Text Editor bug? CTRL+LEFT ARROW exits

[Frans_Lindell]

First post on this forum, but I have found helpful answers by reading on your forum before. Now I could not find an answer, so I had to join to ask 🙂

My problem is with the text editor in Revit 2017 and 2018 (2D text, never use model text so I have not tested that).

When editing a text, I almost always use the CTRL+LEFT or RIGHT ARROW to jump one word at a time to the left or right. It's a very quick and exact standard way to move around in the text to where I want to edit, without having to change to the mouse. It works in any textedit that I've come across (both standalone programs and web browser based input fields etc), including Revit up to 2016. From 2017 it works fine going to the right (CTRL+RIGHT ARROW), and when marking textareas (CTRL+SHIFT+LEFT/RIGHT ARROW).

However, as soon as I just need to jump a few words to the left (CTRL+LEFT ARROW) to change something, the text editor aborts/closes on me (keeping any changes I had made so far, without any popup thankfully), and I need to switch to the mouse, click the text object again, entering text editor mode and try to remember not to use the standard way of getting around the text...

I have the Revit versions up to date, I have looked through the keyboard shortcuts trying to see if there was anything that could be changed there to solve the problem. I have tested on a colleague's computer, same effect there.

Does anyone out there have a solution to this very annoying problem (bug?)?

[Anonymous]

Just finally started using 2018 (up from 2016). I also use Ctrl+Arrow to move the text one word at a time in all my environments (Windows, browsing, text editing, etc) and the loss of this functionality has really messed up my workflow. (I have actually been using it a lot to type this forum post)

It would be great to get a response from Autodesk about this issue. Ctrl + Right Arrow still works, so I looked for forced system shortcuts that may have been added only to Ctrl + Left Arrow (such as "Undo" or something like that) and didn't see anything like that. No idea why it does not work.

[Anonymous]

This problem occurs every revit text string, schedules, property fields etc etc etc. I waste a significant amount of time every week because this basic Windows functionality is disabled in the REVIT environment.

[Anonymous]

Also the functionality of the HOME and END keys are compromised in Revit.

[Frans_Lindell]

Home / End compromised in what way? I don't use them as much (CTRL + arrows sideways and up/down is usually enough to get me around the text in a quick manner), so I have not notised what is wrong with them, please inform so I can be aware and annoyed at that too 🙂

[Anonymous]

For those not in the know, CTRL+Left/Right ARROW moves the cursor to the next space (the start or end of the word). It's a very efficient way to move the cursor when editing text.

The HOME and END keys take you to either the start of the line or end of the line respectively. Again a very efficient way to navigate text (far quicker than with a mouse).

CTRL+HOME/END is disabled. These take you to the start or finish of a text field.

Likewise CTRL+SHIFT+LEFT/Right ARROW  shortcuts (to select whole words) is disabled. 

In Revit all of these shortcuts are somehow disabled even though they are native Windows shortcuts (pretty sure the HOME and END shortcuts date back to DOS days).

What's more intriguing is that some of the shortcuts noted above do work in some Revit environments but not others. For example:

• In the text editor with the exception of CTRL+LEFT ARROW the shortcut functions mentioned above work.
• In schedules none of them work.
• In the properties fields most do not work.
• In schedules CTRL+S doesn't work.
• In the Family Editor Family Types dialog box CTRL+SHIFT+LEFT ARROW is non-responsive whilst CTRL+SHIFT+RIGHT ARROW exits the field and selects the whole line. This usually causes an error because Revit hasn't got the right information and deletes the efforts you have made thus far. 

I'm sure there are other examples where the  behaviour is a bug.

[barcherMHM]

Still no response from Autodesk on this issue. It still exists in 2019 and I need this to be fixed or addressed!

[acrossonbouwers]

this has been a stupid bug for a long time, and it's something I assumed would be picked up by autodesk and fixed right away, yet here at the end of 2021 it's still a glaring issue IN EVERY VERSION. FIX THIS AUTODESK!!

[Drafter18VPD9]

This issue remains a feature in 2021 Revit at the end of 2022.

[eric.newton]

STILL HAPPENS IN 2023

[Frans_Lindell]

Thanks for the update. Sad that they cannot put someone to fix this glitch... have not installed 2023 yet, still working on projects in 2022, but good to know that there is one less reason to try to upgrade...

[Drafter18VPD9]

Still an issue in 2025. I'm assuming this is not a bug, but a feature added because someone thought it was a clever way to improve productivity. That person doesn't know about the "Escape" key apparently.

This should absolutely be a toggle that users can set. Infuriatingly unique feature, well played AutoDesk.

[amM3R74]

This has annoyed me for years, laughed reading this thread to show how long its been going on, just the service we all pay the big bucks for!

[mrayeHPRSM]

We're laughing together, we're crying together.

There's a bug too where you activate a textbox to edit, the cursor flashes like normal indicating that it's ready to go, but you can slam your desk into your keyboard all day and it won't register any keystrokes until you scroll in and out a bit.

It is absolutely infuriating. No doubt AutoDesk fears the heights its users may reach if allowed to enter an uninterrupted flowstate.