to see whether you're going to press another key. If you didn't, it would accept the first key as a single-key tool selection. But then maybe we'd have to wait a second or two before the single-key tool would work. Uh oh.

I think it's better to leave VectorWorks alone in this regard. These keyboard shortcuts are a faster way to implement tools and commands, but how many tools and commands are there that you use so often and so repeatedly that they need a shortcut? And how many shortcuts would you be able to remember? In AutoCad, when I could assign an unlimited number of macros, the most I ever assigned was 55, and it was difficult to remember all of those. In VectorWorks, I've got a total of 58 commands and tools assigned to keys, though my keyboard has 74 keys available for such assignment.

2. Short answer:

(I just remembered this, after having written all that)

Mac OS lets you do something similar to what you want. Windows, too. It's designed for handicapped people. There's a control panel or Extension or something that lets you set the keyboard so that the Shift, Alt, and Ctrl keys can be pressed and released rather than pressed and held. I used that when I first started on Macs.