Spacebar toggles checkmark

[Gear maker]

In AD 1.9.0.11 when I have the Layer Effects fx panel open.  I click on one of the field names, like Outer Shadow, , then if I press Space bar the selection check is checked and there is a halo around the check mark. Pressing space does nothing further until the name is again clicked, then the spacebar will erase the check mark. Just leaving the halo.  I've never seen this action in other versions and wonder if this is as designed or a bug.  Also I've never noticed the halo, what does it mean I don't see any difference.

I've also noticed that the spacebar sometimes will toggle the visibility of the selected layer.  Again it only happens right after the layer has been clicked on.

[Sean P]

Hi Gear maker,

I've tried this myself on macOS Catalina and also got a colleague to try it on macOS Sierra and neither of us could reproduce this. Pressing space wouldn't toggle the checkbox at all!

Do you have any keyboard accessibility tools or features in use that aid that? Would it possible to get a screen recording (with on screen keyboard visible) that demonstrates the behaviour please?

[Gear maker]

Hi Sean,

The only thing open is QuikTime Player (to make the video), Opera (to answer the issue), and Path Finder (just a replacement of Finder).

Okay here is the video. 

Thanks for your help.  Mike

[Sean P]

Thanks for that! I've finally reproduced it now - It looks like its down to the 'Use keyboard navigation to move focus between controls' option in the System Preferences > Keyboard > Shortcuts option.

I thought I tried that originally, but that was probably in the Effects Panel and not the Layer Effects dialog.

I'll get it passed over to development.

[Gear maker]

Sean, on my Sierra preferences there isn't a 'Use keyboard navigation to move focus between controls' but I believe you are referring to this.   I changed mine to "Text boxes and lists only" and it did stop the space bar from doing it's thing.  So unless I find a problem with this change it looks like I'm okay.

Sorry, but thank you for telling me that the correct terminology was "dialog" for the floating Layer Effects window.  I didn't know that.  They were all panels to me.  Even at my age I can still learn something every day.  Now comes the hard part, remembering what I learned.

Thank you.  Mike

[Sean P]

4 minutes ago, Gear maker said:

Sean, on my Sierra preferences there isn't a 'Use keyboard navigation to move focus between controls' but I believe you are referring to this.   I changed mine to "Text boxes and lists only" and it did stop the space bar from doing it's thing.  So unless I find a problem with this change it looks like I'm okay.

Sorry, but thank you for telling me that the correct terminology was "dialog" for the floating Layer Effects window.  I didn't know that.  They were all panels to me.  Even at my age I can still learn something every day.  Now comes the hard part, remembering what I learned.

Thank you.  Mike

Thats not a problem - that option was renamed in Catalina and merged into a single checkbox, so that is indeed the correct option.

Ha yeah, I think dialog comes from years of Windows usage. It also helps differentiate from Studio Panels such as Colour, Stroke, Layers etc of which there is also an Effects one which is why I was initially confused.

[fde101]

On 1/13/2021 at 9:33 AM, Sean P said:

Ha yeah, I think dialog comes from years of Windows usage.

For whatever it is worth, Apple has been using the term "Dialog Box" since before the invention of Windows: https://lowendmac.com/2005/innovative-macintosh-system-1-0/

They still do: https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/macos/windows-and-views/dialogs/

[v_kyr]

And the terms "windows" and "views", as well as the entire GUI metaphor, are again taken (stolen) from Smalltalk-80.