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(Archived) Issue -- New Note hot key changed by utility software DriveGLEAM


ajmich

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Brand new Evernote user, v4.6.4.8136 on Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit.  Installed without a hitch, and I copy/pasted some notes into it.  Browsed the options and only LOOKED at the hot key tab.

 

FYI and warning to users of software such as DriveGLEAM, a small utility that provides a hard disk activity indicator for those who cannot see the indicator on their computer case (or it is absent or not working).  DriveGLEAM can put an indicator in the system tray, OR use the keyboard Scroll Lock LED lamp as a drive activity indicator.

 

What I just learned, from truly bizarre Evernote activity (see attached image), is DriveGLEAM apparently sends a Scroll Lock keystroke to certain programs like Evernote, every time it flashes the keyboards scroll lock LED.  The net effect was my screen suddenly began filling up with dozens of new note windows, cascading rapidly down the screen, unstoppable!  Unaware what had happened, I rebooted and (having set Evernote to run at startup) the program opened, again with this strange cascading of new note windows, unending.  Had to use Task Manager to end the Evernote process tree entirely.
 

I could find nothing here in the forums nor in the KB about such an issue.  BTW is there a "Known Issues" page somewhere?

Since DriveGLEAM is fairly new to me, I stopped it, then restarted Evernote -- no more unwanted new note windows.  A quick look at Evernote's hot key tab showed Scroll Lock as key for new notes!  This unnoticed change must have occurred when I momentarily looked at the hot key tab (and DriveGLEAM had flashed my keyboard LED as usual).

So this long-winded explanation is simply to bring this to the attention of anyone who may have a util running that uses the scroll lock function, as does DriveGLEAM.  I'm happy to see I can continue using both programs and simply must stop DriveGLEAM for a moment if I want to alter any of Evernote's hot keys settings.

 

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I don't see Scroll Lock as one of the default Evernote hot keys; Ctrl+Alt+N is the default hot key for creating a new note in the Windows client. Are you sure that you didn't change it inadvertently?

I've never heard of any similar issue in the Evernote forums. DriveGLEAM doesn't sound like a particularly well-behaved application to me. But just change the new note hot key to something else and you should be fine.

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Jeff-- Right, Scroll Lock was NOT a default hot key -- that's not what I meant.  Being the top most hot key setting (for a new note), it was changed while merely viewing the hot key tab. This was because (unknown to me) the little DriveGLEAM util was effectively tapping the scroll lock key each time it flashed the keyboard LED -- and that happened while I was looking at the hot key settings, though I didn't notice the change had been made.

I've since read a notice about this bit of bad behavior on the DriveGLEAM website.  Anyway, Evernote is fine -- and DriveGLEAM can be used effectively (it's a good util otherwise), as I wrote, by simply stopping DriveGLEAM before accessing the options > hot key tab.  Evidently there are few programs that use Scroll Lock and that's why the D.G. author chose that option... it's quite handy to have the otherwise useless Scroll Lock LED flash on the keyboard for hard disk activity

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That is an interesting way to trigger the light...

I'm pretty sure there is a way to use the light without spamming the key. At least I have seen that it is possible in AutoHotkey...so maybe other coding languages.

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Jeff-- Right, Scroll Lock was NOT a default hot key -- that's not what I meant.  Being the top most hot key setting (for a new note), it was changed while merely viewing the hot key tab. This was because (unknown to me) the little DriveGLEAM util was effectively tapping the scroll lock key each time it flashed the keyboard LED -- and that happened while I was looking at the hot key settings, though I didn't notice the change had been made.

Oh, I see what happened now. Thanks for the clarification. DRIVEGleam would be a distance memory if I had installed it on my machine and that happened to me, though.
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Only thought of DriveGLEAM because I hadn't used it for very long.  And to sum it up, found this on the authors web page:

 

"The scroll lock LED feature does in fact simulate a REAL keypress. This is a horrible solution but it works for some. The problem is that it's not possible to flash the scroll lock led in a system friendly way without simulating a real keypress. I hesitate to use other tricks / hacks to do this another way."

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Back to EN for a moment, I guess part of the post here was about the hotkey field being focused when you switch to the tab.

You don't have to have an app spamming a key to just hit a key yourself and change it by mistake I guess.

Perhaps it could not be focused in the future, I don't know.

Still...physically spamming the key...

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Good point, this can happen by mistake, not just from a rouge utility... so, to prevent accidental hot key assignment, place the focus away from the "input" field so the user has to purposely select the field before being able to enter a hot key combo.

 

For users who may wonder about other drive indicator apps, the author of HDDLED Indicator told me his app has an optional "low level 'direct access' to scroll lock led, which changes the state of the led only, but does not work with all keyboards."

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