Text Tool Input Box Bug in X4 and X3

[patara]

It was very disappointing to see that the text bugs I reported over a year ago in X3, and to which tech support finally agreed were there after many emails, have carried over into X4.
I was surprised and happy to see the Font Box scrolling is partially fixed in X4 [still doesn't work like pre X3 though].
But the input boxes still have the same focus errors as in X3 plus I found a new focus error that isn't there in any other version I have and seems to affect all Tool Options Input Boxes, not only the Text Option Input Boxes.
I searched the posts for text problems and saw mention of the Font scrolling issue but nothing on the input box bugs. I tried to keep this as brief as possible but still have it make sense.

The text tool options input boxes still do not hold focus when text is selected for formatting. I've found this is for any mouse scrolling, keyboard arrows or typing input numbers. The options can only handle 1 scroll, 1 arrow move or 1 typed number before focus returns to the document. Hence with text selected, if one is scrolling an input box, after 1 scroll the scroll focus is lost on the box and the scroll focus is placed onto the document, making it zoom in or out. Or if one is typing double numbers into an input box, after the 1st number is typed, the box loses focus and the 2nd number is typed over the selected text replacing it. EG. If I wanted the kerning to be set to 38, then the only way to make that change is to type, as kerning is set in increments of 25. As soon as the 2nd number is typed, in this case 8, the selected text is wiped out and replaced with the number 8. The only way to stop the typing problem is to remember to click again into the box before typing the 2nd number. Extremely inconvenient. Using the Shift click to bring up the old style text box makes no difference to the input boxes. If one types the 2nd number it replaces the text. Scrolling of numbers is the same in that it will only scroll once but the scroll focus does not revert to the document because the text is in the Text Entry Box.
This focus issue is not present if no text is selected nor is it evident in other tools option boxes that I can see. So if no text is selected focus remains on the input box, select text for formatting and input boxes cannot maintain focus after 1 entry of scroll, arrow or type.

As to the new problem, it is also a focus issue but affects the input boxes for all tool options I checked and it is not evident in any earlier versions that I have used since PSP7. It must be a new bug introduced in X4 unless there is a new setting I don't know about and surely it can't be some programmers bright idea.
One can't use the delete key anymore for the input boxes, it does nothing to the input box, no numbers are deleted but what it does do is delete what is on the document layer. And in the history palette it shows up as Clear. In previous versions, including X3, Delete on the keyboard could be used to remove numbers in the input box and it never added anything to the history palette, nor deleted anything on a layer, unless of course the layer was active, and not the input box. With the text tool, if text is selected for formatting then hitting delete in an input box does nothing, the box is not affected, nor is the selected text. But if the text is not selected and Delete is used on a text input box then the text layer is deleted and Clear is added to the history.

I've thoroughly tested these issues on my Desktop and my Laptop and it is evident in both.
I'm not sure whether the programmers decided they couldn't be bothered to fix the known X3 text tool problems but it shouldn't be that hard to patch as is only a focus issue due to the text being selected for formatting. No text selected and one can scroll, type and keyboard arrow to their hearts content in the input boxes and it all works. Select some text and it all comes to a grinding halt.
And the Delete key bug is a new one.
I do not know if tech for X4 has been made aware of these problems or I should report. At present X4, like X3, is useless for any meaningful text formatting and the Delete should be useable on input boxes.

[Radim]

This is feature, not bug.

Yes, we all know about it. But I am sorry that Corel guys can't fix it once and for all.

[patara]

Radim, are you stating not being able to use the Delete key is a new feature in X4 or are you stating the text focus problem is a feature?

The Text Input Box not being able to hold focus is definitely not a feature. When I officially reported it in X3 last year, it took me a few emails to convince them that it was even there. Finally Support agreed they could replicate it and it wasn't correct and the info was sent to the Development Team to be added to the list to be investigated.
What possible feature does that non focus error bring to X3 or X4?

As to the Delete key not working, what feature does that bring to X4? I've found no mention of it on Corel PSPX4 75 New Features List nor under What's New Tab or Features Tab and could not find any mention of it on searching this forum.

[Kathy_9]

@ patara - regarding your delete key issue, unless I am misunderstanding what you are saying, it works for me. I am able to delete from input boxes, including the text box.

Could you check via the customize keyboard function to see if your delete key is set up to "clear" as mine is (pictured below). I remember this being an issue during beta testing and I had to set mine up.

[patara]

Hi Kathy, thanks so much for your response.
Mine is set exactly the same as your image. I thought you might be an answer to my prays, bad sadly no.
Have attached a screenshot showing what happens, Before and After.
The top two images are Before and After for the Text Tool and the bottom two images are Before and After for the Brush Tool
For the Text Tool.
In the top image my cursor is placed in the tracking box before the number 2. Hopefully it can be seen. The History Palette is empty.
Then as soon as I hit the delete key to remove the number 2, the image is deleted and in this case because it was a background layer it was replaced with red and over in the History Palette it now shows Clear. The number 2 is still in the tracking box and as you can see there is no evidence of the cursor. The box has lost focus.
For the Brush Tool.
I also decided to do again using the Brush Tool because then there are no handles on the image like with the text tool. I also promoted the layer as well to show it is'nt related to a Background Layer.
For this example I chose the Brush Opacity Box and placed my cursor between the 1 and the 0 as shown in the 3rd image down.
As soon as I hit the delete key the image is deleted and Clear is added to the History Palette and the 0 is still in the input box, as shown in the 4th image.
It cannot be this computer or the X4 install because the same thing happens on my Laptop and they were from two different downloads, the Laptop one being a Trial version.
Also other than both OS have Win7 64bit [ but different versions] the specs are entirely different.

[patara]

The Delete problem with the input boxes has been confirmed to me by two other people who followed my steps and got the same result.
Like me they were able to use the Backspace key, but the Delete key returns focus to the image like in my screenshots.

[Kathy_9]

Okay, I see what you are saying now and I do get the same results as you. I misunderstood and thought you were talking about deleting info from the pop-up box used for text entry. I didn't realize you were referring to the settings on the toolbar. Funny, but I never thought to use the delete key in that area. I automatically use the backspace key if I wanted to delete something as that's what I am used to using in Word, email programs, etc.

I did try your method in X2 and the delete key works by deleting characters to the right of where you position your cursor.

[patara]

Thanks for confirming.
I'm in the habit of using the Delete key and it's worked in every version so it's just another process that has been mangled.
I guess I should have started a separate thread for it.
It needs to be reported so will look for the correct address to contact. Would it be where I reported the text bug last year?

[Kathy_9]

You can report it here https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/PSPX4

This is the method we used during beta testing and it was just rolled out at the Corel Your Way Forum as the preferred means of communicating with the Development Team.

[patara]

Thanks Kathy, will do....Pat