Keyboard Shortcuts

Assaf Ben-Nun

Hi -
Trying to append keyboard shortcuts, i've noticed not all combinations are available :  example - trying to append the Alt+C to Set_Layer_By_Entity, or  Alt+B
to Move_to_Current_Layer - both shortcuts won't be accepted.
there were others' as well, and not combinations i'd considered off-standard.
Why is it the case, and can somethiong be done to bypass it ?

thanX
Assaf

martin@enco.us

I would use AutoHotKey for this.  www.autohotkey.com

Assaf Ben-Nun

thanks Martin. - i'll check it out (overviewing it si far, seems like a bit of studying is required).
wonder why isn't it as simple as i would've expected it to be in the BricsCAD CUI  :-(

Roy Klein Gebbinck

The Alt key typically triggers the menu in Windows applications. Using Alt+F in BricsCAD will cause the file menu to drop down. With Alt+C the mechanical menu drops down etc. So there is a good reason why the Alt key cannot be used for keyboard shortcuts. And because commands in BricsCAD can be entered using letter combinations, keyboard shortcuts cannot consist of Shift plus a letter. So there is some logic behind the blocking of certain keyboard shortcuts.

Assaf Ben-Nun

OK. Thanx again

I still fail to understand, though, why is it necessary to stick to Alt+C (as in your example) for the Mechanical Menu dropdown (i m using the BC Pro - non mechanical menu for me :-).......), since CUI is a powerful tool that enables great flexibility. i wouldv'e expected it to be left to my prefrences.

is there some other way to change these pre-defined shortcuts in a higher level ?

John Gaunt

I believe there are ways to reassign windows' key combinations, it will probably then perform the same function in every other windows program.
Intellicad first set out to behave like every other Windows program using 'familiar' keystrokes in a move away from Acad's previous operation, which had developed from DOS origins.
I used to run a batch file with key assignments in DOS, but it got too complicated to make Windows do a similar thing - I just use what comes even if it's not very intuitive.

Anthony Apostolaros

As Ray pointed out, any window with pull-down menus uses Alt-key combinations to activate those menus.
It doesn't have to be a combination; you can press and release Alt and then press the letter key, which is easier on your carpal tunnel.
Pressing the Alt key shows you which letter will activate each menu, by underlining the letter.
Once the menu is activated, you can execute a command in that menu by pressing the underlined letter in the command name, without the Alt key.

Bricscad lets you choose which letter gets underlined, by putting an ampersand (&) in front of the letter. Both for menus and commands.
So you can customize Bricscad so that it will execute any command when you press Alt and then two other keys.
Just put the command in a pull-down menu and adjust the ampersands accordingly.
Alternatively, you can use the Aliases tab to make any letter or combination of letters execute any command. Again, easy on the carpal tunnel.

If you really want to use Alt-key combinations, I'm sure Martin's method will work.
I use a similar program, MacroExpress, and I've always been able to override Alt-key combinations in any program.

martin@enco.us

AutoHotKey can be set so that whatever functions you set up only work in one program.  I use it in Bricscad to modify mouse clicks over toolbars so that the toolbars cannot get pulled out of place, and with an onscreen, in-place text editor I wrote to pass codes for the Home key and for other keys that GRREAD does not support. 

I'm hoping that in the new year Bricscad will add the option to lock toolbars (and an option to inhibit the "new feature" that allows a 'tear off' feature for toolbar flyouts, which I consider a regression, not an enhancement).  I'd also like to see a vle-grread function that returns codes for all keys, not just a subset.  I'd much rather have these functions inside Bricscad than have to use an outside program for these functions.