Re XP

[Patricia M Godfrey pmgodfrey@xxxxxxxx]

Morris wrote: ≪the mouse and the cursor keys do not work as they should
≫ on his new XP machine.

Back in March, Robert Grigg had a similar problem, and Robert Holmgren
answered it as follows (XP is based on NT, as is Windows 2000):

≪Is Quick Edit Mode "off" under 9x, but "on" (the default) under NT?

≪Under all Windows OpSyses, XyWrite does not detect mouse movement when
you use a console window with Quick Edit Mode "on". Under NT, with QEM
turned "off", XyWrite detects the mouse and positions the cursor with it,
and DeFines a word with a double click, but won't display a text $tring
while in the process of DeFining it unless you **turn off ("hide") the
mouse pointer altogether** -- which completely relinquishes system
control over the mouse to XyWrite, and permits DeFining to to be
displayed while in-process. Unfortunately, that also renders the mouse
cursor invisible in a console window, so you don't know where the bloody
thing is. It works perfectly with a Hidden Mouse Pointer, except that
you can't see it.

≪Here's the interesting part, which you may not have noticed: whether
the cursor is visible or invisible, $tring DeFining IS happening! You
just can't see it or watch it while it's happening. If you hold down the
LMB and blindly DF a $tring, and then you issue a manual "func FF" or
"func DO" or MU MD or something like that, immediately the DF block is
displayed.

What's happening here is that XyWrite's mouse call to the operating
system is being stepped on by the system mouse driver, and that in turn
probably crashes XyWrite's internal routine so that the usual screen
refresh doesn't get executed.  So draw your own conclusions. Disable
the system mouse driver, and XyWrite's mouse works. Something is
stepping on toes. M$Word and WPerfect for DOS are probably
Windows-mouse-aware. XyWrite never has been. 9x probably uses an old
DOS mouse driver, and thus works. I haven't tried it, but a hardware
rather than software cursor might also work.

Once again, we're looking at the fact that XyWrite was not designed to be
run in a (deeply compromised) console window -- it was designed for
FullScreen. It knows nothing about DOS boxes.

-----------------------------
Robert Holmgren
holmgren@xxxxxxxx ≫

You could, of course, have XySearched for that, but as I have all the
past year's posts (except for those that got virus-infected) here on my
disk, I thought I'd do my good deed for the day and send it. Others have
also reported cursor problems, and the question has been canvassed at
length. XySearch.

As for Function Keys, do you have the XyWrite 4 Customization Guide? If
not, Bry Henderson has posted it on his site. You can Load a PrograM to
any key you want, and you could (but it's not recommended) incorporate
any existing keyboard assignment into a program by using Scroll Lock to
record keystrokes. The preferred method, however, is to embed the actual
functions in one's program with PFUN and PFUNC (native and U2 routines).
It's so long since I used Xy III that I cannot recall any striking
differences in Methods of a assigning Funcition Keys; the out-of-box
assignments are different--so much so that Xy 4 came with an alternative
Xy III keyboard for people who wanted to keep the old one.

Patricia