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Q57750: M "Keyboard" Switch Doesn’t Work As Documented

Article: Q57750
Product(s): See article
Version(s): 1.02
Operating System(s): MS-DOS
Keyword(s): ENDUSER | S_FORTRAN buglist1.02 | mspl13_basic
Last Modified: 20-JAN-1990

The Microsoft Editor (M) Version 1.02 "keyboard" switch, documented on
Page 198 of the the "Microsoft Editor User's Guide for MS OS/2 and
MS-DOS Operating Systems," does not work as documented.

The switch was implemented to allow control of which BIOS keyboard
calls are used to get keystrokes. The "compatible" setting uses the
standard INT 16H, AH = 0 to get keystrokes. The "enhanced" setting
uses INT 10H, allowing the F11 and F12 keys to be read, and allowing
you to use old versions of packages that may fail when your keyboard
is treated as enhanced.

If you set the "keyboard" option in your TOOLS.INI file by adding a
line reading

   keyboard:"compatible"

and then bring up the editor, M accepts the setting, but fails to set
correctly. If you press SHIFT+F1 for help and choose Current
Assignments, the list of current key assignments is given. The
keyboard switch will now be set to the following:

   keyboard::enhanced

Note the double colon, and that the compatible option has been
changed to enhanced.

If you try to set the option within the editor by entering the
following, the editor returns the same options as above:

   ALT+A keyboard:compatible ALT+=

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the Microsoft Editor
Version 1.02. We are researching this problem and will post new
information here as it becomes available.

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