Problem with wxTAB_TRAVERSAL and Alt Keys

I've got a wxPython app that has a main window that has a "Help"
button on it. I'm using the wxHtmlWindow to show my help, so when
the user clicks on "Help", I open a second frame that contains a
wxHtmlWindow, a combo box for selecting from the help index, and
a "Close" button. The Close button has an Alt-C hotkey, and I
set up an accelerator table for the help frame to close on Alt-C.

All of this works superly, as long as the user follows the script.
Alt-C works on the help frame. User can read the help, alt-Tab
back and forth between help and app, go badck and run the help,
click the help button in the app again, go back and see different
context-sensitive help in the help frame based on the new request.
It's wonderful.

The problem comes if the user screws up and types some other Alt-key
at the help frame, maybe Alt-Q or Alt-Z, or some such that I'm not
touching anywhere in my app at all. This locks everything up. App
is dead. Alt-tab to a different app, and when you try to tab back, it
doesn't redraw. I can kill the app by a keyboard interrupt on the
DOS window (it's a *.py instead of a *.pyw app) from which I started
the app.

This only happens if wxTAB_TRAVERSAL is on in the style of the help
frame. I've got no idea what's going on here, why, or how, what
to look out for, or whatever. When I take that out of the style
of the Window, I'm ok.

Thanks for any explanations?

My set up is Woindows NT v4 SP6a(?), python 2.2, wxWindows 2.4.0.7.

Al

achrist@easystreet.com wrote:

I've got a wxPython app that has a main window that has a "Help"
button on it. I'm using the wxHtmlWindow to show my help, so when
the user clicks on "Help", I open a second frame that contains a
wxHtmlWindow, a combo box for selecting from the help index, and
a "Close" button. The Close button has an Alt-C hotkey, and I
set up an accelerator table for the help frame to close on Alt-C.

All of this works superly, as long as the user follows the script.
Alt-C works on the help frame. User can read the help, alt-Tab
back and forth between help and app, go badck and run the help,
click the help button in the app again, go back and see different
context-sensitive help in the help frame based on the new request.
It's wonderful.

The problem comes if the user screws up and types some other Alt-key
at the help frame, maybe Alt-Q or Alt-Z, or some such that I'm not
touching anywhere in my app at all. This locks everything up. App
is dead. Alt-tab to a different app, and when you try to tab back, it
doesn't redraw. I can kill the app by a keyboard interrupt on the
DOS window (it's a *.py instead of a *.pyw app) from which I started
the app.

This only happens if wxTAB_TRAVERSAL is on in the style of the help frame. I've got no idea what's going on here, why, or how, what
to look out for, or whatever. When I take that out of the style
of the Window, I'm ok.

Thanks for any explanations?

This sounds a little bit like a bug that was recently brought up on wx-dev, but if you'll reduce it to a small sample app then I'll take a look to be sure.

ยทยทยท

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Robin Dunn
Software Craftsman
http://wxPython.org Java give you jitters? Relax with wxPython!