Audacity Forum

In 1.3.10 alpha/10/23/09 version and before, there is a slightly different problem. If you have a label selected, type something normal in the label, and then use ALT-f, say, to get to the File menu, it ignores the ALT and enters 'f' into the label. ALT-SHIFT-f results in 'F' in the label. This can be very annoying. Seems to me that any use of the ALT should work just like CTRL does.

Storer wrote:In 1.3.10 alpha/10/23/09 version and before, there is a slightly different problem. If you have a label selected, type something normal in the label, and then use ALT-f, say, to get to the File menu, it ignores the ALT and enters 'f' into the label. ALT-SHIFT-f results in 'F' in the label. This can be very annoying. Seems to me that any use of the ALT should work just like CTRL does.

Not getting that here.
Could you give details of your set-up (operating system - Audacity version including build date (see "Help > About Audacity") - anything else)

Problem occurs with version 1.3.10alpha-Oct-29, running on Win XP/SP3. Here's some additional information I just discovered.
The problem occurs only when I hold down the ALT key while pressing f or shift-f, etc.
However, if I press and release the ALT key (causing a depressed outline to appear around the File menu option, then key f or F or whatever, it works OK.
Looks like maybe something is triggering on alt key up rather than alt key down.

(I did a LOT of customer support in the last eight years before I retired. I should know better than to leave out the version/OS info. Sorry.) (But then I would not have discovered the press and release case. Ah, well....)

I've split this topic as it is a different (though possibly related) issue to the original post.

I wonder if this behaviour is specific to Windows (I'm on Linux). It may be a deliberate "feature" relating to the way Windows handles keyboard input.
I presume that if you press Enter after inputing label text and then press Alt+key that you get the expected action. Is that correct?

Yes, Steve, that works as expected.

While testing for that, though, I discovered another anomaly, with 1.3.10 (Oct 29) and Win XP/SP3.

When I do the following:
1) Create a new track and put some audio in it.
2) Select a section of audio and use CTRL-B to label it. Enter the label text and press Enter.
3) Click somewhere in the label track outside the existing label, but do not drag.
4) Press SHIFT-CTL-A to unselect everything. Now nothing should be selected, and the focus will be on the label track.
5)Press ALT-F
Expected: Drops down the file menu.
Actual result: Creates a second label track, creates an "event" label (with no extent) in the second label track at the cursor, and enters an 'f' in the label. It does this with Preferences/Tracks/Behaviours/"Select all audio in project, if none selected" either checked or unchecked.

Curiouser and curiouser...

Dave

I'm pretty sure that's not supposed to happen. (I don't get that on Linux, but do get it on Audacity 1.3.9 on XP SP3)
I'll put in a report and see what the developers say.

Certainly on Windows XP, you do not need to hold down ALT to access menus; you can just hit ALT to make the menus underlined then choose the activator key you want. On Linux you usually have to hold ALT down with the key you want, otherwise ALT is ignored. Someone told me Windows 7 now requires you to hold ALT down as on Linux, but I haven't checked that.

Either way I'd agree that if you have a label open (white background), hold down CTRL + <character> and that activates the shortcut, holding down ALT + <character> should activate the menu just as on Linux, unless allowing a single ALT to underline the the menus on Windows prevents that. With that caveat, I'll enter this as a minor bug.

Storer wrote:... I discovered another anomaly, with 1.3.10 (Oct 29) and Win XP/SP3.

When I do the following:
1) Create a new track and put some audio in it.
2) Select a section of audio and use CTRL-B to label it. Enter the label text and press Enter.
3) Click somewhere in the label track outside the existing label, but do not drag.
4) Press SHIFT-CTL-A to unselect everything. Now nothing should be selected, and the focus will be on the label track.
5)Press ALT-F
Expected: Drops down the file menu.
Actual result: Creates a second label track, creates an "event" label (with no extent) in the second label track at the cursor, and enters an 'f' in the label. It does this with Preferences/Tracks/Behaviours/"Select all audio in project, if none selected" either checked or unchecked.

Same. Even if the label track was selected (click outside the label but still in the label track), holding CTRL + <character> activates the shortcut, so holding ALT + <character> should activate the menus.


Gale