Re: How to do synthetic drags
Re: How to do synthetic drags
- Subject: Re: How to do synthetic drags
- From: David Niemeijer <email@hidden>
- Date: Wed, 22 Sep 2004 10:32:00 +0200
Hi Andrew,
At 2:46 AM -0400 22/9/04, Who Am I wrote:
I am a full time Windows programmer (database stuff), but I have a
disabled friend who was given an older USB head tracking device to
use. This device moves the cursor as if it was the regular mouse and
that works fine. However, she is running OS X panther, and she needs
some clicking software that I offered to write for her (she can't
afford to buy the ones out there). I've done a bit of Mac
programming on OS X before, so the actual program is not the issue
(this doesn't have to be fancy graphics or anything, just a simple
Cocoa GUI).
What you are trying to do is make a dwell or auto-click utility. To
make that not just work, but work well and conveniently requires
quite a bit more then just holding the mouse down during a short time
interval while the user moves her head. To my knowledge there are two
solutions out there right now, one from RJ Cooper that does only
dwelling and is called SmartClick. I have not tried it myself but
look at http://www.rjcooper.com/smartclick/ for more info. At $109 it
is certainly not expensive considering the small market it serves.
The other is developed by myself and called KeyStrokes, it offers
system-wide dwelling plus an advanced on-screen keyboard with
powerful word prediction. At $249 you cannot call it cheap, but it is
cheaper than anything comparable on Windows, and again, given the
small market it serves it is probably under rather than overpriced,
see http://www.assistiveware.com/keystrokes.php for more info. Both
products are available as a fully-functional trial and I would really
recommend that your friend gives them a thorough try. Unless you have
a lot of time to dedicate to making a very complete dwell utility
for her (comparable in functionality to what is already out there),
she might be better of in the long run with one of the solutions
already out there (because it would save her time, effort and
frustration). In many countries there are all kinds of funding
possibilities that might be able to help her pay for the software.
BTW, I do not know here specific impairment, but using a switch (for
example sip and puff) is for many head pointer users more efficient
then using a dwell utility.
All that said, I can tell you from my own experience that synthetic
drags can be done with just the CGPostMouseEvent API, no need to use
IOHIDPostEvent. What exactly is going wrong for you I do not know,
but in Carbon I got it working. I think also SamrtClick was done in
Carbon but I am not 100% sure.
Cheers,
david.
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