Cursor location when switching back to TC window

[Steve Pitts]

Folks,

I have a minor problem with the latest version that is quietly driving me potty. I have just started using v12 on a brand new PC running 64 bit Windows 7 Pro and some of the time (perhaps 30%) when I switch back to the Take Command window (whether via Alt-Tab or by clicking on its taskbar icon) the cursor is not where I left it in the current TCC Prompt tab but has moved to who knows where (I've tried various keys to see if I can work out where it is, but the arrow keys seem to do nothing and most everything else just generates a beep). There doesn't seem to be any rhyme nor reason to when this happens in terms of what else I'm doing or what the last thing I did in TC was.

I have both the Command Input and List View windows unpinned, but have left the Folders window in its default state (I like the vertical space for my command line window but the horizontal is not such a big issue on a 1920 by 1080 display). The problem seems to occur irrespective of whether I have a single TCC Prompt tab open or more than one. I run a similar layout using v9 on my work laptop running on 32-bit Windows 7 Enterprise and I have never experienced this behaviour on that setup.

TCC 12.10.61 x64 Windows 7 [Version 6.1.7601]

 

[rconn]

I have a minor problem with the latest version that is quietly driving me potty. I have just started using v12 on a brand new PC running 64 bit Windows 7 Pro and some of the time (perhaps 30%) when I switch back to the Take Command window (whether via Alt-Tab or by clicking on its taskbar icon) the cursor is not where I left it in the current TCC Prompt tab but has moved to who knows where (I've tried various keys to see if I can work out where it is, but the arrow keys seem to do nothing and most everything else just generates a beep). There doesn't seem to be any rhyme nor reason to when this happens in terms of what else I'm doing or what the last thing I did in TC was.

I have never seen or heard of anything like that before.

Take Command never changes the cursor position; it just displays it in the position returned by the hidden console window. So something running in that console session has to be responsible. Are you running any plugins? Any third-party screen managers?

 

[Charles Dye]

I have a minor problem with the latest version that is quietly driving me potty. I have just started using v12 on a brand new PC running 64 bit Windows 7 Pro and some of the time (perhaps 30%) when I switch back to the Take Command window (whether via Alt-Tab or by clicking on its taskbar icon) the cursor is not where I left it in the current TCC Prompt tab but has moved to who knows where (I've tried various keys to see if I can work out where it is, but the arrow keys seem to do nothing and most everything else just generates a beep). There doesn't seem to be any rhyme nor reason to when this happens in terms of what else I'm doing or what the last thing I did in TC was.

If you click once in the tab window, does everything start working as you expected again?

 

[Steve Pitts]

I have never seen or heard of anything like that before

That's a shame (bang goes the quick fix).

If you click once in the tab window, does everything start working as you expected again?

That is my normal response. I simply click in the TCC prompt window and the cursor returns

 

[Charles Dye]

That is my normal response. I simply click in the TCC prompt window and the cursor returns

It's not a cursor problem, just a focus problem. The tab window never displays a cursor when another window is focused, as you can see by e.g. clicking in the Folders or List View window.

Rex: Is it possible for Take Command to know when it has been re-activated by Alt-Tab? It might be nice to force the tab window to have focus when this happens.

 

[rconn]

Rex: Is it possible for Take Command to know when it has been re-activated by Alt-Tab? It might be nice to force the tab window to have focus when this happens.

As long as you're not working in the Folders window.

Or the List View window.

Or the Command Input window.

Or entering something in the edit controls on the toolbar window.

Or have an active popup window.

 

[vefatica]

On Fri, 22 Apr 2011 14:01:42 -0400, Charles Dye <> wrote:

|Rex: Is it possible for Take Command to know when it has been re-activated by Alt-Tab? It might be nice to force the tab window to have focus when this happens.

It would seem more reasonable if the TC-specific focus returned to wherever it
was (list view, folder view, et c.) which is apparently how it works now.

 

[Steve Pitts]

It's not a cursor problem, just a focus problem

Fair enough. However, it is entirely non-obvious what else has stolen the focus because thus far I have never used any other window within the Take Command session (other than briefly whilst testing the 'ting' noise, as described in my post above) and I can see no indication as to where the focus is.

As long as you're not working in the Folders window

Focus doesn't seem to be there because a) the Window title is not orange and b) using the cursor keys does not switch directories

Or the List View window.

Or the Command Input window

Can they acquire the focus whilst unpinned?? If so, how can I tell that from the UI?? Regardless I would expect to be able to enter characters into those windows, and yet I receive the 'ting' for any key other than the cursor keys.

Or entering something in the edit controls on the toolbar window

Presumably if the focus was there then I would see a text cursor in the appropriate control, and again the keys would work to enter characters??

Or have an active popup window.

If I made regular use of any of the built-in dialogs or the commands that display dialogs then that might make sense, since Windows 7 seems to have trouble with the z-order fairly often, but I don't. The only dialog I've used is from the OPTION command, or the Options menu entries, and not often since initially setting things up.

If one of these other windows had somehow stolen the focus, is there a key I can press that would move the focus on?? We know that selecting the TCC Prompt with the mouse sorts things out, but I'm intrigued as to why none of the keys seem to have any effect (other than Alt activating the menus). Is there any key combination that might steal the focus from the prompt window??

 

[David Marcus]

but I'm intrigued as to why none of the keys seem to have any effect (other than Alt activating the menus).

I would think that pressing Alt twice would return focus back to wherever it was originally. Maybe post a screen shot.

 

[Steve Pitts]

I would think that pressing Alt twice would return focus back to wherever it was originally

I'm sure that it does, I just can't tell where that is.

Of course, attempting to take more than one screen shot moves the target but I'm including a link to a screenshot of the initial problem - you will notice no cursor in the TCC prompt and no obvious indication that the focus is anywhere else. I will endeavour to get a screenshot of the state of play after I've pressed the Alt key but at the moment I can't get the problem to recur, and it seems to happen far less if I keep returning to the TC window almost immediately after switching away (my 30% was based on a gut feel for how often the problem happened during normal usage).

Screenshot of TC window immediately after Al-Tab

Screenshot of TC window after Alt-Tab, no focus, and a single press of Alt
(at which point I realised that screenshots of the individual window weren't going to work, because I press the Alt key again, in combination with PrtScn, and that deselects the File menu)

Screenshot of whole screen after Alt-Tab, no focus, and a single press of Alt

(BTW I tried to use the local attachment process but it limits the shape of uploaded images and I felt that resizing the screenshots might eliminate whatever items of evidence existed)

FWIW I've also noticed something else whilst messing around with this, which might pertain. If I switch back to TC using Alt-Tab, and I _do_ have a flashing cursor in the TCC Prompt window, then the first press of the Alt key produces no visible effect, it is only the second press that switches the focus to the menu bar, highlighting the word File. If I switch back using the mouse, then the first Alt does activate the File menu.

 

[David Marcus]

I think I was able to reproduce it, but now it won't do it. I have focus-follows-mouse turned on. Do you? When I made the Command Input window visible and set it to autohide, then I think I saw the problem. It looked like the window was hidden even though it still had the focus. But, it won't do it now, so I could have been imagining it.

focus-follows-mouse and Alt-Tab don't always seem to get along. Sometimes if the mouse is over a window, that window immediately regrabs focus from the Atl-Tabbed window, but sometimes the mouse moves to the latter.

Maybe try turning off autohide and see if the problem goes away.

 

[Steve Pitts]

I have focus-follows-mouse turned on. Do you?

Not as far as I know but I cannot find such a setting either in the TC options or in the mouse control panel.

Maybe try turning off autohide and see if the problem goes away

I guess that that has to be worth a try.

 

[David Marcus]

Not as far as I know but I cannot find such a setting either in the TC options or in the mouse control panel.

In XP, you can use TweakUI. In Vista/Windows 7, you have to edit the registry.

 

[Steve Pitts]

In XP, you can use TweakUI. In Vista/Windows 7, you have to edit the registry.

In which case I'm definitely not using that feature.

I've removed the AutoHide from both the List and Input windows and the problem still recurs. However, I am beginning to think that my original statement that this happens whichever mechanism I use to switch back to Take Command is wrong and that it only happens when I Alt-Tab (I've not been able to recreate the issue any other way and I've been consciously trying different methods whenever I remember).

I notice that the Left Alt Key option is ticked under the TC Options > Tabs > Windows section but presume that that is the default (since I've not changed it) and things should work just fine that way (with none of the other keys selected).

Anyway, a couple more screenshots one with the default window layout and one with the List view still hidden:

Screenshot of TC window immediately after Al-Tab

Screenshot of TC window with Input visible after Al-Tab and two presses of Alt

 

[David Marcus]

What is just above the task bar where it says "View (100%)"?

 

[JohnQSmith]

What is just above the task bar where it says "View (100%)"?

Looks like the web browser's zoom level to me...

 

[Steve Pitts]

What is just above the task bar where it says "View (100%)"?

John is spot on, it is part of Opera v11's status bar. In that particular shot (and several others) Opera is running maximised. It is rather confusing because Irfanview (which I use to save the screenshots, and is showing part of the other screenshot) has opened in the top left hand corner, thus obscuring that portion of Opera's window.

 

[Steve Pitts]

Just to add another data point to this, which really has me stumped. Under normal circumstances when Take Command is the foreground window then Ctrl-Tab either displays a control that enables switching between the tabs and views or it cycles around toolbars (the menu bar and the explorer toolbar in my case). However when the unfocused situation occurs the Ctrl-Tab has no visible effect, even though pressing left Alt highlights the File entry on the menu bar.

Thus far I've not managed to find out what Ctrl-Tab does when the File entry is highlighted under those circumstances, since I can't get the problem to happen for a second time this morning (a watched pot and all that).

 

[Steve Pitts]

I've had this happen twice already this morning in the space of less than five minutes usage of the PC and can now confirm then when I press Alt the File menu highlights and Ctrl-Tab then cycles between the menu bar and the explorer bar as per normal. However, a second press of Alt reverts things to the unfocused state and Ctrl-Tab again has no effect (as it did before the first press of Alt).

@Rex, is this problem in the 'can't reproduce' bucket from your point of view?? Is there anything I can do to help debug this further??

 

[Steve Pitts]

I am still having this problem on a regular basis and have now definitely seen it happen when using the mouse to click on the TC icon on the taskbar as well as when I Alt-Tab. However, I am at a loss as to how I debug this further and try to figure what has focus when the TCC Prompt does not.