fixed trackpoint scrolling in java, office2007 etc...

[tian]

hi there!

just thought i'd share some info with my fellow thinkpad users.

problem:
scrolling with the trackpoint or trackpad doesnt work/crashes the driver.

cause:
by default, when you scroll the software tries to find the scrollbar associated with the corresponding pane. this works if and only if the pane is subclassed from an class that the software recognises (mfc anyone?). if you try scrolling in java base app (like intellij) or office 2007 the software wont be able to find the associated scrollbars - thus does nothing (or in the case of exceed crashes out).

solution:
add an entry to the tp4table.dat. NOTE: since i have an x60 - thus only the track point i only need to change this file.

having tried the same trick on my housemate's t60, we had to edit the tp4scrol.dat as well (apparently there are two tp4tables.dat to edit on his system).

WARNING:
i'm not 100% sure, but be aware of setting behavour to "None" when running without administrator privillages. housemate's t60 crashed out on 0xC2 stop. i think this is due possibily to dodgy code trying to free hooks and the exception code is out of range?

anyhow, you may or may not get this (could be my housemate's dodgy install ), if you do then just:
a) add yourself to administrators group
b) change "None" to "WheelStd"
c) remove the entry from the file
d) live with the bluescreen

--

this works for: microsoft office 2007 and most importantly intellij

hope this helps,
tian

[dr_st]

solution:
add an entry to the tp4table.dat. NOTE: since i have an x60 - thus only the track point i only need to change this file.

Add what entry? And which of the TP4TABLE.DAT files? I have like 9 of them on my PC (in DRIVERS, IBMTOOLS and Program Files\Synaptics).

[tian]

it depends which ones are in use

on my system the active files are in c:\windows\system32\tp4table.dat.

the files in your drivers folder are just cached installation drivers - so you wont see any effect from editing those. without knowing how your system is set up i cant say for sure, but i'd try the one in program files\synatics and media folders first.

the instructions on how to add the entry are given at the top of the file (advise reading it carefully before editing anything).

and example of how to do this is given here:
http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocente ... wheel.html

[dr_st]

True, the instructions are at the top of the file.

But how do I know what to write at the TopClass, ParentClass and WindowClass?

Currently I have problems with scrolling only in MATLAB7. It worked fine in MATLAB6, but doesn't work anymore.

Any ideas on how I can add support for that particular app?

Thanks.

[tian]

hi there,

if unsure, you might want to copy an existing entry and just substitute the executable for matlab (sorry - cant test the settings as i dont have matlab installed).

the other settings have wildcards (*), so i'd try something like:

Code: Select all

*,*,<executable name>, *, *, *, WheelStd, 0, 9

and in the second section

*,*,<executable name>, *, *, *, WheelStd, 1, 9

NOTE: i'd advise copying an entry as apposed to the entries above - they might have typos. (i'm writing this post from memory on my desktop).

remember to reboot to apply (or terminating ultranav driver and restarting it might work too).

[dr_st]

Thanks, it worked!

Not perfect, though, scrolling seems to be insensitive to the pressure on the trackpoint, so it always scrolls at constant speed, unlike most other applications. I tried different settings, but couldn't find one that enables pressure-sensitive scrolling.

But it's still better than nothing.

Thanks again for the wonderful tip. Who would have thought it's so simple?

[tian]

yeah - i have the same problem with intellij. the scrolling is a little on the slow side, but still better than nothing

i havent test it yet, but with a bit of luck this trick will work for GTK stuff as well (i.e. eithereal/wireshark, gaim etc...).

it should be simpler (and more obvious) than this though. as we say in software engineering: if a user cant figure out how to do something in 5 mins, it's not a stupid user, it's bad design