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Last Post 13 Mar 2023 12:46 PM by  Ben Castellani
Keyboard accessibility: new windows in IDLDE
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Anna Malanushenko



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01 Mar 2023 08:45 PM
    Hi,

    for some years now, whenever I type "window, [number]" in IDLDE, the window it opens is (a) minimized, and (b) at the very very end of the Alt+Tab sequence. This essentially makes it terribly inconvenient to switch to from the keyboard.

    Is there any setting that can help? Is there a workaround?

    My workflow often requires me to run a program, click somewhere on an opened window, then flicker between window 1 and window 2 (for example), then go back to IDLDE, then run a program, click in a window, flicker between two windows... I wrote these codes ages ago when IDL worked with Alt+Tab as it should. (The newly open windows were in the beginning of the sequence of course.) Alt+Shift+Tab is a lot less convenient to press. And, frankly, it's not always in the end of the sequence either, so whether I'm pressing Alt+Tab or Alt+Shift+Tab, it takes many presses.

    I took to opening a new, virtual desktop for these tasks, but frankly this seems like a cludge.

    Is there any way that this can be fixed?

    Thanks!

    Ben Castellani



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    03 Mar 2023 01:11 PM
    Sometimes the behavior of XQuartz windows on MacOS can behave unexpectedly....

    Testing on MacOS 13 with IDL 8.8.3 and XQuartz 2.8.2, I was not able to reproduce this problem. As long as IDL is not fully maximized on screen, the graphics window pops up in front as expected.

    However, here are some settings and things to try on your side:

    1) XQuartz > Settings > Windows

    Make sure "Click through Active Windows" is checked
    Make sure "Focus on New Windows" is checked

    Note that these settings may require a user logout or system reboot to take effect.

    2) Apple Icon > System Settings > Desktop & Dock > Windows & Apps

    Make sure "Prefer tabs when opening documents" is set to "In Full Screen"

    3) If you are using an external or dual monitor setup, try disconnecting them so you only have one display detected by MacOS. That may allow the graphics windows to load in focus.

    Anna Malanushenko



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    09 Mar 2023 10:41 PM
    Hi Ben,

    many thanks!!! And, a million apologies, for I did not mention the OS!!! I'm using IDLDE for Windows 10. A million apologies again, I thought I did mention it but apparently I didn't. :( My bad!

    As such, I do not have XQuartz, and obviously no Apple icon on my laptop ^_^ Well I suppose Alt+Tab could have been a giveaway, but I really should have mentioned this explicitly.

    I did, however, take a look at my Windows settings. I do know that Alt+Tab does work correctly--ordering windows in the order they were created/called--for every program I have. Other than IDLDE!

    Thanks a lot again!

    Ben Castellani



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    13 Mar 2023 12:46 PM
    No worries, this type of complaint is WAY more common on MacOS so I had just assumed. There is a third-party application on Mac that emulates Alt-Tab functionality --- thought you might have been talking about that.

    On Windows, it is curious you are seeing this problem. I am not able to see the issue under any circumstances on any test machines across various platforms, including Windows 10 and 11. It seems like something specific to your one computer. Do you have another computer to confirm?

    There was previously an IDL Preference called "IDL_GR_WIN_ONTOP" that when disabled would force IDL graphics windows to display on top of IDL (and resist minimization). I'm not sure if that would be useful for you, but if you would need to revert to IDL 8.7.3 to get access to that discontinued setting.

    Alt+Shift+Tab is probably your best bet here for the latest version of IDL.
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