Processing interaction imperfections on Windows

Processing
1

Hi

These 3 annoy me frequently using Processing on Windows (W10 today). I’m thinking of logging them as issues, but want to see what anyone else thinks first.

Keypress doesn’t work until Clicked
When the sketch is running the keyPressed function doesn’t work until after the Window is clicked. The Window colours show it has the focus, and the focus has gone off the IDE, so by convention it should be catching the key presses. There’s no visible indication that it’s not fully running and ready. I often hit the keys harder a few times before remembering to click. (On RPi keyPresses are active without click.)

Escape-Close
When the sketch is running, the escape key closes it, but not always. For me escape is the easiest, quickest way to close, but it doesn’t always work. The next method I use is alt-space-close. That’s working today but I have an idea that it doesn’t always work. (On the RPi escape seems to work every time.)

Close - Save changes ignores Y and N
When you close the IDE it may prompt you to save changes - with Yes and No buttons. The Y and N are underlined, indicating that it accepts Y or N (or y or n) but it doesn’t. (This one is the same on RPi.)

Richard

2

Yeah. Especially that the window doesn’t have focus initially is annoying.

I find it also annoying that a loading dialogue does occur behind the running sketch (file select).

And the g4p Editor and the Clipboard copy/paste doesn‘t work in P3D. No skySphere or floor.

Also of course in 2D no screenX and screenY can be criticized.

Chrisir

3

@Chrisir, Thanks for your confirmation. I’ve found the file dialogue behind, but not run into the others. I’ll log my 3 as issues.

4

@RiichardDL – did you submit these issues (or find any of them as already listed)?

5

@jeremydouglass Regret that submitting these is still on my list of good things to do. However I’ve just made progress on one of them. The escape-close issue is a symptom of “Keypress doesn’t work until Clicked”. Once you’ve clicked, escape works.

6

If you have time to report just one, maybe start with the y/n one! It might be an easy first issue for someone.

I suspect that the focus issue is more intractable – it is also more widely known, so an issue is more likely to already exist.

7
8

Been a long time, but I’m leaving a helpful note here based on the linked issue discussion:

To keypress Y / N dialogs in Windows, hold the alt key – Alt+Y or Alt+N.