Keyboard shortcuts - is there a limit?

trids · Post by **trids** » Wed Dec 02, 2009 10:51 am

Is there some limit to the number of keyboard shortcuts that can be user-assigned?

I keep bumping my head on this problem with different versions of TP .. I'm still on version 5.2.0, but I've noticed it since about 4.7.3.

What happens is I can create a custom tool no problem, and it appears happily under the "External Tools" menu, and runs fine. But when I try to assign a keyboard shortcut to it, it doesn't appear in the Commands listbox of the Keyboard Preferences dialog .. and this is true whether I select "Tools" under Categories, or "All".

So .. is there a limit? I can't find it mentioned along with the other limits documented on the Specifications page of the online help. And if I delete another keyboard shortcut in the hopes of freeing up one to reuse, sometimes it works - but sometimes it doesn't. So if there is a limit or a constraint of some sort, then what are the rules?

And is there maybe a workaround? Perhaps a registry hack that i can go and add myself?

TIA

woho · Post by **woho** » Wed Dec 02, 2009 11:49 am

Same problem here
WinXP SP 3 TextPad 5.3.1 German
but problem know to me at least since TP 4.7.3

my current TextPad:

menu Tools/External Tools:
39 tools + 8 separations lines

export Registry, Path: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Helios\TextPad 5\Tools\

39 + 8 + 1 (parent: [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Helios\TextPad 5\Tools]) entries are there

Menu Configure/Preferences/Keyboard/Categories=Extras
shows 42 entries in 'Command' list box: 32 user tools + 10 Textpadtools:
ToolCompareFiles, ToolConvert, ToolExplorer, ToolHTMLValidate, ToolRerun, ToolRun, ToolSort, ToolSpell, ToolStop, TooWildEdit
=> 7 user tools are missing
=> maybe there is a limitation of 32 user tools ?
=> I assume I would have to delete 8 user tools before I can assign another - will not try this because don't want to edit 8 user tools again

trids · Post by **trids** » Wed Dec 02, 2009 1:20 pm

Thanks for the reply, woho

After further investigation, it looks like the registry is not where the problem/solution lies after all. According to the helpfile, keyboard shortcuts are stored in the CUSTOM.BND file .. mine is 2665 bytes, but i can't decipher it.

But wait, how's this for bizarre? .. I deleted a tool which did NOT have a keyboard shortcut (hotkey) assigned to it, but it DID have an icon appearing next to it in the External Tools menu .. and replaced it with the new tool that I want to assign a hotkey. And now the new tool gets an icon (not surprising, but not much use to me) .. but it also offers itself up for a hotkey in the Commands listbox!

As far as i can tell, there is no relationship between tool icons and hotkey-assignability ... and yet it works!

Ah well, lets hope for a proper solution.

woho · Post by **woho** » Wed Dec 02, 2009 1:53 pm

After further investigation, it looks like the registry is not where the problem/solution lies after all.

as I had answered: everything is there in my registry

And now the new tool gets an icon (not surprising, but not much use to me)

icons are also shown as buttons in 'tools' toolbar if switched on, but really not of much use as long as icon bitmaps cannot be assigned by user (I'm too old to remember for which tool hammer #14 is standing.., you can go to the buttons with the cursor => quick tip shows tool name, but not very useful either for 32+ tools)
my impression: tool icons limit: 16
=> no more icons for tool #17+

I reckon the limit is the length of the list box in the configuration menu:
32 tool entries (separation lines do not count)
=> no more keyboard shortcuts for tool #32+

btw I do not think it is our task to decipher custom.bnd

but maybe Helios now realizes that there are users with 32+ tools and increases the limit of the list box

WoHo

leefa · Post by **leefa** » Thu Oct 06, 2011 5:38 pm

the same thing is happening to me - any ideas around it? I'm on version 5.4.2