LYNX-DEV Lynx Keystrokes

[dski]

Norman Fine (address@hidden) wrote --
> I work with an Apple IIe and monochrome screen. My question is: According
  to Key Map (gotten by entering "k") "end" are the keys to enter to get the
  end of a current document on the screen. However, if one starts to enter
  "end" the letter "e" comes first and Lynx resonds as if the END command is
  attempted. So, my query is, how can I get to the end of a document?
  
David Combs (address@hidden) replied --
> No, no, Norman.  By "END command" is meant hitting the END-KEY --
  not typing E-N-D as a word.

Larry W. Virden (address@hidden) commented --
> I think this should be explained somehow - as well as explaining to a
  novice how to find out what the end key is.

Ismael Cordeiro (address@hidden) added --
> Then we would have to explain that "<tab>" doesn't mean that you have
  to type "<", "t", "a", "b" and ">" but that you have to press the key
  on your keyboard marked "tab"....

To Messrs. Combs, Virden, and Cordeiro:

There is no ASCII code defined as END. There is no End key on an Apple
II, a Macintosh 512Ke, or most CP/M machines. People DO run Lynx through
such machines, and we SHOULD support, well, not necessarily those that
can't produce all ASCII keystroke codes (0-126 or 127), but certainly
those that can. Assuming that every computer has an End key is like
assuming that every car has an automatic transmission or power steering.

Note also that even on many systems that do have an End key, this key
fails to work as expected in Lynx.
 
I've ranted on this at length before, so I will try to be brief (I will
undoubtedly fail). This is for everyone working on Lynx:
 
No keys outside the Control+QWERTY (or Dvorak) block are standardized. No
program expected to work with many kinds of terminals should require any
keystroke codes but those of seven-bit ASCII. It is fine to *recognize*
non-ASCII and multiple-byte keystrokes and hope that any such keystrokes
requiring translation are translated correctly before they reach Lynx,
but it is wrong to make any function dependent on them. Are not the 128
codes of ASCII enough for a program such as Lynx? I submit (1) that they
are enough for any program at all, and (2) that requiring any other keys
is tantamount to (a) supporting particular manufacturers and models, and
(b) penalizing anyone who doesn't rush out to buy the latest and greatest
every two years.
 
Lynx is fairly good in this respect, but not good enough. There don't
seem to be Control keystrokes for the g(o to) buffer or for screen
scrolling during forms input. I consider this a major flaw.

To Mr. Fine:

In Lynx 2.6, I understand that Control-E will jump to the end of the
current document, and Control-A will jump to the beginning.
 
These do not work in older versions of Lynx. Following is an explanation
of what works and why.

The original Lynx developers assumed everyone using Lynx would have a
numeric keypad, and they thought the keypad grid would make a convenient
and user-friendly interface to Lynx if made to work as follows:

7. Top of Document                  8. Cursor Up     9. Screen Up
4. Backtrack to Previous Document   5. (Nothing)     6. Activate Current Link
1. End of Document                  2. Cursor Down   3. Screen Down
 
IBM-type micros' numeric keypads have dual functions. In programs
designed specifically for these machines (as opposed to multi-platform
programs such as Lynx), you are supposed to get the following from the
keypad, depending on whether Num Lock is on or off:

7 or Home   8 or Up     9 or Page Up
4 or Left   5 only      6 or Right
1 or End    2 or Down   3 or Page Down

Well, perhaps the DEC terminals that Lynx was originally designed for had
numeric keypads that produced only numerals; in any event, terminal
emulators running on IBM-type micros produce only numerals whether Num
Lock is on or off. So when people press Home or End on an IBM micro's
numeric keypad in Lynx, what Lynx really receives is exactly what it
would have received if the user had pressed the 7 or 1 key atop the main
typing block.

Get the idea? As long as you have link numbering turned off in Lynx, you
can use the IIe's (or ANY computer's) QWERTY-block number keys for all
eight basic Lynx navigation functions. You might also be interested to
know that Control-P and Control-N will scroll the screen up and down two
lines at a time.
 
Dan Strychalski
address@hidden
;
; To UNSUBSCRIBE:  Send a mail message to address@hidden
;                  with "unsubscribe lynx-dev" (without the
;                  quotation marks) on a line by itself.
;