lynx-dev Re: Conagent.exe and keyboard conflicts

[Lloyd G. Rasmussen]

This is a recurring problem, and I would like to see Microsoft answer 
some of our questions.  I don't know what conagent does: provide 
network services, 32-bit console services, or what.  Vocal-Eyes 
thinks that all programs that use this service are called 
conagent.exe.  

I use Lynx/32, an MPEG Layer III encoder, and other programs in 
Win95 DOS boxes with Vocal-Eyes.  An advantage of V E is that you run 
separate copies of V E in each DOS box you start.  Thus it is no 
problem to turn on Revector Check for the DOS session that is 
running Lynx.  When you quit Lynx, you exit DOS, taking down that 
copy of Vocal-Eyes, which would otherwise misbehave because it is 
playing with the keyboard interrupt handler.  Revector Check does 
prevent review commands from being typed into Lynx, and also enables 
the use of the VE cursor without those arrows bleeding through to 
Lynx.  However, Vocal-Eyes hotkeys which are pressed while outside of 
screen review do go through to Lynx, causing unpredictable results.  
In Lynx, some keys can be remapped.  This is still being worked on 
by the developers of Lynx, but a good solution to key remapping does 
not yet exist.

If you are running ASAP/ASAW all the time, you may end up with a 
messed-up DOS session after Lynx exits.  Janina Sajka at AFB uses 
this setup with ASAP, and she may be able to give you some 
pointers.  But I wish Microsoft would look at how keyboard handling 
is done by conagent.exe and explain to screen reader developers and 
other DOS/32 afficianados how to get clean keyboard behavior out of 
these programs.    


On Tue, 22 Sep 1998 09:28:49 -0400, 
on Blind-l, Joseph Norton   <address@hidden> wrote:

>Hi All:
>
>I have been trying to use several "console" applications running under Win
>95 (including pkzip 2.50 Command-Line and lynx_w32).  These programs seem to
>have one thing in common; they all employ a program under the Windows
>directory called "conagent.exe".  Every time I try to use a program that
>requires conagent, my keyboard commands to ASAP get processed by both ASAP
>and the application.  For example:  When I am running the ftp program (that
>comes with dial-up networking) if I use the num-pad commands for reviewing
>the screen, ASAP will review the screen just fine, but, at the ftp> command
>prompt, I then have a string of 7's 8's and 9's (or any other keyboard
>command ASAP uses).  After I review the screen, I have to backspace to get
>all those numbers out.  When I use lynx_w32, the same thing occurs.  I enter
>commands on the Num-Pad to review the screen (or whatever) and these key
>strokes get echoed back to lynx as well.  I have tried both ASAP's keyboard
>interrupt handling methods.  They seem to work the first time lynx is run,
>but, subsequently, it's as if I never used them.  I have to restart the
>computer to get this method to work again.
>
>Any thoughts?
>
>Oh, well, at least I got realplayer working with Lynx_w32 anyway.
>
>--Joseph (Joe) Norton <address@hidden>
>Dalton, Georgia, U.S.A.--The Carpet Capital of the World!
>
>This message transmitted on 100% recycled electrons.
>

-- Lloyd Rasmussen
Senior Staff Engineer, Engineering Section
National Library Service for the  Blind and Physically Handicapped
Library of Congress          202-707-0535
(work)       address@hidden    http://www.loc.gov/nls/
(home) address@hidden http://home.sprynet.com/sprynet/lras/