S&T Keys for 2007 improved by MisterMoonlight

This is a summary of my modified version of S&T Keys 2007 (based on Toyfountain and Marvin versions):

For Download, see below...

Latest Version 3.44.01 (11/3/2008):

What's new:

1- This version adds a low cost remote control feature to S&T 2007 . The idea came from my original remote control experiment i made with a wireless remote control last summer, to control S&T 2007 without seeing the laptop screen.

see: Streets & Trips 2007: The Remote Control Experiment

This new version allows to do some sort of remote control of S&T 2007 using a simple 2 buttons mouse (wired, wireless, laptop keypad mouse, anything you like or you have that looks like a mouse )

To activate "Mouse Remote Control" function (see help with F1 key), user need to press at least one time the key sequence (Alt-Ctrl-M). The first time it is pressed, a two tones sound is heard with the second part higher pitch than the first (this means the mouse remote feature is allowed). If you press it a second time, it would disable the feature (the software behave like previous 3.43.01 version). Once disabled, you would hear a two tones sound with the second part of lower pitch.

Now the big question: what will exactly do the "Mouse Remote" function when it is allowed? When you go in full screen navigation, the mouse left and right buttons are now becoming "repeat current voice instruction" and "repeat next coming voice instruction". This will allow you to drive, put the laptop away, use a one ear hearphone to listen to voice guidance and when some feedback is needed to know what is coming next, just press the Left or right mouse button to get some voice guidance feedback.

It should be noted that when the "Mouse Remote" feature is active, the mouse cannot be used to do anything else. To suspend the feature for a moment, user can use the F11 key to exit full screen navigation, or the Pause key to stop navigation as well. To suspend the feature forever, just use the (Alt-Ctrl-M) key sequence. You must navigate in full screen to use the feature. It is not working while not navigating in full screen mode...

Not anybody will like to navigate by voice guidance only, but it is very effective to navigate without looking at the screen, to hear the voice guidance in the ear by pressing a mouse button that can be in the middle of your legs, even if the family is making noise, it is not keeping you from getting voice guidance.

It should be noted that if you activates the mouse remote feature (Alt-Ctrl-M) while already navigating in full screen mode, it won't activate until you quit full screen mode then go in full screen mode again (press F11 2 times to do it if needed)


Known issues:

1- Probably there is a bug for AR 2007 version (which i don't have for testing) in either the english or french version. I don't know if it is compatible with it anymore.

2- Pressing <F2> key while "option" panel is on the screen will makes the option panel sticky there forever until you close S&T keys. It is an old bug from v2.43. I didn't have time to repair this one yet

3- Sometime the secondary mouse button cannot get the navigation next voice instruction correctly (like it is sometimes also when the real spacebar key is used). Pressing it another time usually will get it correctly).


Version 3.43.01 (7/19/2008):



What's new:

1- There are now 2 french versions. The new one is for people with a laptop with US keyboard that needs a french version (file ending by fr_uskbd). The other one has the same keys assigned by toyfountain (file ending by fr). These french versions are compatible on the US english version of S&T 2007.

2- <F2> startup hotkey is now configurable. It can be now the <F2> or the <SCROLL LOCK> key as desired. The reason of this change is to keep the feature of the <F2> key and to assign it to a "free key". The <F2> is heavily used by windows already as a "Rename" shortcut key, which i am using a lot .

3- <F4> touch screen button is now configurable as desired. It can be disabled or not. The reason of this change is that i don't have a touch screen, so i want to remove it from the screen to avoid clutter.

4- Disable the internet update function in all versions.


Bugs correction:

1- Repaired the french version 2.43 which was broken and was not working anymore.

2- Correction of shortcut keys (for route configuration/optimisation) Q,S,T,H,P which was broken in english version v2.43

3- Text corrections in the french version

4- Cosmetic modifications for all versions.

5- Corrected old web site reference (before laptopgps) in all versions.

Known issues:

1- Probably there is a bug for AR 2007 version (which i don't have for testing) in either the english or french version. I don't know if it is compatible with it anymore.

2- Pressing <F2> key while "option" panel is on the screen will makes the option panel sticky there forever until you close S&T keys. It is an old bug from v2.43. I didn't have time to repair this one yet

Attached Files

MisterMoonlight S&T Keys 2007 v3.44.01.zip (819.5 KB, 414 views)

MisterMoonlight, I have installed your S&T Keys app on my new Viliv S5 and I can confirm that it works fine over top of my 2007 S&T. This is a big help as the S5 screen is so small that adjusting the zoom can be nerve-wracking without S&T Keys.

I would also like to use your Keys app with my Autoroute (circa 2007) when I am in Europe but I forget how to set it up so that it is switchable between S&T and A/R. I know it is possible because I had done so on my ordinary laptop but I cannot remember how I did it.

Any suggestions?

I withdraw the question as I have figured it out. It depends on which box you tick in the options (duh!). Nice piece of design, thank you.

SpadesFlush:

Is it working well with Autoroute (it is less tested with Autoroute because i don't have a version to test it myself)?

I haven't really tried it with A/R yet because, mainly, I am in North America. But I'll give it a go in the next few days and revert. I can't see why it wouldn't work, however. A/R opens and locates itself where I am from the GPS but there ain't much mapping detail.

OK, now, I've tried Keys with Autoroute and, predictably, it works just the same as it does with S&T. Which is to say quite well. BTW, the pop-up Menu is more or less centered whist the screen is in landscape mode but a bit north of center in portrait mode. This is not a problem. However, the box is a few pixels too wide for portrait mode of the S5 screen.

There are two display options for Display Properties: the default 'monitor', Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 500; and Plug and Play Monitor on Graphics Media Accelerator 500.

Under the default option there is only one portrait resolution option (768x1024) but five landscape options: 640x480; 768x1024; 800x600;1024x600; and 1024x768. For Plug and Play there is the same single resolution option as above for portrait and three landscape options: 800x600, 1024x600, and 1024x768.

MisterMoonlight, if you are thinking of modifying this app for use with the S5, perhaps taking a few pixels out of the vacant center of the pop-up box, if that can be done, would solve this minor problem.

Finally, both S&T and A/R don't like to be opened in portrait mode complaining about screen resolution. Therefore, it is best to open in landscape and then change to portrait, to which neither program then objects.

I don't plan to release a newer version of S&T Keys 2007 at all because i am never using it myself now. But the source code is available and free to be modified.

The gui was modified with a 800X600 screen resolution in mind, so it is pretty near 600 pixels height...

But the 2007 versions of S&T Keys is not as well debugged as the 2009 versions.

Just try the 2009 version of S&T Keys to see if the gui behave better (it could be related to other bugs in 2007 version?)