By Miles (Maplw3d) (206.149.192.123) on Saturday, October 05, 2002 - 12:49 am:

While traveling I thought I'd get in a little time with learning LW via my Ti PowerBook and I found some of my F Keys don't work via the laptop's kayboard. Even though I was holding down the "fn" key prior to pressing F2 and nothing. Any other OSX-LW7.5 users here ever try the laptop's F keys and find the same thing? If so, did you ever figure out how to get them to work correctly in LW?

By James Burns (Jpburns) (24.98.29.13) on Saturday, October 05, 2002 - 08:55 am:

No problem here...

500Mhz TiBook

Mac OSX 10.2.1 and LW 7.5

By Miles (Maplw3d) (206.149.192.46) on Saturday, October 05, 2002 - 06:50 pm:

Hi James, Thanks for the reply... I should've be more clear on what key combinations are failing me via the PowerBook since such Fkeys as F9 for rendering a frame work fine. You may be able to still help verify what I'm talking about. Okay, as you know because the laptop doesn't have a full keyboard with individual numeric and Fkeys we have to hold and/or lock keys on the laptop in order to get them to function as they would via a full keyboard. The one combination I've been testing is the option found via the Layout app's Toolbar Menu > Layout Tab > Interface Tab > "Hide Toolbar On/Off" [*F2].

Now to get the * one usually uses the numeric keys on a full keyboard where we on PowerBooks have to first press the "num lock" [F5] to then get the OS to see the "P" key as the numeric "*", then press the "fn" letting the OS know we want to use the function keys as F1, F2, etc. rather than the Display's Bright & Dim or Audio Down & Up controls.

So, to clarify to try and get the Hide Toolbar On/Off [*F2] combination to work I:
{press} the "num lock/F5" key,
{press:hold} the "*/P" key,
{press:hold} the "fn", and last
{press} the "F2/Brightness" key.

With that combo I figured it should toggle LW's Layout Toolbar On/Off, but no go here... =P

Are you operating your PowerBook's keyboard for Fkey combinations that require a numeric keys such as the "*" like this as well?

I just use the main system's full keyboard whilein house so it's not a huge deal, but it sure would be nice to have this working via the PowerBook while traveling too.

Thanks for any additional insight anyone can be on this topic.

By Thomas Fitzgerald (Fxgeek) (159.134.160.248) on Sunday, October 06, 2002 - 06:17 am:

The reason the F keys don't work is that they're set for computer functions like brightness etc. To use them as normal F-Keys just hold down the function button as you press them. I don't know how to set it permenantly this way as you could in OS9 through the keyboard panel, but I believe if you boot up in nine and set the function key preferences in the Keyboard control panel it is supposed to remain set in ten (I don't have nine installed)

Hope that this is of some help

By Miles (Maplw3d) (206.149.192.59) on Sunday, October 06, 2002 - 08:00 am:

Hi Thomas, Thanks for the input... Afraid that's not what's going on here though. I use the F keys via other apps all the time by first {press:hold} the "fn" key before actually pressing the desired F1, F2, etc. keys no problem. Heck, even LW works for F key functions that don't also require a key combination which incorporates a key (like "*") used from a full keyboard numeric key pad.

I'm not sure if you've tested from a PowerBook your LW function keys like those for controling LW's "Interface" features, but I'd love for someone to actually get the Layout or Modeler Toolbar to toggle On/Off via the key combination [*F2] via their PowerBook in OSX and then tell me how they did it.

I'm an OSX only person now a days so any OS9 features won't help much, but I appreciate the tip. ;)

Anyone else using LW7.5 with OSX via a PowerBook want to confirm for me this is an issue or if not how you made these LW numeric/Fkey combos to work?

Thanks again... =)

By James Burns (Jpburns) (24.98.29.13) on Sunday, October 06, 2002 - 08:49 am:

Ah... I just tried it, and, no... F2 wouldn't hide the toolbar. Then I got an idea, and checked the "Keyboard Shortcuts" and voila! The command for hiding the toolbar wasn't assigned to the F2 key; rather, it was option-F2. After reassigning it to F2, it worked perfectly.

Go figure.

By Miles (Maplw3d) (206.149.192.219) on Sunday, October 06, 2002 - 09:24 pm:

Hey James, Thanks for the heads-up on the opt-key being the key combo needed. It works... +) I wasn't aware of the means of re-assigning key shortcuts so this is a great help. I wonder why the menu show [opt-F?] combos as [*F?] when in the shortcuts editor they state otherwise.

Thanks much for the tip...

By Jirapong Chaijumroonpun (Jirapong) (63.117.80.194) on Tuesday, October 08, 2002 - 03:42 pm:

F2 is center on origin, not hide tool bar.

By Cindy Groves (Pixeldust) (208.140.192.239) on Sunday, February 02, 2003 - 03:23 pm:

I just came across this thread... I got the shortcuts to work on my PowerBook by pressing Control first, then fn, then the function key.

For example, to get the Surface editor, press Control-Fn-F3. No need to have NumLock on.

HTH!