NewDeal Hot Tip 1604

[Hot Tips for...] GEOS.INI

GEOS.INI: [input]

Entries in the [input] category tell the system how to respond to input from the keyboard and mouse and define how the user interface responds to various actions.

number of mouse buttons = <1|2|3>
Three is the default.

click to type = <true|false>
True is the default. False is the real estate model.

select raises = <true|false>
If true (the default), clicking on a window brings it to the front (except not over help windows or desk accessories).

select displays menu = <true|false>
False is the default. Setting this true in some UIs reverses the effect of the left and right mouse buttons on menu buttons. The left (SELECT) button will open a menu, while the right (FEATURES) button will show and execute the default menu item.

invoke on press = <true|false>
False is the default. True might not be implemented.

specific UI compatible = <true|false>
False is the deafult. True eliminates the NewDeal extensions.

click goes through = <true|false>
Default is false. True might not be implemented.

blinking cursor = <true|false>
Determines whether the text insertion point blinks or not.

reboot on reset = <true|false>
Determines whether CTRL+ALT+DEL will quickly return to DOS or will warm boot the machine. Default is true.

left handed = <true|false>
For mouses with more than one button, this causes the functions assigned to the buttons to be reversed (for 3-button mouses, the middle button remains the same). The default is false.

mouseAccelThreshold = <number>
A mouse movement beyond this threshold number of pixels is multiplied by a multiplying factor. The multiplier defaults to one. Note that this would be additional acceleration for any mouse that provides built-in acceleration. A typical value for this key is = 5.

mouseAccelMultiplier = <number>
1 does nothing, 3 or 4 is pretty fast.

quickShutdownOnReset =<true|false>
If true, this key causes CTRL+ALT+DEL to force a quick and dirty shutdown of NewDeal. The default is true.

noKeyboard = <true|false>
If this key is true, the floatingKeyboard key in the [expressMenuControl] category should also be true.

When both keys are true, NewDeal will display the on-screen floating keyboard gadget. that you can click on with your mouse to enter text.
Don't fret about "noKeyboard," you'll still be able to use your regular keyboard, too. The floating keyboard will only be active when the text insertion point is ready to accept key presses, like when you have NewWrite running or when a dialog box that expects text entry is the active window. You can toggle the floating keyboard on and off by clicking on the new item in your Express menu. The floating keyboard can be a helpful tool for quickly entering those special or extended characters without having to look up or remember some of the more obscure key-press combinations. It might really be useful if you know someone who, because of disability or for whatever reason, is unable to use a keyboard but can manage a mouse or other input device.

It seems like a pretty handy tool. What are the disadvantages? Some folks find the floating keyboard to be "in the way" during certain operations. The floating keyboard has several different "modes," like alphabetic mode, keyboard-style, symbol mode, and even one you can't use which is designed for handwriting recognition on pen-based systems. Among the biggest caveats is in NewCalc. When the floating keyboard is enabled, you have to keep clicking on the input bar between each cell entry, because the application no longer retains its focus on accepting key presses.

You can adjust the size of the floating keyboard with the keyboardSize key in the [ui] category.


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Last Modified 5 Mar 1999