Inspiring

Answered

Space for grab and pan document (temporary hand tool) doesn't work

Forum|Forum|7 years ago
October 19, 2018
5 replies
8096 views

I've got this problem on a freshly installed Windows 10 (ver. 10.0.17134) with latest InDesign (2019 ver 14.0 x64). Pressing space transforms the pointer icon into the hand, but the document doesn't move when I press the left mouse button and drag to move.

Pressing and holding down Alt, and then also space, works as just Space did on my previous computer with Windows 7 and InDesign 2018.
I wish to use Space only, just like on my old computer.

* Disabling the touchpad within the "Synaptics Pointing Device" made no difference. There is a suggestion about touchpads leading to this error).

* Trashing the preferences doesn't help.

* Restarting and starting InDesign only. No browsers open. Same behaviour. (There are suggestions that chrome or browser plugins can cause this error)

Don't know what other application it can be. Perhaps some graphics driver, but I really don't know what to look for there.

I Also tried restarting Windows in Safe mode, but then InDesign didn't work at all, no part of the interface was then accessible, no menus folded out when I tried to access them, the whole UI was just like a dead image.

What should I do to get the Space functionality back in InDesign?

Thanks,

Andreas

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Correct answer brian-CT

I had the same issue and just found an answer.

Go To Windows Settings
Go To Touchpad Settings
Change Sensitivity to "Most Sensitive"

I'm sure you found similar posts which suggested going to this same spot and suggested turning delay off; this no longer exists in Windows 10, so I was looking for a registry edit to do this, but in searching I found a post that changing to most sensitive in essence does the same thing, and did work for me.

Hope it helps.

To give credit, this post is how I came to an answer that finally worked: Touchpad Delay after Windows 10 Creator Update - Microsoft Community

brian-CTCorrect answer

Participant

I had the same issue and just found an answer.

Go To Windows Settings
Go To Touchpad Settings
Change Sensitivity to "Most Sensitive"

I'm sure you found similar posts which suggested going to this same spot and suggested turning delay off; this no longer exists in Windows 10, so I was looking for a registry edit to do this, but in searching I found a post that changing to most sensitive in essence does the same thing, and did work for me.

Hope it helps.

To give credit, this post is how I came to an answer that finally worked: Touchpad Delay after Windows 10 Creator Update - Microsoft Community

Andreas JanssonAuthor

Inspiring

This is the first suggestion that actually helps!

My PS/2 connected trackball now works with the space-panning function! No longer any need to press Alt at the same time!

And the touchpad behaves good too.

I didn't believe it until I saw it!

Thank you Brian, this was really good news.

Andreas

Andreas JanssonAuthor

Inspiring

Since I wrote here the last time, I've noticed that the touchpad is in fact a PS/2 device, som that's why my PS/2 connected trackball behaves the same way as the touchpad.

I have also noticed that using the same function in Photoshop is even more disturbing, since Alt+Space doesn't work as a substitute as it does in InDesign (in Photoshop you get a Zoom function then).

We opened a support case with HP, since there was guarantee left on one of our laptops with this problem. They did not know what to do with it, suggested a number of things to test, but couldn't deal with it and thus closed the case.

As I see it, the right thing for HP to do would have been to contact Synaptics or possibly Microsoft to get the drivers right, since these are the drivers that HP deliver, the ones that are installed with the HP computers (from installation presets and updates).

Andreas JanssonAuthor

Inspiring

Now I went to the support.hp.com site for drivers (there are often newer drivers than in the HP assistant that actually analyzes your computer . very strange...!) and installed the latest Synaptics mouse driver (ver. 19.0.19.68 Rev.A file name: sp91562.exe). But no change regarding the hand that is not grabbing problem in InDesign.

I normally use a MarbleFX trackball (instead of a mouse) attached to the PS/2 port on the back of my HP docking station. But now I attached a USB mouse instead, and what do you know... the SPACE panning works when using USB mouse! And the delay (or locking of the mouse pointer for half a second) when switching tools is also gone, while using the USB mouse.

Using the touchpad, grabbing and panning still does not work.

So this error is somehow related to the touchpad or its drivers. Holding down Space bar, and the USB mouse button, I'm allowed to pan the document with the built-in pointing stick (the small "joystick" located between the G, H, and B keys on some laptops). But the pointer doesn't move when I hold down the USB mouse button and try to pan using the touchpad. Holding down the left mouse button of the touch pad doesn't make the hand "grab" (which is perhaps the heart of this matter).

I have noticed no problems in any other software than Adobe's.

Since I got this error even when the Synaptics drivers were uninstalled, I guess the problem is caused either by HP hardware or drivers, Windows drivers or Adobe software.

BobLevine

Community Expert

I have an HP Spectre x360 and just fired up InDesign CC2019. I can confirm this behavior.

Andreas JanssonAuthor

Inspiring

Great that you could confirm this, Bob!

Did you get the "locking" effect as well? Pressing the letter T to change from selection tool to Text tool, while moving the mouse pointer using the touchpad... (or switching between tools using the keyboard shortcuts) does the mouse pointer stop then, for half a second? And does it freeze when pressing space, while moving it using the touchpad?

I found your answer now, after installing InDesign on another HP ZBook G2, to make sure that the first one didn't have a hardware error of some kind.

On this other laptop I got a lot of errors from InDesign after installing CC2019 and starting it for the first time (dll:s missing GENERIC PAGE ITEM.RPLN, VCRUNTIME140.dll, MSVCP140.dll). Installing CC2017 also. This version started but crashed when I try to create a new document. I selected to "repair" the C++ redistributable packages on the computer since the errors seemed to be related to the missing dll:s of CC2019, according to other users with the same problem. It seems CC2019 doesn't contain all redistributable packages that it needs? Anyway.. it was not until installing InDesign CS6 (the version downloaded from the CC panel), that the other newer versions could be started without errors and I could create a new document in them without Indesign crashing.

Conclusion: The error with the SPACE-HAND-tool exists in CS6 too, on this other zbook G2 computer. (And in the newer versions as well.)

I've run Indesign CS6 and CC2017 on an older HP laptop, until a few days ago, and never seen this problem. I used the same PS/2 trackball then, and I believe I would have seen if the problem was on its touchpad too.

I'm surprised that this error has not been detected before, since these HP laptop laptops that we use (with the problem) are fairly common for professional users. Not that PS/2 connected peripherals are common (they certainlay are not!), but a lot of people use the touchpad when they are not at their normal office working place.

I use space bar to temporaily turn any tool into the hand, to drag... all the time. So this is vital functionality for me.

What can be done about it? I still can't pinpoint the cause.

Andreas JanssonAuthor

Inspiring

Now I uninstalled the Synaptics Pointing Device altogether, so "gestures" and double finger scroll no longer works anywhere in Windows. But no difference as to the temporary-hand-using-space-key problem in InDesign...

BobLevine

Community Expert

Let’s try something else. Create a new user account and try it there.

Andreas JanssonAuthor

Inspiring

I've got a local account on the computer, that was created when Windows was installed, and then never used, so I logged into that now and tried, but it was the same.

Another note: Selecting the hand from the tools bar (shortcut H) I get a functioning hand (pan tool). But just tapping the space bar it's as if there is a "lock" for one second... the hand can not move the document. The same is true while holding down the space bar and trying to use the (already active) hand tool - the document doesn't move, until releasing space bar and click-dragging anew with the mouse button.

L

Laubender

Community Expert

https://forums.adobe.com/people/Andreas+Jansson wrote
I've got this problem on a freshly installed Windows 10 (ver. 10.0.17134) with latest InDesign (2019 ver 14.0 x64). Pressing space transforms the pointer icon into the hand, but the document doesn't move when I press the left mouse button and drag to move. …

Hi Andreas,

I'm on Windows 10 InDesign CC 2019 German and cannot see the issue.

I have no clue what's going wrong on your side. If I press the space bar the hand turns up and I can move around.

FWIW: Panning will not work if your zoom is showing the whole pasteboard with all spreads of the document.

Regards,
Uwe

hammer0909

Community Expert

It's working fine on my end as well. Maybe try resetting the preferences?

Steve Werner

Community Expert

Keyboard modifiers (Space Bar or Shift) are sometimes captured by third party applications and extensions, often in web browsers.

Try restarting and disable startup applications. Open only InDesign and see if the problem still exists. If it does not, look for browser extensions in particular that might be conflicting.

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