Enable A key to restore Answer call window

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Enable A key to restore Answer call window 03/05/2014 at 08:39 #59958
maxand
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1637 posts 		I noticed that, periodically, pressing the A key to display the next Telephone call in sequence seemed to have no effect. Furthermore, on reopening the F6 Telephone calls window, clicking the call I wished to answer also had no effect. In frustration the only remedy that worked was to save the game, exit and restart at the saved game.

Then it dawned on me that the reason for this was that I had minimised the Answer call window. I usually have at least one minimized window - Train List, Timetable List, Telephone calls, etc., and they all look the same! There is an inconsistency of behaviour here. Pressing F6 restores the Telephone calls window when it is minimised, whereas pressing A does not restore the Answer calls window.

Moreover, if I close the Answer Call window by answering the call or clicking the X icon, A works again if any more calls waiting, so I naturally expected A to work every time I see the Show telephone window icon flashing.

Now that I realize what the cause of the problem is, I suppose I can close the Answer call window each time rather than minimize it (if for any reason I need to do so without responding to the caller), but it would certainly be more helpful and cause less confusion if the A key also restored the window, similar to F6.

Incidentally, it would also be helpful if the tooltip that appears when one hovers over the i]Show telephone window[/i] icon included "F6" as an extra reminder of this shortcut.

(I'm also aware that (a) I can click on the panel, scroll it and find whatever I might be looking for without needing to close or minimise the Answer call window, and (2) Instead of minimising it I can simply drag it down to the bottom in order to display more of the panel; however, this means I also have to drag it back up again later.)

Thanks for considering this request.

PS Even nicer if both F6 and A acted as toggles to minimize/restore their respective windows as well as opening their windows if closed (current action), but I have already requested this for F6. The Esc key is OK I suppose, but the finger is already on F6.
Last edited: 03/05/2014 at 09:23 by maxand
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Enable A key to restore Answer call window 03/05/2014 at 09:55 #59961
lazzer
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636 posts
Online 		Why don't you just click the flashing phone icon to answer it, like I do?
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Enable A key to restore Answer call window 03/05/2014 at 09:58 #59962
Steamer
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3997 posts
Online 		" said:
Why don't you just click the flashing phone icon to answer it, like I do?
I think what Max is getting at is that the Answer Call window occasionally loses focus behind the main view, so attempting to re-open it won't work.
"Don't stress/ relax/ let life roll off your backs./ Except for death and paying taxes/ everything in life.../ is only for now." (Avenue Q)
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Enable A key to restore Answer call window 03/05/2014 at 10:04 #59963
lazzer
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636 posts
Online 		I suppose the reason I asked that was because I have never had a problem with windows losing focus, probably because I don't use the A key to answer phone calls, or minimise/relocate the various windows from their default positions.
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Enable A key to restore Answer call window 03/05/2014 at 10:14 #59964
jc92
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3701 posts
Online 		i like the idea of toggling windows between minimized and open. could be very useful for the simplifier as I usually open it then minimize it in game. +1 from me.
"We don't stop camborne wednesdays"
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Enable A key to restore Answer call window 03/05/2014 at 12:25 #59982
maxand
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1637 posts 		When I started playing SimSig I used to click the flashing Telephone Calls icon - seemed the obvious thing to do - until reading that many prefer to use the A key. After trying both I use the A key nearly all the time, for three reasons:

1) pressing F6 or clicking the flashing icon adds an extra step. First you must open the window, and next you must select the call you want to answer before you can answer it. I only use this to select a particular call out of several, e.g., I set the wrong route or created an ACOA, and know the driver's going to phone in very soon!

2) Out of sight = out of mind = less stress. Pressing A enables me to deal with one call at a time, take action, then get on with the next. I seem to get through the calls faster that way.

3) If things get really far behind, I can keep the mouse cursor on the "ring back in 15 minutes" answer option, then rapidly cycle through the calls from drivers standing at reds! Happily thanks to you guys I'm managing a lot better to stay with the game, so don't allow this to happen, maybe even by reverting to an earlier save.
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Enable A key to restore Answer call window 04/05/2014 at 20:42 #60046
Signalhunter
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177 posts 		" said:

3) If things get really far behind, I can keep the mouse cursor on the "ring back in 15 minutes" answer option, then rapidly cycle through the calls from drivers standing at reds! Happily thanks to you guys I'm managing a lot better to stay with the game, so don't allow this to happen, maybe even by reverting to an earlier save.
Max, Perhaps, try getting some to ring back in 2 mins, some in 5 mins and some in 15 mins. That way, I find, you don't get a glut of calls, that then takes 15 mins to deal with, every 15 mins!

Maybe, I should have posted this in the Hints & Tips section.
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The following user said thank you: maxand
Enable A key to restore Answer call window 05/05/2014 at 07:04 #60054
Josie
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310 posts 		Before we get stuck on why Max has so many calls at once (again), I think this is a good idea. When the phone rings I always answer it with A, then click back on the panel to find the train. Usually the call window stays on top, but occasionally it goes behind the main view. Being able to summon it back with A would be useful.
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Enable A key to restore Answer call window 06/05/2014 at 02:52 #60108
Hawk777
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386 posts 		I tend to agree. I haven’t said anything because I play under Wine and am not sure how much that influences behaviour, but I have found Simsig a bit unpredictable with its window management—some windows stay on top of the main view windows, while others can drop behind; some windows close when you press Escape, while others don’t; and some windows force other windows to change Z order (most annoying example of the latter: the timetable window normally stays on top of the panel view even when the latter is focused, except if you open a sticky note edit window, which forces the timetable to disappear behind the panel view). Yet other cases allow apparently modal dialogues to not be on top (an example: opening a sticky note editor and then clicking a panel view brings the panel view in front of the sticky note editor, making the editor completely disappear, but the editor is still acting as if modal, which means you can’t actually interact with the panel view). Again, some of these things might not happen under Windows, in which case I would quite understand if the authors decide not to fix them—but there you are. My annoyances with window handling.
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The following user said thank you: ozrail
Enable A key to restore Answer call window 06/05/2014 at 04:44 #60109
maxand
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1637 posts 		Quote:
I haven’t said anything because I play under Wine and am not sure how much that influences behaviour

Sounds good to me, Hawk, must give it a try. Trouble is, as Frida Kahlo said, I tried to drown my sorrows, but the b******s learned how to swim.
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The following users said thank you: Hawk777, ozrail
Enable A key to restore Answer call window 06/05/2014 at 05:40 #60112
ozrail
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197 posts 		I have a written list of signal numbers by location. So it's easy to find where the train is standing. Still working on the points list.
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Enable A key to restore Answer call window 06/05/2014 at 06:53 #60114
maxand
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1637 posts 		Which sim, ozrail? Would you consider uploading this list for us when completed?
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Enable A key to restore Answer call window 06/05/2014 at 07:16 #60118
Forest Pines
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525 posts 		There are definitely window z-order oddities when running under Windows, but not as many in modern sims as in older ones. I'm developing a Sheffield timetable, and it's surprising how often it gets itself into a mode where all dialogs appear behind the main view, thus preventing you from seeing them at all! The trick to access them is to switch to another app with alt-tab, then click the Show Desktop button, after which the rogue dialog will be the only window left non-minimised.
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Enable A key to restore Answer call window 06/05/2014 at 21:52 #60172
ozrail
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197 posts 		At the moment I'm doing Victoria South Eastern (my favourite), then Victoria Central. It's a little laborious taking the points out-of-correspondence then recording where they are, but it makes it more like real-life signalling for me. I don't have many computer skills for converting the tables, but will provide the information on the forum. PS. Love the Frida Kahlo quote, although I don't think many people will know who she was and her tortured life.
Last edited: 06/05/2014 at 21:54 by ozrail
Reason: spelling change.
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Enable A key to restore Answer call window 07/05/2014 at 06:10 #60179
Hawk777
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386 posts 		If playing under Wine, a helpful tip (and this works for all Linux programs, not just Wine-based, at least in the window manager I use) is that holding Alt while dragging allows to move a window—and this works even if you can’t move a window by dragging its title bar because it tries to change focus to some other window!
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