Left Shift not detected when combined with another key

Support Client software
1

I tried searching the forums for this, but didn’t have any luck.

This problem is happening in the Key frequencies:

When I use Left shift in combination with another key, it doesn’t count the Left shift. The right shift is counted in combination with other keys. (I’m talking about using shift to make capital letters).

I thought I had uncovered some weird typing habit, but I started paying attention and I use the Left Shift about as often as I use Right Shift.

If I just tap left shift without hitting anything else, it gets counted.

  1. Which version of WhatPulse are you running?
    1.7.1.

  2. What is your WhatPulse Username?
    jasonh300

  3. What version of Windows are you using?
    XP Pro Service Pack 3

  4. If you are using version 1.6 or higher, are you logged into an administrator account on Windows so that WhatPulse can access Windows correctly?
    Yes

  5. What error messages are you receiving (if applicable)?
    None

  6. What programs were you running when the issue happened?
    Doesn’t matter. When I tested it just now, I shut down everything but notepad.exe

My keyboard is a Microsoft Multimedia Keyboard 1.0A.

These results are pretty much the same on the three computers I’ve used WhatPulse on. They all run Windows XP but different versions, and different keyboards.

Thanks

2

^^ I was gonna say… Anyway, testing it out now with a new install on parents’ laptop.

Edit: Left shift works just fine, same as right Shift. Keystrokes get counted normally. Latest WhatPulse, Windows 7 Home Premium Service Pack 1.

PS.
[i]Edit[/i]: Duh, I get it… Nm. :confused:

3

Looks like a bug to me. I don’t have Left Shift in there at all. It counts as a keystroke, but it’s not recorded in Key Frequencies. I probably reset the Key Frequencies at the time of the last update, so I don’t have any Left Shifts recorded from before the bug.

4

i fixed up the left shift not showing in key frequencies with the latest update… :frowning:

5

The only thing that’s running in common between these three computers is Firefox and Chrome (and WhatPulse). I have minimal stuff running in SysTray. Work computers have a bunch of Adobe stuff running in the background and my home computer has nothing running except McAfee and the WinAmp quick starter, which isn’t on the work computers.

6

I had over 2 months of data, but could not get 1 left shift or left alt:

Then I reset my Key Frequencies and hammered away on the left modifier keys to get a better picture of what’s happening, and now I’m truly confused:

  • Left ctrl is counting as right ctrl, except if it’s pressed while left shift is held down
  • Left shift is mostly counting as right shift
  • Left alt is mostly counting as right alt :confused:

I can reproduce the same issue at work (XP Pro instead of XP Home, and a totally different keyboard)

7

What kind of keyboard? Both my home and work computers have the Microsoft Multimedia 1.0 keyboards. I’m running XP Home at home and XP Pro at work (I was mistaken about my OS in my original post).

I have a second computer at work that has an older MS keyboard with XP Pro. I don’t use it much…it only has about 8000 kc on it in the past month. It’s mostly used for accounting, so there’s not much normal typing on it, but I’ll check it out tomorrow.

8

I doubt it makes a difference. Unplugging one keyboard and plugging another in isn’t going to change how the WhatPulse software works.

9

Okay first I’d like to point out that I gave up supporting XP months ago, it’s old and I know people still use it but it’s hard enough to find time for 1.7 as it is…

Second I’ve just checked it through and my testing has shown the following:

  • If you mash the left shift key, the first 5 count as left key and the subsequent ones (after sticky key should be enabled) get confused with the right key, I’m guessing this is something built into windows.
  • On Windows 7 (which is the only Windows version I actually have to test with), the left shift key works fine except for above.

Alt and Ctrl keys are being hooked wrong I think. It looks like it’s been done a lazy but theoretically correct way, but I believe they’re currently only hooked for special keyboards.

So, it currently isn’t perfect but I can’t justify spending much time on it at the moment as I have no big release planned for 1.7 and this is so menial I don’t think it really matters (the number of keys you’ll lose vs. the time i’ll spend fixing it != profit)