BUG: Alt + CapsLock +S crashes Notepad++

Phil Barton

After being rather fat fingered regularly throughout my work day, I’ve found that the following occurs:

Alt + Shift + S trims trailing whitespace and saves.
Alt + CapsLock +S crashes Notepad++ without fail every time.

Build details:
Notepad++ v6.9.2
Build time : May 18 2016 - 00:34:05
Path : C:\Program Files (x86)\Notepad++\notepad++.exe
Admin mode : OFF
Local Conf mode : OFF
OS : Windows 7
Plugins : ComparePlugin.dll mimeTools.dll NppConverter.dll NppExport.dll NppFTP.dll PluginManager.dll PyNPP.dll Python Indent.dll ScrollPastEOFUni.dll SourceCookifier.dll TagsJump.dll

Thought it was worth advising someone of this bug.

Cheers!

PeterJones

What does Alt+S do for you, without CapsLock or Shift? I ask, because I am guessing it will crash your setup as well. CapsLock isn’t a modifier key, and I would be surprised if it’s having any effect.

In my installation of ComparePlugin (1.5.6), Alt+S is Compare to last save. Every time I tried to hit Alt+CapsLock+S, the ComparePlugin would successfully run its Compare to last save. I wonder if it’s the ComparePlugin that’s crashing for you – either because of a bad installation of the plugin, or because it’s interacting badly with one of your other plugins.

Notepad++ v6.9.2
Build time : May 18 2016 - 00:34:05
Path : C:\Program Files (x86)\Notepad++\notepad++.exe
Admin mode : ON
Local Conf mode : OFF
OS : Windows 7
Plugins : ComparePlugin.dll dbgpPlugin.dll mimeTools.dll NppConverter.dll NppExec.dll NppExport.dll NppFTP.dll NppTextFX.dll PluginManager.dll PreviewHTML.dll PythonScript.dll

You might want to try to run notepad++ -noPlugin and see if the same thing happens: Alt-S should just open up the Search menu in that case, and Alt+CapsLock+S should do the same. If it doesn’t crash with -noPlugin, then it’s one of your plugins… and you can then disable each of the plugins one at a time (move their DLL to a temporary storage location) and try to determine which plugin is really causing the issue.

Phil Barton

It is indeed the compare plugin (Alt+S) that causes it to crash, Thanks!

I’ll raise a bug report there.

FYI - I don’t work locally - I use NppFTP and literally every file exists on a dev server elsewhere. This means there is no local saved files to compare against when this Alt+S shortcut is triggered.

Having a locally saved file open in Npp and hitting Alt+S is successful but having no locally saved files open or in history causes the crash out.

Cheers,
Phil

PeterJones

For your specific instance, it makes sense to me to just disable the Compare plugin. However, if there are future users out here who find topic: if you still want to have the Compare plugin, but just don’t want it on the Alt+S shortcut, because of the slippery finger from Alt+Shift+S to Alt+CapsLock+S, I would recommend just removing or editing that shortcut: Settings > Shortcut Mapper > Plugin Commands > Compare to last save (Alt+S) > Modify: either pull down to “None” or to whatever key you do want for the Compare feature, then OK.

(Personally, I like the Trim Trailing and Save so much – I’ve never had reason yet for maintaining trailing whitespace in the files I edit – that I swapped the shortcuts so that Save is Alt+Shift+S and TT+S is Ctrl+S; that’s probably why I’ve never slipped from the Shift to the CapsLock during a TT+S)