missing keys

gsgoodman · **Joined:** Fri Jan 03, 2003 6:34 pm **Posts:** 11

On the IBM X31 laptop they have dropped the key that serves as Menu in VA. The Windows key is also gone.

Any suggestions as to how to configure VA to work in this situation?

Gerald

Aaron · **Joined:** Wed Oct 23, 2002 12:16 pm **Posts:** 958

You may need to invest in a scroll mouse, pressing the scroll wheel will be the same as pressing the centre button on an Acorn mouse.

gsgoodman · **Joined:** Fri Jan 03, 2003 6:34 pm **Posts:** 11

I may be in luck, then.

There is a scroll key mounted between the two mousekeys on the X31. When you press it, you can scroll with the mouse pointer, when in Windows.

I infer from what you say, Aaron, that in the VA environment, pressing it should pull up the menu.

I am, unfortunately, not in a position to try it out, but it sounds right.

Thanks for the tip.

Gerald

gsgoodman · **Joined:** Fri Jan 03, 2003 6:34 pm **Posts:** 11

I have now got hold of a mouse with a scroll wheel, but the wheel does not do anything in the VA environment.

Can it be reprogrammed in Windows XP?

Gerald

Aaron · **Joined:** Wed Oct 23, 2002 12:16 pm **Posts:** 958

The scroll wheel itself (for scrolling) won't do anything, provided you have Windows configured correctly clicking down on the scroll wheel will be the same as pressing the middle mouse button on an Acorn mouse.

gsgoodman · **Joined:** Fri Jan 03, 2003 6:34 pm **Posts:** 11

Have now got hold of a proper mouse, and it works just as you said.

Along the way, I leqrned that for years Windows has enabled the pressing of both left and right mouse keys simutaneously to have the same effect as hitting the menu key.

Pity that Acorn hadn't thought of it, for, if they had, every two button mouse would become a three button one, and every laptop wd be VA ready.

Surely someone out there can write a module to do the job, and maybe someone already has.

Gerald

Aaron · **Joined:** Wed Oct 23, 2002 12:16 pm **Posts:** 958

You can also access the RISC OS menu using the MENU key on the keyboard of most machines. Or you could configure VA5000 to be the same as Windows and use right click as menu (but then you would lose Adjust).

SimonC · **Joined:** Sat Feb 14, 2004 3:34 am **Posts:** 19

gsgoodman:

Since every RISC OS machine ever made has come with a three button mouse there wouldn't really have been much point of them doing that. It could also possible break some applications (the only ones I can think of off the top of my head are games). In Elite, for example, pressing Select and Adjust at the same time would fire and accelerate, but pressing Menu slows you down.

gsgoodman · **Joined:** Fri Jan 03, 2003 6:34 pm **Posts:** 11

SimonC wrote:

>Since every RISC OS machine ever made has come with a three button mouse there wouldn't really have been much point of them doing that.

Yes, but when the mouse broke, it was difficult and costly to find another three button mouse!

>It could also possible break some applications (the only ones I can think of off the top of my head are games). In Elite, for example, pressingSelect and Adjust at the same time would fire and accelerate, but pressing Menu slows you down.

If the feature I proposed were written as a module, you could invoke it or not, as you liked.

Gerald

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