12-20-2004, 01:08 PM -
Suppose I have a menu list to navigate by repeatedly pressing a, b, ..., y, z. Neither the keystroke, nor the menu name type (file or link), nor the state of "TLB Settings > Other Options > Use background load for Virtual Folders" (checked or unchecked) are significant here.
After a right-click on a toolbar icon pops open its menu, I can start pressing (say) "t" to get to the name "Tool Folder", which has several other "t" menu items above it. One "t" keystroke gets me to the first "t" name on the menu, but then more "t" keystrokes don't "jump" down the "t" items one-at-a-time, as I expect they would. If I wait more than ~2 seconds to press another "t", nothing happens -- the "t" item selection stays where it is. In testing time intervals between "t" keystrokes, I've found that a fast "t" double-click will cause the highlight to jump normally -- down the menu from one "t" item to the one immediately below it.
If I fiddle long enough clicking the "t" (or any other letter) menu item, "jumping" sometimes settles down, and, FOR THAT LETTER ONLY, each menu line is selected in turn with a single keystroke. But, if I start pressing another key (say "e"), the "dead keystroke" problem starts over again.
Sometimes, the last item in a same-letter menu item list gets skipped entirely. This has happened several times in a row on "e" (see SNAG-0008.gif), where "Embedded News - Xilinx ..." is skipped over on "e" click when the item above it ("Embedded News - The MathWorks ...") is highlighted, regardless of the time lapse between consecutive "e" keystrokes.
Most of my TLB menus have >100 items, and many of their names are up to 125 characters long (Windows maximum filename length is advertised as 256 characters). Maybe menu length and name length are causing these problems. Since I removed all of my utilities before performing these tests (see my bare-bones PC configuration below), I don't think the utilities are at fault. If TLB has problems with such things, then a Help or Forum/FAQ post would surely benefit professional customers (scientists, engineers, managers, accountants, etc.) who use large, complex menu trees with long filenames.
Other than the above, I'm out of ideas on what's causing intermittent "dead keystrokes" in selecting menu items. Has anyone experienced similar problems? Is there a TLB setting I should change to produce normal menu item selection behavior?
My bare-bones PC configuration is ...
....DELL Optiplex GX260
........Processor : x86 Family 15 Model 2 Stepping 7
........BIOS Version/Date : Dell Computer Corporation A03, 9/24/2002
........SMBIOS Version : 2.3
....Microsoft Windows XP Professional
........Windows Version 5.1
........Build 2600.xpsp2.030422-1633 : Service Pack 1
........Shell : 6.0.2800.1580
........Internet Explorer : 6.0.2800.1106
....Total Physical Memory : 768.00 MB
........Available Physical Memory : 376.33 MB
........Total Virtual Memory : 2.58 GB
........Available Virtual Memory : 1.92 GB
........Page File Space : 1.83 GB
....Microsoft USBIntelliMouse Optical (IntelliPoint)
........Driver Date: 4/11/2002
........Driver Version: 4.10.851.0
....Symantec Antivirus
....Active Card Gold: drag and drop
....Volume control
....100.0 Mbps Local Area Connection
....TrueSoft Tools
........TrueLaunchBar
........StartKiller
........PressStart
........Spacer
After a right-click on a toolbar icon pops open its menu, I can start pressing (say) "t" to get to the name "Tool Folder", which has several other "t" menu items above it. One "t" keystroke gets me to the first "t" name on the menu, but then more "t" keystrokes don't "jump" down the "t" items one-at-a-time, as I expect they would. If I wait more than ~2 seconds to press another "t", nothing happens -- the "t" item selection stays where it is. In testing time intervals between "t" keystrokes, I've found that a fast "t" double-click will cause the highlight to jump normally -- down the menu from one "t" item to the one immediately below it.
If I fiddle long enough clicking the "t" (or any other letter) menu item, "jumping" sometimes settles down, and, FOR THAT LETTER ONLY, each menu line is selected in turn with a single keystroke. But, if I start pressing another key (say "e"), the "dead keystroke" problem starts over again.
Sometimes, the last item in a same-letter menu item list gets skipped entirely. This has happened several times in a row on "e" (see SNAG-0008.gif), where "Embedded News - Xilinx ..." is skipped over on "e" click when the item above it ("Embedded News - The MathWorks ...") is highlighted, regardless of the time lapse between consecutive "e" keystrokes.
Most of my TLB menus have >100 items, and many of their names are up to 125 characters long (Windows maximum filename length is advertised as 256 characters). Maybe menu length and name length are causing these problems. Since I removed all of my utilities before performing these tests (see my bare-bones PC configuration below), I don't think the utilities are at fault. If TLB has problems with such things, then a Help or Forum/FAQ post would surely benefit professional customers (scientists, engineers, managers, accountants, etc.) who use large, complex menu trees with long filenames.
Other than the above, I'm out of ideas on what's causing intermittent "dead keystrokes" in selecting menu items. Has anyone experienced similar problems? Is there a TLB setting I should change to produce normal menu item selection behavior?
My bare-bones PC configuration is ...
....DELL Optiplex GX260
........Processor : x86 Family 15 Model 2 Stepping 7
........BIOS Version/Date : Dell Computer Corporation A03, 9/24/2002
........SMBIOS Version : 2.3
....Microsoft Windows XP Professional
........Windows Version 5.1
........Build 2600.xpsp2.030422-1633 : Service Pack 1
........Shell : 6.0.2800.1580
........Internet Explorer : 6.0.2800.1106
....Total Physical Memory : 768.00 MB
........Available Physical Memory : 376.33 MB
........Total Virtual Memory : 2.58 GB
........Available Virtual Memory : 1.92 GB
........Page File Space : 1.83 GB
....Microsoft USBIntelliMouse Optical (IntelliPoint)
........Driver Date: 4/11/2002
........Driver Version: 4.10.851.0
....Symantec Antivirus
....Active Card Gold: drag and drop
....Volume control
....100.0 Mbps Local Area Connection
....TrueSoft Tools
........TrueLaunchBar
........StartKiller
........PressStart
........Spacer