All applications except one pattern : is it possible?

Hi,

I'm a new StrokeIt user.

I'd like to use "*" as a Window class pattern in the [Global Actions], so I don't have to specify all applications that I want to control, one by one.

So I want StrokeIt to be enabled in all applications, but Firefox!

I tried to add Firefox to the "Disabled Apps" (using "MozillaUIWindowClass" and "MozillaWindowClass" as Window classes), with "Disable gestures in this application" checked, but it doesn't seem to work! Gestures are still enabled in Firefox...

Is there a way to specify an "include all BUT this one" pattern?

Thanks in advance!

You did it the right way: you should add Firefox to the application "disabled apps" and have "disable gestures in this app" checked. So there must be something wrong with your configuration.

Are you sure you have the right identifier for Firefox? On my computer, it's these two:
MozillaWindowClass
MozillaUIWindowClass

If your identifier(s) are correct, could it be that you have another application that also identifies Firefox and is not set with "disable gestures"? If so, remove its identifiers or set the application to "disable gestures".

Good luck!

Cerberus,

As I said, my pattern for the "[Global Actions]" is set to "*", so of course Firefox is included in it. I use this pattern because I want ALL applications to be enabled by default. All except Firefox !

Here's my config (the "<APP" parts), trying to disable Firefox. It doesn't work:

------
<APP name="Default">
class=*
pattern=true
down {
gesture = Down
end = keys, keys "[CTRL_DOWN][END][CTRL_UP]"
}
up {
gesture = Up
home = keys, keys "[CTRL_DOWN][HOME][CTRL_UP]"
}
</APP>

<APP name="Disabled Apps">
class=MozillaUIWindowClass
class=MozillaWindowClass
exclude=true
</APP>
------

As Cerberus stated, you used the correct way to disable Firexfox. Adding a pattern to Global Actions is useless since it is applied to every application that does not have its own settings and is not listed as disabled (unless you add some Class Name or pattern which in turn can screw... er.. I mean ruin designed behavior :)

Which version of FireFox it is? There are many gesture plugins for different browsers, are you sure it is StrokeIt that is active and not one of those?

Where are those Class Name you use from? Have you tried to add Firefox using the Finder tool? StrokeIt sometimes had issues getting the correct Class Name for some applications in the past though I don't remember Firefox being one of them. I suggest to try Class Names Cerberus provided or try using another spy application to get the correct Class Name (such as AutoIt3 Windows Spy, etc.)

I got it working and found the problem.

The problem has to do with the order StrokeIt apply the rules. The order the rules are applied is in alphebetical order, using the name of the rules, except for the special "[Global Actions]" rule that is always applied first.

My rule to disable Firefox has to be BEFORE the rule that enable all applications or otherwise it wouldn't be applied at all. The problem is that it seems the [Global Actions] rule is always executed first. So if you add a pattern that match all applications to it, you can't disable anything after that.

The trick is :

1. To create a new Application named "z [All Apps]" (notice the "z"), or named anything that will make it the LAST rule in the list after StrokeIt is restarted. I gave this Application rule an "Application Identifier" pattern of "*" for the Window Class.

2. To have the applications you want to disable be listed before (you can keep the default "Disabled Apps" rule for this) and check the "Disable gestures in this application".

So, in the end, I have, in order:

- "[Global Actions]" : no Application Identifiers at all, contains all the actions that I want to be available to all applications.

- "Disabled Apps" : no actions, only contains the Application Identifiers of the applications I do not want enabled (Firefox only in my case).

- ... any other Applications with specific rules (they will inherit the [Global Actions] actions too)

- "z [All Apps]" : must be at the very bottom of the list, contains no actions, but has an Application Identifier of "*" for the Window Class.


Thanks for your help to both of you!



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 04/18/2012 06:22AM by electrotype.

I'm glad you got it to work!

One thing: I think everybody uses Strokeit the way you do, including me (with a "Global" app, a couple of specific apps, and a "disabled" app): and yet I don't need any "z [All Apps]" as you do. I overlooked this at first, but my "Global" application/rule has always had zero identifiers, no asterisk or anything. So the reason your set-up works now is that you have removed the asterisk from "Global", I think. Try removing the "z Apps" application now to see whether your Firefox is still disabled: your "z Apps" should be doing absolutely nothing if I am correct.

Gemisigo (hi again!) found out at some point that application order matters in certain circumstances: if several Strokeit applications match the same active window title, each overrides the previous one alphabetically, except that only the first two or so count: any lower ones are ignored. I think that's how it worked. In any case, this is not necessary to get a regular set-up like yours and mine working, so I really think it was the asterisk in your "Global" application that somehow messed things up.

Hi Cerberus :)

Yes, I did a couple of experiments by reordering the applications and figured out that one can achieve some weird effects just by renaming (and reordering them by doing so) but I did not think that just adding the '*' to Globals would result in similar anomalies.

I recall that I put disabled application into [Disabled Applications] and thus keeping them at the top of the list but I'm not sure about that anymore. I couldn't find the files :(

I just validated and "z Apps" IS required. Not for Firefox to be disabled, but for all applications on my system to be enabled by default, without listing them explicitly in StrokeIt.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 04/19/2012 06:19AM by electrotype.

I'm quite sure that's not true. I have (had) gestures for Firefox and when I ticked Disable gestures in this application, they immediately cease to function without affecting other applications or globals.

gemisigo, this is not my point. Answer this please : Are all the applications on your computer enabled to be used with StrokeIt, without you having to specifically add them, one by one, in StrokeIt? If so, how did you achieve this?

To be able to enabled all applications by default, I, in my case, have to add a "*" pattern somewhere (in "[Global Actions]" or in a custom "z [All apps]" rule).

If I add this pattern to "[Global Actions]", then I'm unable to disable Firefox, using ANY method. But adding this pattern to a custom "z [All apps]" rule works great. That's my point! :-)

Just uncheck Preferences -> General -> Only enable StrokeIt in configured applications.

Haaaaaa!!

That explains everything! Thanks nomad, it works indeed!

Glad you managed to solve it ;)

Haha I see. This is so like the kind of inexplicable problem I frequently encounter in this or that programme. When you forget to put batteries in your remote control, at least you will found out quickly, because there are no complex possibilities; but if you forgot you put the lid on the battery compartment so that the batteries *sometimes* don't work...that's hell.