-Brading Software Message Board
+--Forum: Mp3/Tag Studio Support and Bug Reports
+---Topic: Odd behavior when entering special character started by calberga
Posted by: calberga on Aug. 21 2004,04:13
I have my keyboard set (from the control panel) to Language = "English (United States), Layout = "United States-International".
I have been using the character "§" in some of my field seperators. To enter this one must hold down ALT-CTL-SFT and type the "S" key.
When I do this, which ever tab I'm using (usually "Tag/rename from list"" ) mp3/tag studio switches to "Autotag (from filenames)". But, when I switch back to the tab where I entered the "§", is is there in the field seperator.
Is this a defined action, or is it just a side-effect of some sort.
I haven't experimented with other "unusual" character, but will if it would be of interest.
Posted by: Magnus Brading on Aug. 23 2004,14:02
This happens because the hot-key for that tab is alt-s, which is included in that keyboard shortcut you are using for that key. Normally, I've never heard of any characters using the alt-key when being written?
Posted by: Cyril N. Alberga on Aug. 24 2004,23:35
When using the US-International keyboard layout there are several ways (apparently, I just did a search on the 'net) to enter the special characters. I have always used ALT-CTL to do this, but some web sites indicate that one can use Right-ALT as well. I'm not home, and I don't want to muck up my daughter-in-law's computer experimenting, but you can check a couple of web sites, such as:
< http://www.arts.monash.edu.au/it....at.html >
< http://www.forlang.wsu.edu/help/keyboards1.asp >
< http://www.lehman.cuny.edu/deanhum/langlit/labs/keyboard.htm >
The last, while not showing the complete layout does specify the use of ALT-CTL rather than Right-ALT.
I have no idea how one reconciles the US-Internation keyboard with the use of "hot keys". Since I never use "hot keys", and (I guess) none of the other special characters I've used match them (although I THOUGHT I had used the CTL-ALT-s, for the German "sharp s") I never noticed this before.
So -- any reasonable way around this?
Cyril
Posted by: Magnus Brading on Aug. 25 2004,17:41
I can make a workaround so that the GUI shortcuts won't be activated if there is another key in addition to ALT held down (e.g. CTRL). I will put it into the next released update, stay tuned.
Posted by: Cyril N. Alberga on Aug. 25 2004,18:10
Thanks! Am the only one around who uses this keyboard layout? It seems the simplest for easy entry of most Western European languages, at least for English speakers. When typing English text the only thing you need to watch out for are the characters on the "dead keys" (' " ^ ` ~) which will "grab" appropriate following characters unless followed by a space (which doesn't become part of the text).
As I said, I'm not home and won't be for about two weeks, so I can't experiment, but how will the Right-ALT method of entering the special characters interact with mp3/tag studio? I don't know if that is required by XP and/or 2000, or if they will interpret the CLT-ALT in the way the 98 does.
Cyril
Posted by: Magnus Brading on Aug. 25 2004,21:22
Since the right alt-key is after all an alt-key just like the other one, and since the normal way of doing GUI shortcuts in Windows actually is by using alt-<letter> combinations, I don't think it's very easy (or even desirable) to work around this. I'm sure the old ctrl-alt-shortcuts will work in XP too though.
Here in Europe we don't have any character key combinations involving the alt key and normal letter keys. Is this the case for many different special characters in the US? And is there really no other way to write them out? (you can always use the alt-<charcode> combination though, in the worst case
)
Posted by: Cyril N. Alberga on Aug. 26 2004,20:26
Most of the accented letters can be entered using dead-keys followed by the character. E.g., C-cedila can be entered by typing ' followed by C. (But only if you have chosen US-International layout.) I sometimes think I am the only person in the universe using this, as no one I mention it to seems to have heard of it!
Yes, the ALT-### works, but is, for me, harder to remember. Out of curiosity, if you wanted to enter a Portuguese title, using a-tilda, how would you do it? I just type ~ followed by a, and there it is. Do all European keyboard layouts include all the Western European (Latin1?) characters? Is is simple to type a German sharp-s from a French keyboard? It would seem odd, given our (U.S.) monolinguistic mindset that we wind up with the simplest way to type French/Spanish/Portuguese/etc. -- note that the US-Int. layout even includes the Icelandic "th" characters, as well as Swedish and Danish. All in one package. It would seem to me that such a layout, even using Right-ALT triggers would be the norm in Europe.
Cyril
Posted by: Magnus Brading on Aug. 26 2004,21:51
Yes, for normal letters with only "things added on top of them", like for example ã, ä, â, á, à and so on, we only first press the button for the "thing on top", and then the letter button afterwards, just like you say.
Some European countries, like e.g. Sweden, only have quite few special letters in addition to the normal latin alphabet though, and then they can have special buttons on the keyboard. In Sweden we have special buttons for our three special letters å, ä and ö.
Also, the right alt-button is used quite much for different "special characters" here, it is even called "Alt Gr" instead of "Alt".
Anyway, I just took a picture of my Swedish keyboard for you with my digital camera. and attached to this post so you can see for yourself (the picture is bigger than it looks here in the forum, if you download it to your computer you will be able to see it more clearly).
All the buttons that have three different symbols on them use the "Alt Gr" button, i.e. the right alt button.
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