Keyboard shortcut inconsistencies

[jkoseattle]

Drives me crazy. You just can't count on the keyboard shortcuts you assign to work every time. It's so frustrating. Is this a known bug? Sometimes they work, sometimes they don't. When they don't, often opening the preferences window for keyboard shortcuts and simply hitting OK fixes it. But sometimes not. Is there some workaround I should know about?

[David Baay]

Which key(s) for which function(s) in which context(s)? Setting up custom bindings can be quirky, but once established should work consistently unless maybe there's come conflict of assignments in different contexts.

[jkoseattle]

I should also mention that I have a mouse with programmable buttons, so when I mention keystrokes they are actually being initiated by a mouse button assigned to that keystroke.

I have the Alt-D assigned to "Previous Marker" under Global Bindings. It works most of the time, but sometimes it behaves like I'm nudging the Track View to the left. 

I have plain D assigned to Show/Hide Multidock, and I use it to switch back and forth between Track View and usually PRV. This is the one that most often fails. Hitting the D key on the keyboard works though.

Now that I'm typing all this out, I'm suspecting the fact that I'm using mouse buttons to trigger those keys is probably the problem. Maybe CW is interpreting the mouse action instead of the keystroke it's assigned to?? Then why is it so intermittent?

[Promidi]

Are you using any Workspaces? Unless you configure used workspaces not to, those Workspaces will load their own specific Keyboard shortcuts.

I use Workspaces and many custom Keyboard shortcuts. However, I have configured the Workspaces I use, not to load Keyboard shortcuts from those Workspaces (Done in “Manage Workspaces”)

[David Baay]

1 hour ago, Promidi said:

Are you using any Workspaces? Unless you configure used workspaces not to, those Workspaces will load their own specific Keyboard shortcuts.

Good bet that's the issue. I don't use Workspaces (set to None), and I use the default D binding to toggle the multidock open and closed a lot without issue as I'm sure many other users do.

[msmcleod]

Keyboard shortcuts are focus sensitive - i.e. they only respond in the if they are bound in the currently focussed view.  For example a shortcut that is meant only for the PRV isn't necessarily going to work in the main view (it might have an equivalent, but you may have to re-bind it yourself).

If a shortcut isn't working, it's likely you've given focus to a different view.

Some keyboard shortcuts are global - well actually, it's more accurate to say the target operation is global, so they can still be overridden in a child view if you set it up that way. So when binding any key, check other views to see if the key is being used there too.
 

[jkoseattle]

5 hours ago, Promidi said:

Are you using any Workspaces? Unless you configure used workspaces not to, those Workspaces will load their own specific Keyboard shortcuts.

I use Workspaces and many custom Keyboard shortcuts. However, I have configured the Workspaces I use, not to load Keyboard shortcuts from those Workspaces (Done in “Manage Workspaces”)

I don't use Workspaces, so if there are any Workspace-related interaction issues, is there a way to circumnavigate them entirely?

[Promidi]

1 hour ago, jkoseattle said:

I don't use Workspaces, so if there are any Workspace-related interaction issues, is there a way to circumnavigate them entirely?

When you say “I don't use Workspaces”, you mean it is set to “none”?

If not, then you’re using a workspace. 

[jkoseattle]

10 hours ago, Promidi said:

When you say “I don't use Workspaces”, you mean it is set to “none”?

If not, then you’re using a workspace. 

Oh, so I WAS using a Workspace. It's now set to None. 

I've also discovered a couple other things: When the Show/Hide Multidock keystroke is failing, ALL my assigned keystrokes are failing. It's just that I use the Show/Hide Multidock one a lot. I also learned that this problem is easily fixed by simply focusing any application other than CW and then clicking back into CW again. Weird. I'm suspecting now it has something to do with how my mouse buttons are interacting with CW, because hitting the keystroke itself always works, it's just the mouse buttons that fail. I just can never remember the keystrokes, and the mouse buttons are right there under my fingers.

[Andres Medina]

I'm not sure that key bindings are locked to specific workspaces... I thought they are a global setting?

 

[scook]

from http://www.cakewalk.com/Documentation?product=Cakewalk&language=3&help=Lenses.1.html

• Quote

   

  • Load from Workspace. Lists all settings that can be loaded by a Workspace. When you create a new Workspace, all current settings are initially saved with the Workspace. From there, you can clear any settings you don’t want to load when you select that Workspace. These settings also determine which settings are overwritten in the Workspace the next time the Workspace is modified. The options are as follows:
    • ...
    • Keyboard Shortcuts. Load any custom keyboard shortcuts that are assigned in Edit > Preferences > Customization - Keyboard Shortcuts. For details, see Customization - Keyboard Shortcuts (Advanced) and Key bindings.

   

  •  

[Andres Medina]

31 minutes ago, scook said:

from http://www.cakewalk.com/Documentation?product=Cakewalk&language=3&help=Lenses.1.html

That's the best thing about this forum. Now I learned a new thing.

Thanks!

[Starship Krupa]

So Multidock/Track View switching works every time if you type a "D" on the keyboard, but less than every time if you assign "D" to a mouse button and use that?

Are there other programs where you're using mouse-mapped keystrokes, and do the buttons work more reliably in them?

I'm also fond of custom mouse button mappings and also find that they just seem to stop working or misfire from time to time. This is in all programs, not just Cakewalk. I've always just chalked it up to mouse/mouse software behavior. I use decent mice, always Logitech.

[jkoseattle]

On 10/16/2021 at 2:57 AM, Starship Krupa said:

So Multidock/Track View switching works every time if you type a "D" on the keyboard, but less than every time if you assign "D" to a mouse button and use that?

Are there other programs where you're using mouse-mapped keystrokes, and do the buttons work more reliably in them?

I'm also fond of custom mouse button mappings and also find that they just seem to stop working or misfire from time to time. This is in all programs, not just Cakewalk. I've always just chalked it up to mouse/mouse software behavior. I use decent mice, always Logitech.

What I've discovered after spending a bunch of time with this is that indeed, the mouse button assignments come and go, and I definitely don't think it's a Cakewalk issue at all now. 100% of the time I've tried this over the past few weeks, simply focus on any application other than Cakewalk, then click back into Cakewalk, and you have reset something and the mouse buttons work as designed again.

[Starship Krupa]

20 hours ago, jkoseattle said:

What I've discovered after spending a bunch of time with this is that indeed, the mouse button assignments come and go, and I definitely don't think it's a Cakewalk issue at all now. 100% of the time I've tried this over the past few weeks, simply focus on any application other than Cakewalk, then click back into Cakewalk, and you have reset something and the mouse buttons work as designed again.

Huh. Thanks for the tip. This suggests that the mouse software loses track of the fact that it's in Cakewalk, where you have custom buttons set up.

[jkoseattle]

Exactly the conclusion I came to as well.

[Starship Krupa]

I wonder if the mouse software may be getting confused when a 3rd-party plug-in takes focus.