Duplicate

See "Take 2" which is the IDEA we will track going forward.

Set free our numeric keypad!

In the old days, when Xyvision moved from proprietary hardware to standard hardware like PC's, it made sense to try to mimic the soft key pad by confiscating the numeric keypad.

But nowadays, how many people will ever get used to the odd soft keypad thing that does not even fit the layout of a normal numeric keypad? People prefer to use the mouse to drive the softkeys or even the X-buttons. The numeric keypad just becomes a total waste of space.

So why not provide a setting in the xyview.ini file so that the user can choose whether to continue using the numeric keypad as a substitute for the old soft keys (for the old die hard users) or just leave the numeric keypad be a normal numeric keypad? (oh and while we are at it, why not a similar setting in the sdedit.ini file)

Whether this setting would be combined with 'restoring' the normal behavior of other keys remains something that needs further discussion...
I am thinking here about things like making the 'page up' and 'page down' letting you move to the next or previous page. And the 'Home' and 'End' keys that let you jump to the start or end of a block.
All in all let the XPP behave like any other application so people do not have to learn new ways of doing things..
Maybe those additional settings require additional entries in the .ini files...I don't know.

First of all if you like the numeric keypad idea, just log in and press the up arrow.
Second don't be shy. If you have your own opinion about this. leave it below in the comments!

Parents Comment Children
  • Jonathan, 
    Indeed existing user continue to prefer using keystrokes.
    But as I mentioned already in my answer to Thomas, I see a lot of new users preferring to use the mouse to control the soft keypad.

    That is exactly why I am saying that is should be 'user choice' and not something that gets imposed onto the poor user.
    (and having the poor instructor explain why there is a soft keypad and why the layout is nothing like the numeric keypad on their keyboard)