PythonScript/NppExec question

Vitalii Dovgan

Yep, that time has come when I’m asking about NppExec :)
I searched the forum and found this topic that is still relevant:
https://community.notepad-plus-plus.org/topic/16798/nppexec-can-t-call-python-script-through-shortcut/6
In short, if I have PythonScript and NppExec plugins installed, and create e.g. the following python script via Python Script:

def main():
    console.write('Hello World!\n')

main()

and then save this python script as “helloworld.py” and then create the following NppExec’s script:

npp_console ?
npp_save
npp_menucommand Plugins\Python Script\Scripts\helloworld

then the following happens:

I open Python Script’s console via Plugins -> Python Script -> Show Console
I run NppExec’s Execute dialog with the NppExec’s script mentioned above - as the result, the menu item “Python Script -> Scripts -> helloworld” is invoked and “Hello World!” is printed in Python Script’s console.
Now, if I press Ctrl+F6 (that corresponds to Execute Previous NppExec Script), I do see that the menu item "Scripts -> helloworld " is found and NppExec sends the corresponding message to Notepad++: m_pNppExec->SendNppMsg(NPPM_MENUCOMMAND, 0, menuItemId); but “Hello World!” is not printed in Python Script’s console!
I experimented with SendMessage, SendNotifyMessage and PostMessage - the result is still the same.
Is there anyone who may shed some light to this mystery?

Vitalii Dovgan

The very same happens if I change the NppExec’s script to this:

npp_console ?
npp_save
npp_sendmsg NPPM_MENUCOMMAND 0 23035

In my case, 23035 is the menu item id of the “Plugins -> Python Script -> Scripts -> helloworld” item.

Ekopalypse

@Vitalii-Dovgan

Hello Vitalii, I hope you are well.
This is just a quick note as I’m just on my way out of work.
I was not able to replicate the behavior with my default NPP setup, so I installed the latest portable version and PS and NppExec and got the same result - then I changed the shortcut to Ctrl+Shift+f6 and it started to work (!!??)

dinkumoil

@Vitalii-Dovgan @Ekopalypse

If Ctrl key is pressed while clicking at the menu entry of a PythonScript plugin script, the script is loaded into Notepad++. This is documented in file:///<Npp-path>/plugins/PythonScript/doc/usage.html#usage. Thus, if Ctrl+F6 is pressed to trigger NppExec’s Exeute Previous Script, PythonScript’s click handler for Plugins\Python Script\Scripts\helloworld finds Ctrlkey pressed and loads the script into Notepad++ instead of executing it.

Beyond that, it seems that PythonScript’s click handler tests exactly for “Ctrl key is pressed”, so this test fails if Ctrl+Shift is pressed. Presumably that’s the reason why execution of the script worked, when @Ekopalypse changed the keyboard shortcut of NppExec’s Exeute Previous Script.

Vitalii Dovgan

OK, you gave me an idea of what might be the reason - I checked it, and indeed the reason was in any shortcut that contains only Ctrl as a modifier.
For example, if I save the NppExec’s script above as e.g. “py-helloworld”, then create a menu item for this script using NppExec’s Advanced Options and then assign e.g. Alt+F12 as a shortcut key for this new menu item, everything works.
If I change the shortcut key to e.g. Ctrl+Alt+F12 or Ctrl+Shift+F12, everything works.
If I change the shortcut key to Ctrl+F12, it stops working.
The very same happens with e.g. Ctrl+Shift+8 vs. Ctrl+8.
To sum up, looks like Python Script somehow intercepts the Ctrl modifier and thus a shortcut key that uses it does not work as expected.

P.S. Ah, OK, I see the confirmation of this in the answer above!

Alan Kilborn

@Vitalii-Dovgan said in PythonScript/NppExec question:

If I change the shortcut key to Ctrl+F12, it stops working.

Presumably, if your script isn’t in the active tab when you do this shortcut, or if it is closed, the script .py file gets activated/opened.

But…I have many PythonScripts that are simple Ctrl+(fill in the blank), and they execute the script just fine…

Michael Vincent

@dinkumoil said in PythonScript/NppExec question:

Thus, if Ctrl+F6 is pressed to trigger NppExec’s Exeute Previous Script, PythonScript’s click handler for Plugins\Python Script\Scripts\helloworld finds Ctrlkey pressed and loads the script into Notepad++ instead of executing it.

THIS! I had no idea why CTRL-F6 kept opening my ‘helloworld.py’ script.

I was going to do some more testing before posting my findings, but seems you’ve solved my “anomaly”.

Cheers.

Ekopalypse

This is still a little strange to me. I have, like @Alan-Kilborn ,
many scripts using the key combination ctrl+whatever_letter
and they work without problems and I am aware of the
possibility to use ctrl to edit a script. Both,
using a key combination or using sendmessage(nppm_menu_command…),
take the same route to call the function.

There’s something I’m still missing.

PeterJones

@Ekopalypse , @Alan-Kilborn , and others,

I think the difference is that in the situation called, there are two layers: there’s the NppExec script, which is being called by the shortcut; then the NppExec is using SendMessage to activate the PythonScript menu from a “click the menu equivalent”.

So while the shortcut is associated with the NppExec script, it’s keys are still “active” when the menu is “clicked”, so the PS check of “am I being Ctrl+Clicked” sees the Ctrl from the NppExec shortcut and the click from the NppExec SendMessage.

Whereas, when you just run a PythonScript with a keyboard shortcut, it isn’t also getting the “clicked” attribute.

At least, that’s what I’ve gathered from the evidence given in this dicsussion; I could easily be wrong.