Problem with spacebar in O&A window [SOLVED]

[RobertAlbright]

Hope you guys don't mind me butting in as you may consider this off-topic. Why in Objects and Animation is it not possible (as in the main screen) to start and stop playback with the Spacebar ? I have recently being doing some detailed work using keyframes and this missing feature was a nuisance. (Now you'll tell me I can do it by pressing F8 or something).

While on the subject of irrelevance to the topic, I have no Function key (Fn) on my keyboard. How the heck does one call up the lightbox (All slides on screen and able to move them about) nowadays?

Moderator note:

This topic has been created in order to split this dialogue out from a topic that had been unwittingly hijacked. I think I picked all the right pieces to create this topic. If I've got anythoing in the wrong place, please let me know.

[Guest Yachtsman1]

Hope you guys don't mind me butting in as you may consider this off-topic. Why in Objects and Animation is it not possible (as in the main screen) to start and stop playback with the Spacebar ? I have recently being doing some detailed work using keyframes and this missing feature was a nuisance. (Now you'll tell me I can do it by pressing F8 or something).

While on the subject of irrelevance to the topic, I have no Function key (Fn) on my keyboard. How the heck does one call up the lightbox (All slides on screen and able to move them about) nowadays?

Hi Robert

I use 7.07 & the space bar pauses the action in the O&A screen.

Re the missing FN key, I assume you have "hot keys" along the top row of your keypad F1 to F12? In my experience the FN key just expands the range of the hot keys making them multi functional. Someone will correct me I'm sure if this isn't correct.

Regards Eric

Yachtsman1.

PS Just had another thought, did you authorise the space bar if you are using 7.5? I don't yet so I can't check.

[RobertAlbright]

Hi Eric

I'm on 7.5.0 (Vista) - the space bar doesn't work in O&A on my computer; it didn't on 7.0 either. It works in the main PTE screen- not sure if that answers your point about 'authorising the space bar'.

My key board has F1 to F12 but no Fn key.

[RobertAlbright]

A suggestion came from Lakeland Lass to try F4 to call up the lightbox. This didn't work but she put me on the right trail. F3 does the trick.

No solutions yet to the space bar problem in Objects and Animation.

[fh1805]

A suggestion came from Lakeland Lass to try F4 to call up the lightbox. This didn't work but she put me on the right trail. F3 does the trick.

No solutions yet to the space bar problem in Objects and Animation.

Hi Robert,

I'm using v7.5.3 and the spacebar acts as a play/pause toggle switch in the O&A window. F4 will show (toggle on/off) the contents of the Slide List in Fullscreen mode (same effect as clicking on the little triangle icon beside the Slides tab at the bottom of the main window). F3 will show (toggle on/off) the contents of the File List panel in fullscreen mode.

regards,

Peter

[Guest Yachtsman1]

Hi Eric

I'm on 7.5.0 (Vista) - the space bar doesn't work in O&A on my computer; it didn't on 7.0 either. It works in the main PTE screen- not sure if that answers your point about 'authorising the space bar'.

My key board has F1 to F12 but no Fn key.

Hi Robert, I use W7 Professional, maybe the space bar not functioning is operating system orientated :unsure:/> . Depending which version of 7.5 you use I believe you had to turn on whatever functions you required, if I remember correctly this was going to be reversed so that all functions are enabled & the user switches off what they don't want :unsure:/> . Whether this applies to the space bar in O&A I don't know, have you checked the 7.5 manual?

Re the hot keys, do you have a list of what they operate on your set up?

Regards Eric

Yachtsman1.

[RobertAlbright]

Hi Peter and Eric.

The fact that the spacebar operates in O&A as a Pause/Play toggle in some Windows versions only is somewhat of a concern. It certainly doesn't work on my Vista operating system.

Perhaps even more of a concern is that the Function keys operate differently depending on the operating system you're using. On mine, I have discovered today, F3 shows the Slide List in Fullscreen mode. F4 lifts the Timeline and the audio tracks to the top of the monitor screen, presumably to allow more audio tracks to be inserted and manipulated. Clicking on the little triangle icon beside the Slides tab at the bottom of the main window has the same effect I have just described.

So far as I can see, the official guidance and manual are not true for all Windows systems. The effect of pressing F4 for example is different in W7 Professional (Eric's system) and Vista (my system) where F3 performs the same function as in Eric's system. The space bar works in O&A in W7 Professional (Eric's system) but not at all in Vista (my system).

Should not these anomalies be raised with WnSoft?

[Guest Yachtsman1]

Hi Robert we lived abroad on our boat for 3 years & it was frustrating that every different internet cafe we visited, in different cafes, the key boards were different, in fact in one cafe in Aguadulce in Spain, the internet cafe there had different keyboards, depending which machine you used. In the back of my mind I seem to remember you can customise the operation of the keyboard to suit what you require, maybe you could customise your keyboard to what PTE says certain keys operate. However, if you are using a PC & not a laptop a new keyboard is around £25, beware though, if you are sticking with Vista, a W7 keyboard isn't compatable, or so I believe. Just a thought you could re-lable the keys :unsure:/>

Regards Eric

Yachtsman1.

[fh1805]

Robert,

You have declared you are using PTE v7.5.0. Eric has declared he is using v7.0.7 and I have declared I am using v7.5.3.

Until we are all using the same version of PTE across different operating systems, we cannot make any pronouncements about anything being an operating system difference. Based on the evidence we have at present, this could be variation in the different PTE versions.

In PTE version 7.5.3, F4 toggles the Timeline view to/from fullscreen if you are in the Timeline view and toggles the Slide List to/from fullscreen mode if you are in the Slides view. F3 always toggles the File List panel to/from fullscreen view. I cannot speak for earlier versions of PTE as I now have only v7.5.3 installed. I cannot test any operating systems other than Win 7 Home Premium 64-bit as both my systems are now up to that level.

regards,

Peter

[fh1805]

Just one point of clarification...

Eric,

Your point about "authorising the spacebar" is an irrelevance. There is no such feature in v7.5. If you were using v7.5 you would have the relevant knowledge and your own understanding would, as a consequence, be that much greater.

regards,

Peter

[stonemason]

I'm using Version 7.5.3 on windows 7 pro 64bit, and confirm what Peter says, the spacebar plays/pauses in the O&A window, and F4 toggles timeline/slide view to/from full screen depending on which view mode you are in.

Geoff

[Guest Yachtsman1]

Just one point of clarification...

Eric,

Your point about "authorising the spacebar" is an irrelevance. There is no such feature in v7.5. If you were using v7.5 you would have the relevant knowledge and your own understanding would, as a consequence, be that much greater.

regards,

Peter

That is really a pompous reply,If I'd read the Old testament I would probably know a lot more about religeon. This denegration of members who are not using 7.5 is getting riddiculous. :angry:/> :angry:/> :angry:/> especially from a so called moderator who is supposed to be neutral, IMO an apology is required.

Yachtsman1

[RobertAlbright]

I have downloaded PTE 7.5.3.

I can confirm that on my computer F4 and the triangle next to slides (bottom right) toggle the Timeline view to/from fullscreen in the Timeline view and toggle the Slide List to/from fullscreen mode in the Slides view.

However in Objects and Animation the spacebar does not operate the Play/Pause function. It has no effect whatever.

My operating system is Windows Vista.

[nobeefstu]

Robert,

However in Objects and Animation the spacebar does not operate the Play/Pause function. It has no effect whatever.

If you first initiate the Play button ... does the spacebar then toggle play/pause function ?

*This is a requirement on my XP for spacebar to play/pause in O&A

[RobertAlbright]

Thanks nobeefstu, this does the trick. It didn't work like this with PTE 7.5.0. (on my computer) so I think Igor must have fixed it in 7.5.3.

Ideally one should be able to operate Play/Pause with the space bar without having to press Play first- but both my recorded problems are now solved.

Thanks everyone else who contributed.

[Barry Beckham]

Robert

For what it's worth, I agree with what your saying, it would be nice if the space bar started and stopped the preview in the Objects and Animation (O&A) screen. I have found that the P key also starts a preview, but then you can't stop it with the space bar. If your inside the O&A screen its odds on your there to make changes and a preview will be required. The space bar is the most convenient and logical choice. Perhaps Igor will pick up on this thread and consider that.

[Igor]

Hello Robert,

I'd like to suggest a temporary solution for the Objects & animation editor. Use "Pause/Break" hardware key on the top row of your keyboard. This key works in all parts of PicturesToExe (including main window abd in executable shows).

In future version we'll add Space key for play/pause in O&A editor. However with some restrictions. Space key will work only if you clicked to the area of preview (slide), or to the timeline area. Because O&A window contains other inteface controls which also can interact with Space key (checkboxes, text fields, buttons, etc).

Additionally, if you have a keyboard with hardware multimedia keys you can use special Play key.

[Guest Yachtsman1]

That is really a pompous reply,If I'd read the Old testament I would probably know a lot more about religeon. This denegration of members who are not using 7.5 is getting riddiculous. :angry:/>/>/>/>/>/> :angry:/>/>/>/>/>/> :angry:/>/>/>/>/>/> especially from a so called moderator who is supposed to be neutral, IMO an apology is required.

Yachtsman1

Peter

As you haven't responded to my request for an apology I decided to do some research. Using Stu's suggested method of checking which series an exe was produced in I checked the new shows I had downloaded since 1st December 2012. Of the six I checked, five were made using versions before 7.5, even as far back as 6.0, which I think proves my point that with 7.5 is not just me not using it. Maybe Ken, who I think downloads most of the shows on here could check his archives from the 1st of December & give a more accurate assesment?

Yachtsman1.

[Ken Cox]

i cant even find Stu's entry

and

i download by name

and there are 13 folders that were modified in dec 2012 -- btw i have stopped downloading all offerings -- my 2 1 tb drives are running out of space and my 2 3 tb usb3 drives have other purposes

properties of an exe give you nothing re ver that i can see

ken

[fh1805]

As you haven't responded to my request for an apology...

Eric,

I don't spend every waking minute sat on the forum waiting for the next post to arrive. I don't even have it set to send me any e-mails. I dip in and out, fairly frequently, as and when I have time. On each visit I deal with what I feel I have time for.

On this visit I feel I have time to deal with your last two posts. The comment above deals with the second of those. Now to the one that upset you...

The point I was trying to make - and clearly failed to do so - was that in your dialogue with Robert you had offered advice (i.e. your reference to "authorising the spacebar") that was based on what you thought v7.5 did.

I feel certain that users coming to this forum with usage problems will expect to receive advice based, not on another person's beliefs about the product, but based upon another person's actual experience of the product.

If I upset you with my earlier post then I apologise. As I hope you realise, I never set out to deliberately upset forum users.

regards,

Peter

[Guest Yachtsman1]

Eric,

I don't spend every waking minute sat on the forum waiting for the next post to arrive. I don't even have it set to send me any e-mails. I dip in and out, fairly frequently, as and when I have time. On each visit I deal with what I feel I have time for.

On this visit I feel I have time to deal with your last two posts. The comment above deals with the second of those. Now to the one that upset you...

The point I was trying to make - and clearly failed to do so - was that in your dialogue with Robert you had offered advice (i.e. your reference to "authorising the spacebar") that was based on what you thought v7.5 did.

I feel certain that users coming to this forum with usage problems will expect to receive advice based, not on another person's beliefs about the product, but based upon another person's actual experience of the product.

If I upset you with my earlier post then I apologise. As I hope you realise, I never set out to deliberately upset forum users.

regards,

Peter

Peter

I don't want to drag this out, but if you look at post 2 which is where I made the remark about 7.5, we didn't know which version Robert was using, hence the query.

(PS Just had another thought, did you authorise the space bar if you are using 7.5? I don't yet so I can't check)

Yachtsman1.

[RobertAlbright]

Thank you Igor.

Yes, the Pause/Break key does Play and Pause in the O&A editor even without pressing Play first. It is the first time I have ever used this key and I bet the same applies to many other PTE Forum users!

I don't fully understand your comment 'Space key will work only if you clicked to the area of preview (slide), or to the timeline area.' Is it not the case that the O&A editor is always accessed from the Slides or Timeline area?

As Barry has confirmed, this change to the O&A editor in a future version is good news - it applies a standard user practice for editing programs (especially sound and video editing) to PTE .

[davegee]

Robert,

I think that Igor means - if you Double Click on an image in the Mini-Player it starts a full preview. You can then use the Space Bar to Pause.

DG

[fh1805]

(PS Just had another thought, did you authorise the space bar if you are using 7.5? I don't yet so I can't check)

As I have tried to say twice before in this topic: there is no such feature as "authorise the spacebar" in v7.5. The functions performed by the keys on the keyboard are hard-coded into PTE.

regards,

Peter

[RobertAlbright]

Thanks Dave - however the space bar always did operate the Play/Pause function on the Mini-Player. It was only in O&A that it didn't work on my computer.