Scintilla switched to replace instead of insert: how did I do that?

[jtu...@objektfabrik.de]

Hi there,

I just had an interesting effect with VAST 8.6 and Scintilla.

I must have pressed some key combination that switched Scintilla to replace mode. The cursor was changed from a vertical bar between characters to a horizontal bar that displays below the characters and has the same varying width as the letter above it.

On key press the editor then replaced the character instead of inserting the letter i just entered.

The funny thing here is that the INS key did not change this and that only one open class browser was affected. All others were still working as they always do.

So this was not a system wide Insert/replace switching thing.

I had additional trouble here because I am using a Win7 vmware VM on Mac and the Mac doesn't have the INS key (called Einfg on the german PC keyboard). So all I could do was close that class browser and open another one - all is fine again.

I just wonder what I pressed to get things into that state and what I could have done to change it...

Joachim

[Seth Berman]

Hi Joachim,

I am not aware of any special key combination that should put the editor into overwrite mode.

Is it possible you are pressing the vmware defined key combination to emulate a INS keypress?

I don't use the product so I can't say for sure, but I found this link.

Vmware Tips On Using a Mac Keyboard

You are correct. Overwrite mode is not currently a global setting, so every editor instance will default to append mode.
In the future as we expose more editor options, this may no longer be the case.

-- Seth

[jtu...@objektfabrik.de]

Hi Seth,

I guess I must have pressed some strange key combination. But I would expect that to switch to overwrite system wide (meaning windows-wide, inside the vmware VM). According to the link you provided and some help from wikipedia it seems like pressing Fn on a Mac keyboard results in an emulated press of INS in the VM. Since I use a Logitech K750 which has the Fn key above the DEL key, it is very likely I pressed it...

So you've helped me solve one of those little mysteries that irritate you in every day life.

If I understand correctly, you are saying that if I press INS in a scintilla based browser, this will only affect the browser that currently has input focus. Now that I think about it: is it wrong to assume that pressing INS typically changes input behavior for the whole Windows system? ... I am confused...

Joachim

[Seth Berman]

Joachim,

Pressing INS will only affect a specific editor instance.  This usually implies a single browser but not always.  In the case of the sts debugger there are two editors, a source editor and a variable inspector editor.  Going into overwrite in one editor has no impact on the other.

Its difficult to know if the append/overwrite setting should be editor, browser, or system specific.  When I have used overwrite, it was just to make minor corrections or some other change very limited in scope.  If I were to switch browsers or even editor instances, I don't think I would want to remain in overwrite.

 

On the other hand, I haven't used it enough to know this for sure, there may be valid use cases that I never run into.  And currently, pressing INS is not part of my muscle-memory and it's rare I would think to do it.

So I guess I will join your confused state.

-- Seth

[jtu...@objektfabrik.de]

Seth,

my confused state is probably not related to VAST /Scintilla at all. Somehow I was assuming pressing INS is always a system wide setting. I cannot even tell if that is true. Also: I can't remember using overwrite at will at all.

The confusion in my case was additionally fired by the fact that I had a hard time figuring out what I might have done in the Windows VM on my Mac. I didn't even know there is an INS button on the Mac and never missed one. 

So I don't think there is anything that has to be done until somebody who knows how to use INS properly tells us about it ;-)

For now I've learned two things that I can accept painlessly:

* There is a way to press INS on a wmware fusion Windows VM (the fn button) - not that I needed it, but now I know ;-)

* If I happen to press it in VAST, it only affects the browser/editor that currently has focus.

And there is one bonus thing I also know now:

* If I press fn by accident, I can press it again and all is good again

I'm happy ;-)

Joachim