Keyboard entry of date attributes (ie Due Date) Topic is solved

[jonrtodolist]

I normally navigate via keyboard - and the keyboard shortcuts ToDoList supplies are most helpful. This is particularly important when navigating the task list where I'm rapidly typing in multiple tasks and subtasks. The issue is when I frequently have to enter a due date. Alt-U takes me to the due date, <Space> makes it active and displays the calendar. And here I'm stuck, I can move up and down, but not right or left. Nor is there a way to navigate within the date displayed (calendar closed) to change numbers manually without the use of a mouse (and the necessary hand movement and eye-hand coordination to position the mouse pointer - something I find slow and laborious).

Am I missing something? Is this is working as designed?

[zonfeld]

It may not be entirely intuitive but it works for me:

• As you wrote, Alt+U navigates to the Due Date control and Space enables the Due Date and opens the calendar.
• Moving within the calendar left, right, up, and down, I can select a date or
• Press Space again and the cursor will be in the date edit control, where initially
• the day is marked and I can type a number to change it or
• move up and down to decrease or increase the value,
• while left and right change between year, month, and day.
• When I'm done, I press F11 and the focus is on the task panel again without ever touching the mouse.

So, I think it works okay after getting used to the mechanics, but maybe I didn't fully understand what you're trying to achieve.

[abstr]

@jonrtodolist

Strange... I'm not having any trouble navigating the drop-down after following your steps.

Could you attach a copy of your preferences file (ToDoList.ini) in case something else is interfering?

ps. One issue I did find is that 'Alt+Down/Up' is supposed to open/close the drop-down and it's not working.

Note: 'Space' can be used but it actually 'toggles' the checkbox, so if you use it on a task which already has a date configured then it will remove the date.

[zonfeld]

ps. One issue I did find is that 'Alt+Down/Up' is supposed to open/close the drop-down and it's not working.

You might have confused that with Shift+Alt+Up/Down. Alt+Up/Down instantly resizes the task font, which comes in handy when projecting to screen with a different resolution and I use that quite often.

Thank you for making me look into it. Just a few minutes ago I didn't know the Shift+Alt+Up/Down shortcut existed!

[abstr]

You might have confused that with Shift+Alt+Up/Down.

'Alt + Down/Up' is the correct (aka Windows) way to open/close a date control. It was the shortcut for resizing the font which broke this.

The solution is to NOT process 'Alt + Up/Down' for resizing the font when the focus is on a date control.

Note: 'Alt + Shift + Up/Down' only works because it doesn't match a user-defined shortcut.

[zonfeld]

The solution is to NOT process 'Alt + Up/Down' for resizing the font when the focus is on a date control.

Well, that sounds reasonable. One less thing to remember.

[jonrtodolist]

@jonrtodolist

Strange... I'm not having any trouble navigating the drop-down after following your steps.

Could you attach a copy of your preferences file (ToDoList.ini) in case something else is interfering?

ps. One issue I did find is that 'Alt+Down/Up' is supposed to open/close the drop-down and it's not working.

Note: 'Space' can be used but it actually 'toggles' the checkbox, so if you use it on a task which already has a date configured then it will remove the date.

These were the clues I needed. I indeed did this to myself and my ToDoList.ini would probably have shown that I had assigned 'Right' and 'Left' to expand/contract a task tree entry. Fixed that and the keyboard entry of dates is working quite well. It _does_ leave me now looking for an appropriate key sequence for expand/contract :-/.

However, I also had the issue that Alt-Up/Down was changing the font. These were also set in my keyboard shortcuts (I didn't do this - perhaps this should be checked in the defaults currently being shipped?). Changed them to Shift-Alt-Up/Down and now the 'standard' windows behavior is working.

Great product - great support - thanks so much for this.

[abstr]

'Alt + Up/Down' as a shortcut to open focused date fields is fixed in 8.1.6.