topic Re: AutoCAD steals my F keys in .NET Forum

AutoCAD steals my F keys

Anonymous — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 06:43:58 GMT

Hi,

in my forms, i use the F keys as shortcuts for some operations, but even if the key is pressed on the form, AutoCAD still processes it.

For example, i use F12 to temporarily hide the forms, so the user can look in the drawing, but with pressing F12 AutoCAD turns the Dynamic input on, same with F3, F11, F6, but not with F5 or F7

is there some workaround or setting to disable AutoCAD functions for F keys while a modeless form is shown?

Re: AutoCAD steals my F keys

chiefbraincloud — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 23:15:16 GMT

I think you just handle the KeyPress event from whatever control you are watching for F keys, and set the e.Handled property to true if it is a key you are handling.

Re: AutoCAD steals my F keys

Anonymous — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 06:21:05 GMT

are you sure about this? because KeyPress event is not handling F keys, from what i have read, it only catches printable characters

and when i set e.Handled to True in KeyDown or KeyUp, it's still processed by AutoCAD

Re: AutoCAD steals my F keys

norman.yuan — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 14:49:14 GMT

How do you use the F keys? I assume you place a menu bar on the form and assign a Function key to some menu items.

It works correctly with my Acad2009/2011 as expected. That is:

1. if the form is shown as MODAL form, press F key, corresponding code with particular menu item runs. Because it is modal form, AutoCAd does not respond no matter what F key you press, only the F keys you used in the nodal form react.

2. If the form is modeless, the F keys used in the form ONLY react when the form has FOCUS, in the same way as if the form is modal form. If the form does not have focus (that means AutoCAD is currently having the focus!), then press F keys, AutoCAD responds instead of your form.

So, I guess, your form is shown as modeless form (or PaletteSet?) and the form/paletteset does not have focus when you press F keys. That is the way how things work.

Re: AutoCAD steals my F keys

Anonymous — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 14:59:06 GMT

mu use of the F keys is different

i use them to trigger different user input, for example F3 starts the user interaction (ed.StartUserInteraction) and then user picks a point, then the controls on the form are updated acording to that picked point

your example works fine, when I'm not hiding the form for user interaction, AutoCAD doesn't react to the F key

i think i missed this important information in my first post 🙂

Re: AutoCAD steals my F keys

Anonymous — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 16:20:30 GMT

I will sum it up. I use F keys to initiate user input from a modeless form, but AutoCAD also processes that F keys

so if I press F3 to get a point from the drawing, AutoCAD turns off osnap

how can i solve this?