[TwoCables]

Thanks to what Solatar just posted in this thread (http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php?topic=90490.msg1795896#msg1795896), I have rewritten this entire original post and this thread's title.

So basically, in both 3.7.2 RC5 and Final, pressing Volume Up or Down on my keyboard will trigger the hotkeys for opening the Tech Room Database and the Campaign Room, respectively. My keyboard is just a standard 104-key keyboard - it doesn't have any multimedia keys on it. So, I gave it some media keys by using SharpKeys to remap Keypad Plus and Keypad Minus to Volume Up and Down. I remapped some other keys too, but they aren't tripping any hotkeys.

So yeah, when I press Keypad Minus at the Main Hall (which I have remapped to be Volume Down), the Campaign Room opens up. When I press Keypad Plus (Volume Up), the Tech Room Database is opened.

This has been happening since 3.7.2 RC5 and it never happened in any other version that I can recall. I mean, the first time that I saw it happen, it really threw me off because I ALWAYS waited to adjust my volume at the Main Hall after the Pilot Selection (upon starting the game up) because that's what made enough noise for me to judge it.

How to reproduce it: all you need are keys on your keyboard that change the volume. How you achieve that is completely up to you. I used SharpKeys. You can use whatever you want. Solatar has a laptop with built-in media keys. I don't, yet we both have this bug. So, it's not on my end; the culprit is 3.7.2 RC5 and 3.7.2 Final.

[AdmiralRalwood]

I have a complaint, but I would bet that I'm the only one who can complain about this. Let's find out.

In 3.7.2. RC5 and 3.7.2. Final, there are two new keyboard shortcuts that I noticed: Keypad Minus goes to the Campaign Room, and Keypad Plus goes to the Tech Room Database. I don't like this because I have these two keys mapped for Volume Down and Up, respectively. In 3.7.2. RC4 and all earlier versions, Keypad Minus and Plus don't do anything, meaning that I can freely adjust my volume all I want in the Main Hall. Is there any way that I can customize these keyboard shortcuts in 3.7.2. Final?

Uh... they shouldn't. The keyboard shortcut for the Campaign Room is "C" and for the tech room is "T", and I can't find anything relevant in the code that should cause KEY_PADMINUS or KEY_PADPLUS to be interpreted any differently. Additionally, if I fire up FSO and hit keypad minus or keypad plus, nothing happens.

So, uh... cannot reproduce?

[TwoCables]

I have a complaint, but I would bet that I'm the only one who can complain about this. Let's find out.

In 3.7.2. RC5 and 3.7.2. Final, there are two new keyboard shortcuts that I noticed: Keypad Minus goes to the Campaign Room, and Keypad Plus goes to the Tech Room Database. I don't like this because I have these two keys mapped for Volume Down and Up, respectively. In 3.7.2. RC4 and all earlier versions, Keypad Minus and Plus don't do anything, meaning that I can freely adjust my volume all I want in the Main Hall. Is there any way that I can customize these keyboard shortcuts in 3.7.2. Final?

Uh... they shouldn't. The keyboard shortcut for the Campaign Room is "C" and for the tech room is "T", and I can't find anything relevant in the code that should cause KEY_PADMINUS or KEY_PADPLUS to be interpreted any differently. Additionally, if I fire up FSO and hit keypad minus or keypad plus, nothing happens.

So, uh... cannot reproduce?

Hmm. It seems to me that the only way to reproduce it might be by using SharpKeys to remap the Keypad Minus and Plus keys to be Volume Down and Up.  I'm using Windows 7, but I don't know whether that matters.

[Solatar]

It happens to me when I play on an old XP laptop with that SCP version. The built in volume buttons trip the mainhall hotkeys. I have a MODed to hell install and windows XP, so I don't generally report strange bugs like that. Totally happened, though. You're not crazy.

[TwoCables]

It happens to me when I play on an old XP laptop with that SCP version. The built in volume buttons trip the mainhall hotkeys. I have a MODed to hell install and windows XP, so I don't generally report strange bugs like that. Totally happened, though. You're not crazy.

Thank you! Now we might be able to get this fixed since now we have a clear way of describing it and maybe even a reliable way of reproducing it.

[Cyborg17]

Weird bug......

[jr2]

What kind of programs do you have running to remap keys?  Is it only SharpKeys, or do you have JoyToKey, or other hotkey programs?

Take a look at what's starting up with your system with something like Autoruns, and see if there are other programs that maybe you forgot you had used for things like that.

[TwoCables]

What kind of programs do you have running to remap keys?  Is it only SharpKeys, or do you have JoyToKey, or other hotkey programs?

Take a look at what's starting up with your system with something like Autoruns, and see if there are other programs that maybe you forgot you had used for things like that.

SharpKeys simply makes a change to the Registry and then you're done with it. So, when you use SharpKeys, you don't need anything running in the background in order to maintain your new key mappings because that's done by the Registry thanks to SharpKeys. You simply remap the keys, log out of Windows, log back in, and you're done. SharpKeys doesn't start with Windows, nor does it stay open in the background because the Registry maintains the key mappings.

So, I have absolutely nothing running in the background or starting with Windows for this. It's a bug with FSO 3.7.2. RC5 and Final.

[jr2]

Couldn't be a bug in Sharpkeys mapping the wrong / additional keys, could it?  Or even Windows itself?  [/devil's advocate]

[TwoCables]

Couldn't be a bug in Sharpkeys mapping the wrong / additional keys, could it?  Or even Windows itself?  [/devil's advocate]

This only started happening in 3.7.2. RC5 and again in Final. All previous versions are unaffected. So, I don't see how SharpKeys or Windows itself can be the problem, especially since I have never had any problems after using SharpKeys to remap some of my keys a few years ago in order to get media keys.

This is just a bug that affects you if you have volume keys on your keyboard, just as Solatar found for himself.

[AdmiralRalwood]

Couldn't be a bug in Sharpkeys mapping the wrong / additional keys, could it?  Or even Windows itself?  [/devil's advocate]

This only started happening in 3.7.2. RC5 and again in Final. All previous versions are unaffected.

Are you sure about "all previous versions"? 3.7.2 RC4 didn't have main hall hotkeys for... uh... reasons, but before that, the hotkeys should have been identical (and therefore treated identically by snazzyui). Can somebody having this problem quickly test 3.7.2 RC3 and/or 3.7.0 to verify whether or not it happens with those versions?

[TwoCables]

Couldn't be a bug in Sharpkeys mapping the wrong / additional keys, could it?  Or even Windows itself?  [/devil's advocate]

This only started happening in 3.7.2. RC5 and again in Final. All previous versions are unaffected.

Are you sure about "all previous versions"? 3.7.2 RC4 didn't have main hall hotkeys for... uh... reasons, but before that, the hotkeys should have been identical (and therefore treated identically by snazzyui). Can somebody having this problem quickly test 3.7.2 RC3 and/or 3.7.0 to verify whether or not it happens with those versions?

Yes, of course I'm sure. According to the filenames of the log files that I still have, I started with 3.7.0 SSE2 - and I was able to freely adjust the volume in the Main Hall without any problems. This is the very first time that I've ever encountered this.

[AdmiralRalwood]

Having a log file to guarantee that it didn't used to happen is not the same thing as firing up an old build to make sure it doesn't happen; something external to FSO (a Windows update, for example) could have changed the behavior.

[TwoCables]

Having a log file to guarantee that it didn't used to happen is not the same thing as firing up an old build to make sure it doesn't happen; something external to FSO (a Windows update, for example) could have changed the behavior.

l've had Windows Update disabled since July of 2012. I also literally haven't changed anything or updated anything: my computer is 100% the same as it was when I had 3.7.0. I'm telling you, this bug is new for me and it's not something that I'm doing that's causing it. It's 3.7.2 RC5 and 3.7.2 Final that's causing it.

I'm not using a log file to guarantee that it didn't used to happen and I'm not saying "see? That's proof". No. I merely wanted to see whatt the first version I used was. You see, I already know that 3.7.2. RC5 and 3.7.2. Final is when this began happening. I know that I didn't experience this before.

Did you try to reproduce this yet? I already explained how to reproduce it, pretty much. Try to reproduce it for me and then tell me what happened.

[chief1983]

He'd probably be more likely to install software that none of us have ever heard of before to help debug this if you were more willing to meet in the middle and double check with an older build one more time just to rule out any other possibilities.  It's not unheard of to ask a bug reported to double check behavior with previous builds just to be on the safe side.

[m!m]

@TwoCables: Can you test the various nightlies between RC4 and RC5 to see which revision introduced the bug? If you use binary search you should be able to identify the offending revision in less than 9 steps.

[TwoCables]

What's binary search? How do I find the various nightlies between RC4 and RC5?

Just so you know, I am currently in the middle of a run through the campaign and I don't have any interest in screwing it up. I tried using 3.7.0 earlier today, and all I get is an error.

Look, it's very simple to see if you can reproduce it and it would be far easier for you guys to try it than for me to do anything that you've asked me to do (I'm honestly very surprised that no one has tried to reproduce it yet seeing as how easy it is). This is how to do it:

1. Download SharpKeys. http://sharpkeys.codeplex.com/downloads/get/319725 (it's a .zip file)
2. Extract it and open it.
3. Remap a couple of keys for Volume Up and Volume Down. If you need help with this, then I can help.
4. Click "Write to Registry"
5. Log out of Windows and log back in
6. Go to the Main Hall
7. Use your volume up and down keys

If the only thing that happens in the main hall is your volume changes, then ok. However, if you simultaneously get a change in volume with something else such as the Campaign Room opening up, then you just reproduced it.

Again, just in case it matters, I am using Windows 7 - and my copy hasn't changed since July of 2012 because that's when I disabled Windows Update (and it's still disabled today). I also haven't done anything else since then to change anything. The only thing that's different is this little bug.

[AdmiralRalwood]

@TwoCables: Can you test the various nightlies between RC4 and RC5 to see which revision introduced the bug? If you use binary search you should be able to identify the offending revision in less than 9 steps.

That won't work; RC4 doesn't have main hall hotkeys at all, so the bug would presumably be introduced as soon as those were added back in.

Just so you know, I am currently in the middle of a run through the campaign and I don't have any interest in screwing it up. I tried using 3.7.0 earlier today, and all I get is an error.

It's impossible to screw up your campaign save file if you never load that pilot; you can just create a new pilot to test with (also launch without mods selected to avoid 3.7.0 errors which are presumably related to the 2014 MediaVPs).

Look, it's very simple to see if you can reproduce it and it would be far easier for you guys to try it than for me to do anything that you've asked me to do

...Uh, you want us to install a program we've never heard of to modify our registries, and you think this is easier than you taking a minute to verify that the change in behavior is actually caused by FSO?

Given that you have Windows Update disabled, for all we know it's equally likely you have a virus from an out-of-date copy of Windows.

[mjn.mixael]

Yeah, I wouldn't download some random app that's going to mess with my registry just to test your bug without absolute confirmation FSO is the cause. I especially can't be arsed if you can't be arsed to test a few older builds.

1. Download an older build from any of the clearly labeled locations on this board.
2. Run build, check for bug.
3. Repeat as necessary.

My list is shorter.

[chief1983]

'Binary search' just means divide and conquer, instead of testing every nightly in order start to finish, start in the middle.  If the middle revision doesn't exhibit the issue like RC4, then it was introduced after RC4.  So go halfway from the middle to the RC5 revision, and try again.  If it does, then it was introduced before the middle revision.  Go halfway back instead of forward, and repeat until the culprit commit is identified.

Backing up your data/players folder should be sufficient to ensure that nothing affects your campaign, but the likelihood of starting a build between RC4 and RC5 affecting your campaign should be incredibly minimal.

I can't personally help you out as I don't have a working Windows rig.  These other devs may not have one available at the moment either, as we are all volunteers and sometimes a bit too busy to actually sit down and do these things right at the moment.  So, you can wait for a dev that can do what you're asking, or help us help you by doing what we've asked.  Up to you.  We do want to help though, we're just suggesting ways that you, as a motivated bug reporter, might be able to help expedite the process.

Ninja'd:  Or like they said, RC4 won't have the hotkeys at all, so might have to modify this once it is determined for sure that it was broken in RC3 or whatever.