Scrambled Macros and Pastes

[bevhoward]

I am having a serious problem with inputting information into web page interfaces such as GMail and online forms.

I am seriously dyslexic, so, I have to depend on tools such as copy/paste and keyboard macros in my quest to avoid typos and incorrect information and amounts. AutoHotKey has been an essential tool in my life to meet this and other needs for decades.

The best example that I have is using GMail's Web interface to compose and respond to emails where the problem has increased to the point where it happens on almost every input session.

For example, if I use a keyboard macro to type my name "Beverly" it almost always gets scrambled to something like "Byeverl" Another clue is that when this happens, the input cursor ends up inside the scrambled string... in this case, between the "y" and "e"

This happens on some, but not all web input pages... another example, is trying to enter a number into a field that simply does not work if I paste.

Sometime back, I went so far to create an AutoHotKey macro that put's a delay between each character that is in the copy/paste buffer. That seemed to work for a while, but has since stopped working apparently because the interface now detects that I left the input field in order to trigger the keyboard macro.

USLOWP:
setkeydelay 50,50
send %clipboard%
return

Help! Anyone have any information or suggestions?

Beverly Howard

[mikeyww]

Instead of sending the clipboard, you can Send ^v.

Code: Select all

Clipboard = Beverly
Sleep, 100
Send ^v

Another way:

Code: Select all

Clipboard = Beverly
Sleep, 100
SendInput {Text}%Clipboard%

More details

[bevhoward]

Thanks, but I didn't make the issue clear enough, plus I don't think that this an AHK problem because it happens both with AHK and when using <Ctrl-V> to paste into the web interface.

I'm simply trying to figure out what is going on, and, since it appears to be an issue with the speed that the string characters are being sent to the web interface, I was hoping that others using AHK might have also encountered the problem and have additional details or observations.

I posted my "Slow Paste" macro which has addressed similar issues for years... for example, I am pretty sure that one of my online payment apps tries to prevent any kind of "computer entered" data in their "amount" field although it seems to accept <paste> in other fields.

As an "outside observer" from what I have been seeing for months, my conclusion is that something in the web interfaces, especially the GMail web interface, is making assumptions that keyboard input is coming from human fingers on the keyboard and is getting lost when characters come in too fast.

In almost all cases, pasting and AHK macros, the characters seem to always be "all there" but they are in the incorrect order. The fact that the input cursor ends up inside the string of characters that was input, would seem to re-enforce that observation.

One other detail is that this is happening in FireFox. I will see if the same problem exists in Chrome over the next few days.

I will continue to pursue this and, if I find any relevant information, I will post it here.

Thanks,
Beverly

[mikeyww]

You could exit all scripts, disable all browser plugins, and try again. When I tested Ctrl+V in Gmail on Chrome, I had no difficulties.

[bevhoward]

Just received a reply from the Mozilla forum... it suggested turning of firefox's hardware acceleration. Have done so, and am hopeful... again, will report back.

Beverly Howard

[bevhoward]

Disabling FireFox's Hardware acceleration did not address the problem.

Beverly Howard

[mikeyww]

Regarding your comment, "I don't think that this an AHK problem", that is easy to prove: close all AHK scripts, open your Gmail, use Ctrl+V to paste the clipboard, and see if there is a problem. If so, then you have ruled out AHK as a contributor.