Bug: BC3 Not Passing Along All Keys to System

[Omni]

Since upgrading to BC3 Pro, I've noticed that when BC3 is the foreground application, the extended keys on my keyboard no longer function. By this I mean the "extra" function keys that are on most keyboards these days, above the normal function keys and numpad: browser back/forward, mail, media keys (mute/volume/etc.), "My Computer," calculator (<--- I use that a lot which is why I instantly noticed this bug ), etc.

It's not a huge deal, but there's been a couple of patches since I've upgraded, and the problem is still there, so I assume no one has reported this problem yet.

[Aaron]

Hello,

What kind of keyboard do you have? Which extra function keys are not working (buttons like the Mail key, or the Function toggle keys such as a brightness control on a laptop overlayed on top of the Up and Down arrow keys)?

Do you have the latest drivers installed for your keyboard? Does it use a Helper application that runs in the background in your System Tray (overriding Windows default keyboard support)?

[Omni]

Basically, it's an older version of this.

No, it's not a driver issue. I have been using this specific keyboard for literally ten years (and I've only replaced it once 5 years ago), and you don't need to install any special drivers for it. The scan codes are standard fare, defined in the Win32 API since at least Windows 2K.

I've also written several low-level keyboard handlers over the years, so I'm telling you, the problem is somewhere in your handler in that you are processing the incoming WH_KEYBOARD_LL message and then discarding the extended keys instead of passing it back to the OS.

Well, whatever, you guys are obviously adept in Windows development, so I need not continue. But the point is, I've never had a problem with this in ten years with any application: BC3 Pro stands alone, so the problem is in your code, not everyone else's code.

[Pete]

FWIW I have a Microsoft Sidewinder X6 keyboard and the Mute button works fine when BC3 has focus. I tried it in BC's Home page and Folder Comparison view using WinXP.

[Aaron]

The keyboard in your link (the newer) version is used by two of our staff and exhibits no issue using the official Microsoft drivers or Intellitype on either WinXP, Vista, or Win7.

While we may very well have an issue capturing certain keys, the more information we have about which keys, type of Keyboard, OS, etc, will allow us to reproduce the problem in house and track down any problem code.

I've passed on your information about "WH_KEYBOARD_LL" to our developers to see if that is enough to track down the issue. Unfortunately, we aren't handling that message and it should be going straight through. I have looked through our bug tracker and have not found any previous reports of similar behavior capturing extended keys.

Which keyboard model is it under which OS? Are you running any low level keyboard handlers (yours or others)?