Blackmagic Forum

As the title indicate.

I never thought about contacting BMD for this, but since I have an account on the forum now (and I finally bought the studio version couple months ago).

The problem exists since Davinci Resolve 15 (I started with this version, but I'm sure it was like that before too).

In any text box, I can't write : ¦@#°§¬|¢ -

And it's especially annoying with the @ and # (and the |, but less often)

I can access these characters with Alt-Gr + the top row with the numbers of the keyboard.

What I do since the day one is to tap the Windows key, write the character, ctrl-a, ctrl-c, then past it where I need in Resolve - It's fast but a workaround to bypass a bug.

It's really annoying.

What's weird is I can do the É with the Alt-Gr +´, but nothing from the numeric keys

It may be the use of a non-standard (meaning 104 key English) keyboard. I have no problem typing in the special characters that appear on such.

Jim Simon wrote:It may be the use of a non-standard (meaning 104 key English) keyboard. I have no problem typing in the special characters that appear on such.

I just identified the problem, it's not a bug, but a "feature".
But that's a good thing I got a response because it forced me to look into it more.

"Ctrl+Alt+1,2,3..etc",.. are assigned by default to "Track Destination Selection" - "Audio Destination A1, A2, etc". (AltGr sends "Ctrl+Alt")

Davinci resolve is the only application I have experienced this problem with anyway, so for me it's still a problem (even if I "fixed" it) because the application is used all over the world.

Of course (like I just did now), people could change the shortcuts... but when you're used to not have this problem all your life for any application (pro or not), it's really easy to overlook the fact that it could be something as "simple" as shortcuts already assigned, and just do like I saw others do like me, copy the character from elsewhere and past it in Resolve.

I saw another thread with someone from Brazil having the same kind of problem.

viewtopic.php?f=21&t=98417

viewtopic.php?f=21&t=71310

And here : viewtopic.php?f=21&t=118565
With the response Shrinivas Ramani that is just a workaround (and I can do fine the ñ)

For me, when we are in a text box (especially the Text+ one) no "internal" shortcuts should be able to be triggered.

Or maybe the application should inform the user (at the install, or the first launch of the application) about this potential problem if it detects a particular region and (or) deactivate these shortcuts while informing the user about it.

I was curious about the subject, so I dug a bit just to know more about this "AltGr"
------------

United States

Most keyboards sold in the US do not have an (engraved) AltGr key. With some Operating Systems, its function may be emulated using Ctrl+Alt or, given the right keyboard mapping, one of the Alt keys can be made to have the AltGr functionality (usually the right Alt key).
Control + Alt as a substitute

Originally, US PC keyboards (specifically, the US 101-key PC/AT keyboards) did not have an AltGr key because it was relevant only in non-US markets: US keyboards simply had "left" and "right" Alt keys.

On most non-US keyboards, the right-hand Alt key is engraved as Alt Gr (or its national language equivalent). In reality, because the same scancode is generated irrespective of the superficial engraving, the actual function of the key is determined by the Operating System (or, exceptionally, by application software). Consequently, some keyboard mappings treat the right-Alt key as an AltGr, even though it is not engraved as such. Conversely, on some compact keyboards like those of netbooks, the right Alt key may be missing altogether. To allow the specific functionality of AltGr when typing non-English text on such keyboards, some OSs such as Microsoft Windows emulate the function by treating the Alt key and Control key pressed together as an AltGr key:[citation needed]

Ctrl+Alt ≈ AltGr.

Therefore, Microsoft recommends that this combination not be used as a keyboard shortcut in Windows applications as, depending on the keyboard layout and configuration, someone trying to type a special character with it may accidentally trigger the application shortcut.[5]

Strange! I can type all kinds of special characters to my heart's delight as long as my input goes to a text box, among them also keyboard shortcuts. Both with the left or the right 'alt' key.
German keyboard, but then, I'm on a Mac.

Uli Plank wrote:Strange! I can type all kinds of special characters to my heart's delight as long as my input goes to a text box, among them also keyboard shortcuts. Both with the left or the right 'alt' key.
German keyboard, but then, I'm on a Mac.

Can you check if you have these shortcuts enabled?

Maxwellx wrote:In any text box, I can't write : ¦@#°§¬|¢ -

And it's especially annoying with the @ and # (and the |, but less often)

| is not allowed —and its input is silently suppressed— where it affects filenames.

1.) Extend the "Language Settings" of your Windows: <Suisse> -> Options ->-> [+] Add a keyboard -> English (USA, International).
2.) In the Taskbar of Windows switch to XXX\INTL, e.g., FRA/INTL.
3.) Try corresponding to your KA-Switzerland-FRE-Layout:

¦ Shift+AltGr+}
@ Shift+2
# Shift+3
° Shift+AltGr+è
§ Shift+AltGr+S
¬ AltGr+}
¢ Shift+AltGr+c
| Shift+}
- '

Regard that ` becomes a dead key, thus needs a double press for 'undo' (though Ctrl+Z is no longer a gymnastic exercise). Benefit: you win an ß

P.S. Win+. is not very well known ...

Ah, there's the difference: on the Mac, it's command (or Apple)+alt+number.

Uli Plank wrote:Ah, there's the difference: on the Mac, it's command (or Apple)+alt+number.

Yeah the AltGr sends "Ctrl+alt". Maybe they could make it that it doesn't do that on windows? I don't know. Anyway I deactivated these keyboard shortcuts (I never use these).

I still think that when we are in a text-box, all of the davinci keyboard shortcuts shouldn't work. Just today I wrote something too quickly in the text box, and activated a random shortcut with my (not that fat) fingers. Fortunately, I saw that it did something, I just ctrl+z.. but I'm sure you can easily miss it and continue to work with something messed up on the timeline, or a setting activated. Some people could have very different keyboard shortcuts they configured to move things around.

I second that: as long as a text field is waiting for input, all keyboard shortcuts should be deactivated.

Uli Plank wrote:I second that: as long as a text field is waiting for input, all keyboard shortcuts should be deactivated.

Two birds one stone.
That will solve both problems.

We're on version 17.2 and the problem still persists. Is there a chance that it will be ever fixed? My workaround for entering non-english characters in Text+ on the timeline is to open the text clip in Fusion, and enter text there. But this hack works only with Fusion macros.

piranha32 wrote:We're on version 17.2 and the problem still persists. Is there a chance that it will be ever fixed? My workaround for entering non-english characters in Text+ on the timeline is to open the text clip in Fusion, and enter text there. But this hack works only with Fusion macros.

I would suggest deactivating the "audio destination 1, 2,3 etc" keyboard shortcuts (if you don't use these of course, or remapping them) so you don't have to use your workaround (I have a screenshot in my last comment on this thread).

But I'm like you, I want this to be fixed.

Text Box shouldn't be allowed to trigger internal short cuts, so every special character would be accessible.