IDLE save keyboard shortcut problem

[jvanburen]

BPO	12387
Nosy	@rhettinger, @terryjreedy, @kbkaiser, @ned-deily, @serwy, @jvanburen, @ringof
PRs	gh-56596: IDLE keyboard shortcuts function irespective of caps-lock state #32245
Files	windows_caps_lock.patch keybinding-issue12387-v1.diff

^{Note: these values reflect the state of the issue at the time it was migrated and might not reflect the current state.}

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GitHub fields:

assignee = 'https://github.com/terryjreedy'
closed_at = None
created_at = <Date 2011-06-22.17:59:58.252>
labels = ['easy', 'expert-IDLE', 'type-bug', '3.7']
title = 'IDLE save keyboard shortcut problem'
updated_at = <Date 2022-04-02.01:39:59.903>
user = 'https://github.com/jvanburen'

bugs.python.org fields:

activity = <Date 2022-04-02.01:39:59.903>
actor = 'dpg'
assignee = 'terry.reedy'
closed = False
closed_date = None
closer = None
components = ['IDLE']
creation = <Date 2011-06-22.17:59:58.252>
creator = 'Jacob.VB'
dependencies = []
files = ['25226', '35592']
hgrepos = []
issue_num = 12387
keywords = ['patch', 'easy']
message_count = 14.0
messages = ['138828', '138842', '138843', '158303', '158309', '158312', '158354', '158368', '212611', '212612', '218776', '220331', '220332', '220338']
nosy_count = 10.0
nosy_names = ['rhettinger', 'terry.reedy', 'kbk', 'ned.deily', 'roger.serwy', 'westley.martinez', 'python-dev', 'Jacob.VB', 'Saimadhav.Heblikar', 'dpg']
pr_nums = ['32245']
priority = 'normal'
resolution = None
stage = 'patch review'
status = 'open'
superseder = None
type = 'behavior'
url = 'https://bugs.python.org/issue12387'
versions = ['Python 3.6', 'Python 3.7']

[jvanburen]

IDLE (for Python 3.2) fails to save using the ctrl-s keyboard shortcut when caps-lock is enabled, and instead only saves when ctrl-shift-s is pressed.
When caps-lock is disabled, all shortcuts work normally.

[terryjreedy]

(The message I deleted was a duplicate of the original).
Verified with 3.2.0 on WinXP (Jacob, I/O issues, including keyboard, especially need system specified. What is yours? If Windows, this might be Windows-specific.)

With CAPS LOCK on, Cntl-N, Cntl-O, Cntl-P, Alt-M, Alt-C work.
Cntl-S, Cntl-Shift-S, Alt-Shift-S, Cntl-Q do not.
(All of above from File menu). So behavior is variable.

[jvanburen]

I'm running Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit, on an Alienware M17x (a laptop) using the built-in keyboard.

It's definitely possible that the problem is Windows-specific; perhaps it has to do with the fact that when caps lock is on the shift modifier seems to invert the case back to lowercase; although I don't know how it would affect it in that way.

[serwy]

I can confirm this issue on Linux.

This issue is caused by not explicitly binding <Control-Key-S> to <<save-window>> in config-keys.def (and in configHandler.py's GetCoreKeys.) Presently, only <Control-key-s> binds to <<save-window>>.

Should all the lowercase bindings without uppercase bindings be changed, or should only a few be changed?

[rhettinger]

I would like to see them all changed.

[terryjreedy]

I agree; lets be consistently lenient.

[serwy]

Attached is a patch to fix the caps-lock issue with Windows key bindings in config-keys.def.

[terryjreedy]

Changes look complete and correct as far as I can tell, except that I have some confusion about the relation of Shift and CapsLock key. For instance, Control-C and Control-Shift-C (using the key labels) both interrupt a loop whether or not CapsLock is on. In all, 4 combinations work even though only 2 are listed.
interrupt-execution=<Control-Key-c> <Control-Key-C>

However, this pair of specifications
+save-window-as-file=<Control-Shift-Key-S> <Control-Shift-Key-s>
+save-window=<Control-Key-s> <Control-Key-S>
only makes sense to me if 's' and 'S' refer to the 'S' key without and with CapLock on as using Shift is meant to give a different meaning. It appears to split the 4 combinations into 2 pairs that do different things.

[westleymartinez]

I know that Tk has individual states for whether or not a key is pressed with Caps Lock or Shift or other modifiers, so maybe there is a way to have the shortcuts ignore Caps Lock entirely.

More info: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/665502/status-of-shift-and-caps-lock-in-python

[ned-deily]

See also "Modifier Keys" on the Tk Wiki:
http://wiki.tcl.tk/28331

There are both deliberate and accidental platform-specific behavior differences among Tk implementations.

[terryjreedy]

Reading the Tk Wiki page, it appears that Shift undoes ShiftLock except on Mac, where it does nothing. So there is effectively only ^a and ^A, etc.

Looking as the Get New Keys dialog, the Basic Key Binding Entry pane says "New keys .." plural, but as far as I can tell, only one new key can be entered. Moreover, Control-Key-a and Control-Shift-Key-A are possible, but not Control-Key-A. The latter is only possible with hand entry in the Advanced Key Binding Entry pane. This might be why some functions have a single key binding and some both. Perhaps the dialog should auto-augment Control-Key-x with Control-Key-X, where x is a lowercase letter.