Alt + Scroll activates menu in CS5? (Windows)

[Smorgasbord9]

Noticed a strange behavior in CS5, namely, that when I use Alt+MouseWheel to zoom, the image zooms as expected, however the File menu is activated.  I have to release and then quickly press Alt again AFTER zooming in order to return the focus to my image.

I fired up CS4 to check (as I did not remember this issue previously), and confirmed that CS4 does NOT activate the File menu when scrolling using the Alt+MouseWheel method.  This is a rather annoying trait, and has in fact driven me to use CS4 except when I need to use some CS5-specific feature.

Is this a glitch/bug?  Or by design?  If it is the former, a fix would be greatly appreciated, in the meantime I will continue to rely on CS4 when dealing with projects involving heavy zooming.

[703Lime]

Could someone upload this again? The links are down.

Thanks in advance!

[Peter_Leo]

since adobe doesn't cares about service here the link to the file: [note by Moderator: use this link: http://sourceforge.net/projects/cs5altfix/ as the others have expired] http://uploaded.to/file/8i07sw

thanks to that brilliant guy we are still able to use our PS as in former (better) times.

[Smorgasbord9]

Thanks for re-upping ayre_pete:) I've gone ahead and re-mirrored all the files again.

<<evil poup/popunder URLs removed>>

[note by Moderator: use this link: http://sourceforge.net/projects/cs5altfix/ as the others have expired]

To anyone who's not sure which one to use, if you got to this thread you're probably looking for the first one.

Take a look at my previous few posts if you have questions about how they work.

Good luck:)

If you use this fix, you might consider submitting a bug report here so that Adobe will (hopefully) look into providing a more permanent, long-term solution.

[Noel Carboni]

Unsigned Code Lab, it's great that you've provided this tool, but the site you've used to host the download is horrendous!  It tries to pop up all kinds of nasty stuff.

-Noel

[Smorgasbord9]

You have my apologies Noel, my web browser is set to allow Javascript on a whitelist-only basis and I was unaware of that issue.  I'll re-up them to a different host as soon as I can.

[Smorgasbord9]

[note by Moderator: use this link: http://sourceforge.net/projects/cs5altfix/ as the others have expired]

Yet another re-mirror to a hopefully less ad-prone host:)

Fix CS5 Scrollbug: http://www.filesavr.com/Y2U2S4VQWVLJH5I

Disable Alt Menu (32-bit): http://www.filesavr.com/Z25SLHB6UKCNKVF

Disable Alt Menu (64-bit): http://www.filesavr.com/9UGZ0UQRKPPZ9GK

To anyone who's not sure which one to use, if you got to this thread you're probably looking for the first one.

Take a look at my previous few posts if you have questions about how they work.

Good luck:)

If you use this fix, you might consider submitting a bug report here so that Adobe will (hopefully) look into providing a more permanent, long-term solution.

[Andrewsilverart]

Thanks to Unsigned Code Lab for all the hard work on this problem.

Looks like Filesavr.com has lost the files though. Looking back through previous posts it looks like a number of file hosts have been unreliable. Unsigned Code Lab

is there any way you could reupload them either there or somewhere else? Or if you provide me with the .zip files I would be happy to host them from my own website with a note stating that all of the credit goes to you, of course.

Best,

Andrew Silver

www.andrewsilverart.com

[Smorgasbord9]

Okay everyone, I have moved this project's hosting to SourceForge, the main page is here: http://sourceforge.net/projects/cs5altfix/

To ensure happiness all around, I have licensed the source under the FreeBSD license (you can do anything with it so long as you credit my work).  Oh, and you can't hold me responsible if your computer blows up for some reason

I'll still watch this thread in order to provide support and assistance, bug-reports, etc, but all file releases will be confined to SourceForge from now on.

[PECourtejoie]

Unsigned Code Lab , sourceforge seems like the ideal place to put your scripts.

Do you want me to edit and replace all the previous links with this one, to avoid confusion by users that might not read the whole thread?

[Smorgasbord9]

PECourtejoie, thank you!  That would be greatly appreciated.

[PECourtejoie]

It's done. Glad to be of help!

[Smorgasbord9]

Just posting here for the sake of anyone who needs to PM me, DON'T PM this old username. Use the new one instead (which I will post on immediately following this post).

Long story short, Adobe's forum screenname system is a little buggy (to say the least). Combine that with a possibly compromised email.....yeaaa lets just roll a new username.

So, if you need me, PM me at the NEW screenname, posted below.

[Guest]

This is my new screenname, reach me here if you need me.

[Guest]

Hit 300 total downloads sometime last weekend. That's a lot of customers who don't like this bug (and a lot of representative cash). I can't believe Adobe hasn't fixed this yet.

Anyhow, the lack of feedback must mean nobody's having problems with the fix, which is good. No news is good news right?

If you should have a problem, post here or contact me through the SF support page (link below).

http://sourceforge.net/projects/cs5altfix/support

[Btw, for those who may have missed my namechange (scroll up a few posts), I am the original poster. That was a random sequence typed into the name box when I first joined to post on these forums, however I usually go by "Unsigned" or U.C.L. in the software community. Following an email hijack, I rerolled this new account.]

Regards,

Unsigned Code Labs

[Peter_Leo]

Im still waiting for a bugfix.

But Adobe still ignores us.

Still ignores the money we put on that software "TO DEVELOP IT TO ANOTHER LEVEL"!

but it seems they just ignoring us.

I get mad! Mad about the quality PS went to.

Why there aren't more people just joining that conversation to show that this should be fixed.

Still no bugfixes, but instead they are releasing a CS Suite 5.5 with even more bugs to fill their pockets again.

I wont stop to fight until someone of them will mute me.

then i will just register another account and continue until that freaking bug is fixed.

where is the fairness?

A really angry customer.

[Noel Carboni]

ayre_pete wrote:

Why there aren't more people just joining that conversation to show that this should be fixed.

I'm sorry you find it so irritating, but since you ask the above question I have to say I have just not run into a problem because of the Alt key handling in my actual use of Photoshop CS5.  Maybe it just has to do with the way I combine my use of the keyboard into the UI, or maybe it's manifesting a little differently on different systems (e.g., timing-wise).

Per my participation in this thread earlier, I could (and can) reproduce the issue just as listed, but as I said, it's just not hampering my Photoshop usage in practice.

I should mention Alt key introduction of menu shortcut keys is considered a standard Windows accessibility feature, and there's another active thread in this same forum in which people are demanding Adobe do MORE to implement accessibility features.

I get the feeling Adobe's walking a tightrope here.

-Noel

[Xeon64]

As a former Mac user for 10 plus years who was forced to use a PC for the past 6 years by corporate america I absolutly detest the alt menu function. I hit alt then change my mind about what I was going to do then go to hit F to change view mode and it opens the FILE menu!

Simple solution is to ad a function under preferences to turn this aweful feature off. This would be very helpful for former Mac users. I do not know too many PC designers who are not former Mac users.

Please just ad a function to turn this off for the entire creative suit. Heck I even have the Windows key disabled because it was another annoying windows feature. That was fixed with a registry entry. I wonder if the same could be done for alt menu functionality of windows. Maybe Microsoft should be contact about this enable and disable in Windows.... j/k....like they would listen either.

[Guest]

I get the feeling Adobe's walking a tightrope here.

As a software developer myself, I feel their pain...to some extent. The fact is that the CS5 workflow, in regards to this functionality, is NOT backwards-compatible with CS4 or even CS3.

New features are all very well, but should never come at the expense of possibly alienating the existing userbase. At the very least, a non-default option to provide the old CS4 Alt behavior would be infinitely preferrable.

Obviously not everybody used the Alt key in this way, yet to break such a long-standing feature (even with the dubious excuse of accessibility or catering to "new" users), is never a good idea.

Am I going to quit using Photoshop in protest? No. But will I be less excited and less likely to buy the next CS version? Yes.

In fact, did I not love the Content-Aware filling so much, I would likely still use CS4 exclusively. Barring some ground-breaking new feature that I can't live without, I do not plan to upgrade immediately when the time comes (the first time I feel that way in many years). Adobe has just made marketing to me that much more difficult

[Noel Carboni]

I'm in agreement.  Though this particular Alt key pain didn't manifest in my backside, I did go through it when Photoshop CS4 came out, because I hated the concept of tabbed editing.  I much preferred the multiple window approach - right up to the point where I was forced (because of a Genuine Fractals plug-in issue) to use tabbed editing for a few weeks.  Once the plug-in problem was fixed I re-evaluated where I was and I found that I didn't mind using tabbed view at all - in fact I preferred it and I have stuck with it to this day.  A few subtle things are just subtly easier with this method.

The point is that I'm sure I would NEVER have switched from the multi-window method to the tabbed method had I not forced myself to use the latter.

Just as a counterpoint to myself, if Adobe had continued to refine the multi-window method (and maybe not broken some things that have gotten worse since the early CS versions) I don't see why tabbed view would ever have been needed. 

But here's the kicker:  It seems that more and more modern systems are going to a "one thing at a time" view.  Tabbed Photoshop, tabbed browsers, portable devices with only one app on the screen at one time...  Research has shown that many people reach a cognitive overload with multiple windows.

I think that, unlike professionals who work at a high level with their computers, the general public finds that the complexity we crave is a distraction or is too hard to use.  It's not unlike giving a high school orchestra student a Stradivarius.  It might actually be harder to play and it would certainly be harder to take care of, and though a virtuoso would find it superior, it's the wrong instrument for the masses.

All that said, the software manufacturers need to maintain the things real professionals need and provide OPTIONS for dumbing the software down for the masses.  Set it to "simple user" mode by default and let those of us who need the power reconfigure it to do things as virtuosos.

-Noel

[Xeon64]

I like your idea in the last paragraph. A lot of antivirus software has what you mention. A simple UI for your average consumer and a advanced UI for professionals. I do not think Adobe will do that thou. They already have photoshop elements for you none professional editor.

[jmarrrrr]

I attempted to use the 'disable_alt' version to no avail.  I'm running Windows 7 x64 Ultimate, and I get the following error when I run the .exe.

http://snag.gy/tCJ0L.jpg

Error at line 107.

Line Text: $LAlt & F11::

Error: Invalid hotkey.

The program will exit.

Other than scrolling/zooming, I have no use for the alt key, but I'm going to try the other versions of the script to see if I have any luck.

Is there something I'm missing?  Like the programs have to be opened in a certain order?

[jmarrrrr]

Ok, after some more messing around, I found the following.

Under edit > preferences > general (ctrl + k), I checked Zoom with scroll wheel.  I hit ok.  I then found that using ctrl+scroll works just like alt+scroll in other versions.

I'm going to leave it at that.

[eidammm]

thanks for the fix

just to inform you: in photoshop it works great, but in illustrator the zooming is not 'smooth' - this means that it only zooms after some delay (could be 100? 200ms?) and i don't know why.

however, it's still more convenient than the stuck key... (nudge nudge, Adobe)

//edit - i'm using cs5 (not 5.5) pack on win7 x64

[lake7less]

This worked like a charm for me.           Google Code Archive - Long-term storage for Google Code Project Hosting.         I used the  version " Apssistant v0.7.9beta.7z r20 sep 1, 2010".    It has a couple more functions but I only use it for the "disable alt" function. Check the settings so that the assistant starts along Photoshop and you're good to go. 

[finalvision]

9 years, no fix