Comments on: Virtual Keys http://blakeseely.com/blog/archives/2006/09/26/virtual-keys/ If I could put reflection under this header, I would. Wed, 20 Aug 2008 20:26:59 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6 By: Peter Maurer http://blakeseely.com/blog/archives/2006/09/26/virtual-keys/#comment-13311 Peter Maurer Thu, 28 Sep 2006 07:57:38 +0000 http://blakeseely.com/blog/archives/2006/09/26/virtual-keys/#comment-13311 There's one possible use for virtual key codes you forgot to mention: simulating keystrokes. This is something a lot of applications do -- e.g., those applications that use the clipboard for inserting content by simulating a [command]-[v] keystroke. While that's not a perfect approach -- given the editability of keyboard shortcuts such as [command]-[v] -- it is indeed a wide-spread way of triggering a paste action. And it's the most reliable way of doing so I'm aware of. The interesting part here is that most developers tend to forget what you've mentioned near the beginning of your article: The [v] key isn't always in the same place, and it might even change its position depending on the modifier key state. Think Dvorak-Qwerty. Unfortunately, finding out the virtual key code for a given character during runtime is not fun on Mac OS. It took me a while to find a way around these problems when I was faced with them for the first time; and I just wanted to say "thank you" for the memories. There’s one possible use for virtual key codes you forgot to mention: simulating keystrokes. This is something a lot of applications do — e.g., those applications that use the clipboard for inserting content by simulating a [command]-[v] keystroke.

While that’s not a perfect approach — given the editability of keyboard shortcuts such as [command]-[v] — it is indeed a wide-spread way of triggering a paste action. And it’s the most reliable way of doing so I’m aware of.

The interesting part here is that most developers tend to forget what you’ve mentioned near the beginning of your article: The [v] key isn’t always in the same place, and it might even change its position depending on the modifier key state. Think Dvorak-Qwerty. Unfortunately, finding out the virtual key code for a given character during runtime is not fun on Mac OS.

It took me a while to find a way around these problems when I was faced with them for the first time; and I just wanted to say “thank you” for the memories.

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