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  1. #1
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    Apr 2013
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    Limiting the Acceptance of Keyboard Interrupts

    Hey Codeguru community, I need some quick advice on a problem and just found out that this site existed, hope I can find some help here.

    I'm designing a program that will accept commands via the keyboard, I've already programmed the interrupts so that when they're pressed an action will occur depending on what key was pressed, but I want it to only interrupt the program after a certain button on the main form was clicked, my issue is that if I haven't clicked the button yet and keys are being quickly pressed one after another, the program will become constantly interrupted and will essentially freeze the form from accepting any clicking on any buttons or what-not.

    My question is, is there a way to have the program accept interrupts after a certain event has passed, aka. I've clicked the button on the main form. I'm not sure if there's some sort of enable_interrupt variable or something that's intrinsically included in a VB program.

    Any help would be appreciated, thank you.

  2. #2
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    Re: Limiting the Acceptance of Keyboard Interrupts

    Maybe a stupid suggestion from an old burnt-out programmer, but have you tried DoEvents?

  3. #3
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    Re: Limiting the Acceptance of Keyboard Interrupts

    I'm not sure what that is, I'll look into it. Thanks for the suggestion.

  4. #4
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    Re: Limiting the Acceptance of Keyboard Interrupts

    ummm sounds like you just need to add a flag in your code. In your code that processes the keys just test the flag and if not true then don;t do anything. In your button click set the flag to true.
    Always use [code][/code] tags when posting code.

  5. #5
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    Re: Limiting the Acceptance of Keyboard Interrupts

    I do have a flag variable so that it only processes what I want after the button is clicked, but the issue is that every time a keyboard press is done, it calls the interrupt function regardless and then checks the flag, that check if done repeatedly essrntially freezes the main form ans that's what I'm trying to fix.

  6. #6
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    Re: Limiting the Acceptance of Keyboard Interrupts

    I think you should show some code, an event such as keypress where the only thing there is a test of a flag var should not interfere with the program in any noticeable way also if the user is typing that fast they probably would not be clicking on anything anyway.

    Then again I am not sure what you are really trying to say, you use the term keyboard interrupts but I think that maybe you mean something other than what that term implies.
    Always use [code][/code] tags when posting code.

  7. #7
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    Re: Limiting the Acceptance of Keyboard Interrupts

    sure, like a keylogger?
    David

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  8. #8
    Join Date
    Apr 2013
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    Re: Limiting the Acceptance of Keyboard Interrupts

    No not a keylogger, I'll post some code to make it clearer next time I'm at the computer with the project saved.

  9. #9
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    Re: Limiting the Acceptance of Keyboard Interrupts

    If you're not already using the keyboard events of the form, then that would be the first thing to do. Then in the appropriate event, test the flag, and exit the sub if it is false.
    Please remember to rate the posts and threads that you find useful.
    How can something be both new and improved at the same time?

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Apr 2013
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    Re: Limiting the Acceptance of Keyboard Interrupts

    Here's the event handling for a keypress, this is just part of it but if the keyboard is getting mashed on before "readyFlag" is true then it keeps checking this handler to check that variable even if it isn't set yet, and that constant rechecking basically freezes up the main form since the program keeps changing focus to this handler instead of the main code.

    Code:
    Sub MainScreen_KeyPress(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As KeyPressEventArgs) Handles Me.KeyPress
            If e.KeyChar = ChrW(122) Then
                If readyFlag = True Then
                    color1.BackColor = Color.Green
                    readyFlag = False
                    lblGO.Visible = False
                End If
            End If
    End Sub
    Is there a way to not have the program get to this handler code before the readyFlag is set to true? Even if keys are being pressed?

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Apr 2013
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    Re: Limiting the Acceptance of Keyboard Interrupts

    Quote Originally Posted by Chumara View Post
    Code:
    Sub MainScreen_KeyPress(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As KeyPressEventArgs) Handles Me.KeyPress
            If e.KeyChar = ChrW(122) Then
                If readyFlag = True Then
                    color1.BackColor = Color.Green
                    readyFlag = False
                    lblGO.Visible = False
                End If
            End If
    End Sub
    I have this code repeated 5 times, checking for different ChrW values. I wish I knew more about programming and I admit I have no idea how to program in joystick inputs, but I feel stupid for repeating that readyflag check 5 times, I think just pulling that out of my If statements will lessen the problem a bit. It's really hard for me to test these ideas because I can't emulate 5 people mashing 5 buttons in rapid succession by myself, I can't even recreate my current issue by myself, it's only while using it in it's practical use that I run into this problem. I appreciate the help, but I think I'll just deal with it for now and hope that pulling the readyflag out of the If statements solves the problem a bit.
    What I had hope existed in VB I guess doesn't exist after all.

    EDIT: Nevermind, apparently if I just use my keyboard to hit all 5 keys in succession it emulates the problem, I was trying to hold them down like WizBang had said and hadn't run into trouble. Pulling the readyflag check out is better in terms of principal, but still didn't get rid of the issue, also I was doing this without Joy2Key so I guess I can't blame that. I was really hoping there was some way of turning off and on the keyhandler. Maybe if I embed the keyhandler inside an infinite do while loop?
    Last edited by Chumara; May 15th, 2013 at 06:46 PM.

  12. #12
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    678

    Re: Limiting the Acceptance of Keyboard Interrupts

    You are doing the ChrW function over and over. Your boolean readyflag check should be before that. This boolean check is ok, it doesn't cost much. That data type is the least expensive to check.
    Did you try it with the keydown handler?


    I was really hoping there was some way of turning off and on the keyhandler.
    There is.
    Here is one more example of how to turn the handler off just like you want. I posted this before.

    Code:
        Private Sub Button1_Click(sender As System.Object, e As System.EventArgs) Handles Button1.Click
            Me.KeyPreview = True
        End Sub
    
        Private Sub Button2_Click(sender As System.Object, e As System.EventArgs) Handles Button2.Click
            Me.KeyPreview = False
        End Sub
    
        Private Sub Form1_KeyDown(sender As Object, e As System.Windows.Forms.KeyEventArgs) Handles Me.KeyDown
            MsgBox("pressed " & e.KeyCode.ToString)
        End Sub

  13. #13
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    Re: Limiting the Acceptance of Keyboard Interrupts

    Well... first of all this is not VB6 code but VB.Net so I am moving this to the VB.Net section.

    If your readyflag var is defined properly then it will have a starting value of False before any event handler fires
    Your readyflag test should be the outter test rather than the inner test, meaning you should test that first.

    That said that code you posted would not do much and surely would not hang your program at all.

    No you can not prevent the event from firing when a key is pressed unless of course you remove the event from your code.

    Also note that your thread is mis titled as this has nothing to do with keyboard interrupts.
    Always use [code][/code] tags when posting code.

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
    Location
    NH
    Posts
    678

    Re: Limiting the Acceptance of Keyboard Interrupts

    Code:
    Sub MainScreen_KeyPress(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As KeyPressEventArgs) Handles Me.KeyPress
    
            If readyFlag = False Then exit sub
    
            If e.KeyChar = ChrW(122) Then
               color1.BackColor = Color.Green
               readyFlag = False
               lblGO.Visible = False
            End If
    End Sub
    That should help.

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Apr 2013
    Posts
    9

    Re: Limiting the Acceptance of Keyboard Interrupts

    Thanks for the advice TT(n), unfortunately with that code I still run into the same problem, the program keeps changing focus to the keyhandler so if the keys are getting pressed rapidly in succession the main form still hangs and stops accepting button clicks lest I spam my clicks faster than the keyboard inputs.\

    I'm just going to assume it can't be done the way I want, I was just hoping there was some global variable that would enable or disable keyboard inputs to the program, that I could change when I want the program to start accepting keyboard inputs.

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