The unused top function key

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Thomas Okken
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Re: The unused top function key

Post by Thomas Okken »

ljubo wrote:
Sun May 16, 2021 2:10 pm
I spotted the issue with the program mode too :roll: (will be fixed with next release).
What issue are you referring to?
ljubo
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Re: The unused top function key

Post by ljubo »

Thomas Okken wrote:
Sun May 16, 2021 4:38 pm
ljubo wrote:
Sun May 16, 2021 2:10 pm
I spotted the issue with the program mode too :roll: (will be fixed with next release).
What issue are you referring to?
It's just a bug in my "persistent custom menu" modifications - not in original free42 or DM42 - don't worry :D

Thomas, by the way, have you ever considered to add dedicated custom keys to free42 just like DM42 - I know that HP42s don't have that, I also know that some skins are providing that - but those dedicated custom keys greatly increase free42 usability (at least for me and when combined with "persistent custom menu" free42 modification so that custom commands are always directly accessible).

Peet and others - I have released DM42pcm 3.19.6 - F3 is now calling "DM42F3" user program and shift-F3 is toggling persistent custom menu functionality. Executing DM42F3 in program mode should be also fixed.
HP-15C, DM15L, HP-35S, DM42
Thomas Okken
Posts: 1100
Joined: Tue May 02, 2017 5:48 pm
Location: Netherlands
Contact:

Re: The unused top function key

Post by Thomas Okken »

ljubo wrote:
Sun May 16, 2021 4:56 pm
Thomas, by the way, have you ever considered to add dedicated custom keys to free42 just like DM42 - I know that HP42s don't have that, I also know that some skins are providing that - but those dedicated custom keys greatly increase free42 usability [...]
Not really, no... What would such dedicated keys do that custom skins can't? I use the standard skin myself, so it's not something I think about very much, but it seems to me that the DM42 skin does the job just as well as the extended keyboard on the real DM42, in that the top row of the keyboard and the menu keys don't get in each other's way.
ljubo
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Joined: Sat Jun 20, 2020 1:46 pm
Location: Austria

Re: The unused top function key

Post by ljubo »

Thomas Okken wrote:
Sun May 16, 2021 5:48 pm
ljubo wrote:
Sun May 16, 2021 4:56 pm
Thomas, by the way, have you ever considered to add dedicated custom keys to free42 just like DM42 - I know that HP42s don't have that, I also know that some skins are providing that - but those dedicated custom keys greatly increase free42 usability [...]
Not really, no... What would such dedicated keys do that custom skins can't? I use the standard skin myself, so it's not something I think about very much, but it seems to me that the DM42 skin does the job just as well as the extended keyboard on the real DM42, in that the top row of the keyboard and the menu keys don't get in each other's way.
Just new buttons provided by a skin without “persistent menu” functionality are not solving the problem As an owner of HP15c I was used to directly access functions - they are only one or two clicks away - however, the drawback is that number of functions is limited (in particular I was missing hex and other bases).

Dedicated and user assignable dm42 keys were promising - but SwissMicros has decided to assign those keys to not frequently used and DM42 specific functions. This was trigger to implement “persistent custom menu” so that both - standard top row and user defined keys are always accessible. In my opinion frequently used functions should be just a click away - I‘m not aware that with skin one can make custom functions always accessible (yes, each user could create a custom skin and hard code own frequently used functions - but this is not practical and has limits).

By the way, https://github.com/ljubo106/free42 compiles also for Linux/gtk and in combination with DM42 skin illustrates the idea (one has to checkout the latest branch).
HP-15C, DM15L, HP-35S, DM42
Thomas Okken
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Re: The unused top function key

Post by Thomas Okken »

Well, a fully customizable keyboard, like the HP-41 USER mode, is on my list, but low priority, after I've done everything else I have planned. It will probably get a bit messy, since keyboard handling in Free42 is rather complex as it is... :oops:
Pyjam
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Location: France

Re: The unused top function key

Post by Pyjam »

Three years later… a new user does not understand why F3 still does not display the CUSTOM menu. 🤔
This choice would seem so obvious that I made a specific search on the forum for this topic.

  Optimot : The ⌥ keyboard layout optimized for French and English (ŵïþ ʃʉŋ 𝕂åʁɒꝃțɛɹṩ).
ljubo
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Location: Austria

Re: The unused top function key

Post by ljubo »

Pyjam wrote:
Mon Jan 30, 2023 9:19 pm
Three years later… a new user does not understand why F3 still does not display the CUSTOM menu. 🤔
This choice would seem so obvious that I made a specific search on the forum for this topic.
You could go even further and ask yourself why you would leave the custom menu at all? :D (during normal day to day work).
HP-15C, DM15L, HP-35S, DM42
Pyjam
Posts: 495
Joined: Sat Jan 28, 2023 5:01 pm
Location: France

Re: The unused top function key

Post by Pyjam »

I don’t quit the CUSTOM menu. The calculator does.
In fact, the real problem is that this menu is not an application menu. It’s a function menu. So when the user calls another menu (like CLEAR or CONVERT), the calculator goes back to NO menu instead of CUSTOM.
As explained in the Owner’s Manual, page 22.
That’s where an improvement would be appreciated.

  Optimot : The ⌥ keyboard layout optimized for French and English (ŵïþ ʃʉŋ 𝕂åʁɒꝃțɛɹṩ).
ljubo
Posts: 70
Joined: Sat Jun 20, 2020 1:46 pm
Location: Austria

Re: The unused top function key

Post by ljubo »

Pyjam wrote:
Wed Feb 01, 2023 10:20 pm
I don’t quit the CUSTOM menu. The calculator does.
In fact, the real problem is that this menu is not an application menu. It’s a function menu. So when the user calls another menu (like CLEAR or CONVERT), the calculator goes back to NO menu instead of CUSTOM.
As explained in the Owner’s Manual, page 22.
That’s where an improvement would be appreciated.
Check viewtopic.php?f=32&t=3350 :D
HP-15C, DM15L, HP-35S, DM42
Pyjam
Posts: 495
Joined: Sat Jan 28, 2023 5:01 pm
Location: France

Re: The unused top function key

Post by Pyjam »

It sounds very interesting, thank you, but I received my DM42 on Monday and I have no idea how to install this program.

  Optimot : The ⌥ keyboard layout optimized for French and English (ŵïþ ʃʉŋ 𝕂åʁɒꝃțɛɹṩ).
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