Just started using Notepad++... What is SYN?

Gordon E. Peterson II · Mar 13, 2017, 8:57 PM

I have (of course) been using regular Notepad and just started using Notepad++. I have been using another keyboard macro program, AutoHotKey, which works great everywhere else… but in Notepad++, when I try to do a paste into a normal text file… here’s what the (Ctrl-Alt-W) macro produces here:
(Haven’t crossed paths with him yet, but maybe that’ll happen this weekend?)
(3/11/2017, 8:44:33 agh always a good way to spend a weekend)
In Notepad++ instead I’m getting:
)
( ()
(where the square box here shows in Notepad++ as a white-on-black “SYN”). Anybody have an idea of what’s going on?
Here’s what the Ctrl-Alt-W macro definition looks like for AutoHotKey:

^!w::
Send {Home}{Home}{Space}{Space}(^V{Enter}{End}{End}{Up}{Up}{Up}{End}){Right}{Space}{Space}({End}{Space}{Space}{Delete}{End}){Home}{Down}
return

So anyhow, it looks like the ^V (which sends a Ctrl-V, or paste) isn’t pasting the saved clipboard text under Notepad++… ??

chcg · Mar 12, 2017, 4:33 PM

See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synchronous_Idle, n++ displays such ascii control characters as special symbols.

mkupper · Mar 13, 2017, 8:57 PM

@Gordon-E.-Peterson-II I suspect you are using Ctrl-V to paste in the AutoHotKey script. Instead of that, try using Alt-E-P to select the Edit/Paste dropdown menu item.

Typing Ctrl-V on a keyboard is “paste” for many applications including npp. Ctrl and a letter key also is used to generate the ASCII control codes. Ctrl-A is code 0x01, ctrl-B is code 0x02, ctrl-C is code 0x03, …, ctrl-V is code 0x16. ASCII code 0x16 is also known as the SYN or SYNC character. See the Wikipedia <a href=“https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ASCII”>ASCII</a> article for the list of control codes.

Npp displays the three letter abbreviations for ASCII control codes when those characters appear in a file. As Ctrl-V is normally “paste” you can’t enter that directly in a file in most circumstances. It’s not clear why an AutoHotKey generated Ctrl-V is being interpreted as a desire to add an ASCII 0x16 SYN in the file rather than being handled as a paste.

mkupper · Mar 14, 2017, 7:12 AM

It turns out that I occasionally have [SYN] show up when I’m editing. I just do Ctrl-Z for undo move on. It happened again and so this time I paid more attention to what I’d just done.

Ctrl-V is paste
Shift-Ctrl-V allows you to type a [SYN] character (character code \x16) in Notepad++

Thus it seems that while you intended to transmit Ctrl-V via AutoHotKey that Shift-Ctrl-V was sent instead.

DaveyD · Mar 14, 2017, 5:56 PM

@Gordon-E-Peterson-II, I had such a problem in the past using autohotkey to paste into np++. I remember being advised to instead of using ^v, use send {ctrl down}v{ctrl up}. It is supposed to be more reliable
I remember that it did help, but I havent used it in a while so I can’t verify now

Let us know if that works

Ahu Lee · Apr 2, 2018, 6:06 AM

I do not use AutoHotKey but I also get this SYN thing when I try to paste with Ctrl+V. I have been using Npp for years and this is, I believe, the first time it happens.

What could it be and what should I do to get back the default behavior?

Many thanks!

Windows 7 SP1 (x86),
Npp v7.5.6

Aladin ZAIR · Jan 5, 2019, 11:37 PM

I am using Autohotkey, and what worked for me is adding an ‘$’ before the hotkey as in ‘$^v::’ (Ctrl+v). Read about the prefix ‘$’ here: https://www.autohotkey.com/docs/Hotkeys.htm