Can't move cursor Focus from PDF-XChange back to browser

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timtak
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Can't move cursor Focus from PDF-XChange back to browser

Post by timtak »

When I open a pdf using PFD-XChange embedded in the browser, I cant move the focus from PDF-XChange (e.g. if I use the PDF-XChange search function) back to my browser (e.g. to this forum text area, or to the Zotero notes pain, unless I

1) Move focus to another program (e.g. notebook) and then
2) Open a new window
3) Use the browser search bar

This may be a Zotero notes problem. Trying again, i could move the cursor here, but not to the Zotero notes pain. so perhaps that is not taking the focus and then focus will not move to other places such as here. Zotero notes works with this forum for instance. I can move focus between here and the Zotero notes pane.

I no nothing of the mechanics of focus movement, or whether this can be Zoteros problem or not. Should I post on their forums?

It seems I can move the cursor itself, but when I go to type, my typing does not appear in the Zotero note window but causes movement in the PDF-XChange window. So to be precise the problem is with text input focus.

I can use copy and paste from the PDF to the cursor. The problem is only with text input from the keyboard. So to be more precise the problem is keyboard text input focus.

With copy and paste, sometimes focus seems to be shared. I pasted something into the zotero notes pane, and it was also pasted as a textbox into my PDF-XChange window.

I am using Firefox 10.0.2 on Windows 7 (Japanese, but I am typing in English).

[As mentioned elsewhere I still wish that I could use PDF-Xchange to write notes because it is quicker, prettier, allows me to place the notes in the pdf so I know exactly which part of the pdf my note refers to, allows concatenation of notes apparently, and altogether a nicer user experience, but I can't seem to do anything with FDF files so as to put them in the Zotero database, or anywhere else.]
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Tracker Supp-Stefan
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Re: Can't move cursor Focus from PDF-XChange back to browser

Post by Tracker Supp-Stefan »

Hello timtak,

Yes - once our Viewer control takes the focus it will try to process all keyboard input. The solution is to either Alt-Tab to another application and then Alt-Tab back to your browser, or click with the mouse somewhere in the browser window (outside of the PDF XChagne Viewer area).

Best,
Stefan
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timtak
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Re: Can't move cursor Focus from PDF-XChange back to browser

Post by timtak »

Sorry I missed your response. I forgot to tick "Notify me when a reply is posted"

So, you know about this issue. It is driving me crazy.

A lot of the time I want to take a few snippets of text from a pdf and store them in zotero or a browser window (e.g. blog/wiki), or I want to google for the text, but every time i have to open a new window and then come back again.

Perhaps it is the browsers fault.

Is there anyway to set PDF-XChange to passive, so that on the contrary it does not take keyboard focus until one does some special sequence of keys, because for the most part I take from pdfs rather than write to them.

I would definatley buy pro if this were implemented, I say admitting I have not purchased the pro already. (the free does all I need except that it takes focus and won't give it back)

Tim
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BigMike
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Re: Can't move cursor Focus from PDF-XChange back to browser

Post by BigMike »

Actually, in Opera (11.62) and IE 9, for me, it suffices to simply press the "Alt" key to switch the focus from the PDF-XChange browser plugin (2.5.201) back to the browser. But this is only one way - if I press the "Alt" key, while Opera or IE have the focus, the browser menu will open.
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Re: Can't move cursor Focus from PDF-XChange back to browser

Post by Tracker Supp-Stefan »

Hello Tim,

Actually even while just "taking" from a PDF - you are still most likely using shortcuts (e.g. Ctrl-c to copy the text you just highlighted) - and if we were to make the Viewer "passive" - you would then have a harder time copying text. And while it's possible to make the Viewer "passive" I do not think this is something we would consider - as most people would actually need the key combinations they enter to be interpreted by the Viewer - and then it's just a quick Alt-Tab and Alt-Tab back, or a click in the browser's main window when you are done with the PDF and want to give your browser the shortcut keys control back.

Best,
Stefan
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timtak
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Re: Can't move cursor Focus from PDF-XChange back to browser

Post by timtak »

Thank you. I see.

I seem to need to click a seperate program (not the browser) to get back to the browser (when I am using PDF-Xchange embedded).

I will try the key sequence ALT-TAB, ALT-SHIFT-TAB but I still think it is going to drive me crazy. I often have 30 or more thinks to copy accross.
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Re: Can't move cursor Focus from PDF-XChange back to browser

Post by Tracker Supp-Stefan »

Thanks for the understanding Tim,

And I hope the Alt-Tab, Alt-Tab back to your browser will do the trick!

Best,
Stefan
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timtak
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Re: Can't move cursor Focus from PDF-XChange back to browser

Post by timtak »

I am sorry, I don't understand. I am just suffering.
I hope that you are so kind as to relieve our suffering one day.
Tim
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Re: Can't move cursor Focus from PDF-XChange back to browser

Post by Tracker Supp-Stefan »

Hello Tim,

I can understand your suffering, but we are not planning to disable keybord shortcuts in our Browser add-in - so you will need to find a way around this and getting the keyboard inputs handled by your browser - we've already given a few suggestions here in the topic, and hope they would be useful to you.

Best,
Stefan
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timtak
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Re: Can't move cursor Focus from PDF-XChange back to browser

Post by timtak »

I see. I guess I should suffer in silence. But once more...

I understand this much, that my situation is fairly atypical.

"Normally" users of your (wonderful) software and a their browser in limited cases, such as writing a blog.

In that case using the methods of transferring focus that you have outlined would be fine.

However, in the Zotero case, the browser becomes ones working environment, ones note taking software, ones database software, the place where one does most of ones writing.

Since getting into Zotero a month or so ago, I use it non-stop. It is where I write. In that case the present situation with regard to focus is harsh. But unless there are more people like me I understand, as you have made clear that you will not be providing toggling of keyboard shortcuts.

The Zotero/PDF-XChange synergy is potentially excellent.

The Zotero folks are open-source and seem to have antipathy towards cooperating with closed source software. I think that they even hope to make pdf annotation software of their own.

As I have mentioned on another thread, however, I still firmly believe that there is a large and profitable market to be had by increasing the usuablility of PDF-XCHange for Zotero users. Zotero is used by many thousands of people. The vast majority of them are unaware of the existance of your software. If the synergy were increased (focus and more Zotero-friendly exportability of PDF-XChange comments) then I would sing PDF-XChange's benefits on the Zotero forums and, I believe, you would obtain a lot of customers.

Best,

Tim
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Re: Can't move cursor Focus from PDF-XChange back to browser

Post by Paul - Tracker Supp »

Hi timtak,

perhaps you can provide a step by step description of what you are doing because I installed Zotero and an flip between the PDF-XChange Viewer addin in Firefox and also the stand alone Viewer to a web page like this forum just by using CTRL+Tab as Stefan suggested.

I also installed the Firefox addin for Zotero. I am not sure I am exactly reproducing the process you are as the usage of Zotero was not immediately obvious. Again, if you can give me step by step details on reproducing this I will see what I can find out.

Paul
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timtak
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Re: Can't move cursor Focus from PDF-XChange back to browser

Post by timtak »

Dear Paul

Thank you for joining.

I am not sure what "Ctrl-Tab" does... but I am pretty sure you mean 'Alt-Tab.'

For reasons that are not clear to me I have to leave the browser entirely, to a program which accepts the focus of the cursor, in order to change focus between browser windows if one of the windows is PDF-XChange-embedded.

So, Alt-Tab changes the program in use. So if I have say, just a browser and Notepad open, then by pressing Alt-Tab I can leave the browser, to go to Notepad and pressing ALT-TAB twice I can go to notepad and back to the browser. However, generally I have more than two programs running, at least the browser and Outlook express (and typically a couple of other programs or more), and some of these programs not take the focus of the cursor (because they have no text input, e.g. the main window of Outlook does not take the cursor focus, only a compose mail window does) so I have to use "Alt-Tab and then "Alt Shift Tab" to toggle between the browser and Notepad.

But Alt-TAB takes me to the next program in the status bar, which is not always Notepad (or other focus grabbing software) so generally I click on a Notepad tab in the status bar and then back on the Zotero Notes window.

(And my status bar is at the top of my screen which is in vehicle mode, so it is a long way to move the mouse).

And if you are using Zotero to take notes, then you are often moving backwards and forwards between the two windows many many times.

Tim
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BigMike
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Re: Can't move cursor Focus from PDF-XChange back to browser

Post by BigMike »

timtak wrote: For reasons that are not clear to me I have to leave the browser entirely, to a program which accepts the focus of the cursor, in order to change focus between browser windows if one of the windows is PDF-XChange-embedded.
Actually you should name the browser "Firefox". As I pointed out, Opera (which uses the same plugin dll as Firefox) and Internet Explorer behave in a different way.
timtak wrote: So, Alt-Tab changes the program in use. So if I have say, just a browser and Notepad open, then by pressing Alt-Tab I can leave the browser, to go to Notepad and pressing ALT-TAB twice I can go to notepad and back to the browser. However, generally I have more than two programs running, at least the browser and Outlook express (and typically a couple of other programs or more), and some of these programs not take the focus of the cursor (because they have no text input, e.g. the main window of Outlook does not take the cursor focus, only a compose mail window does) so I have to use "Alt-Tab and then "Alt Shift Tab" to toggle between the browser and Notepad.
Pressing the Win key twice is probably much faster and will work in any case, even if no other window is open.
timtak wrote: And if you are using Zotero to take notes, then you are often moving backwards and forwards between the two windows many many times.
Sorry, I don't get it - how do you switch from a Firefox to a Zotero window? Not with Alt+Tab? Or is Zotero creating windows within Firefox?
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timtak
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Re: Can't move cursor Focus from PDF-XChange back to browser

Post by timtak »

I am using Firefox.

Zotero creates a mini window in Firefox but I can elect to "Edit in a separate window" but each note gets created in yet another window so it is best avoided when creating many notes in my experience.

I will try pressing the win key twice. Yes, that works and is definately a lot quicker.

All the same, when spending a considerable portion of ones life doing a certain task (taking notes on pdf files in PDF-XChange and Zotero) a way of doing it without a work around would be great. Perhaps one day when there are more Zotero users of PDF-XChange.

Thank again for the 2 x win key idea.

Tim
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Re: Can't move cursor Focus from PDF-XChange back to browser

Post by Tracker Supp-Stefan »

Hi Tim,

Glad that the double windows key tap works for you, and certainly - if the demand is there - we will reconsider our position!

Cheers,
Stefan
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timtak
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Re: Can't move cursor Focus from PDF-XChange back to browser

Post by timtak »

Thank you.
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Re: Can't move cursor Focus from PDF-XChange back to browser

Post by Paul - Tracker Supp »

:)

and thanks Mike for the suggestions and input.
Best regards

Paul O'Rorke
Tracker Support North America
http://www.tracker-software.com
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