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autosuggest in Search/replace window - how to disable
Posted: Fri Jan 10, 2025 3:55 pm
by DanA_Nota
This may be something that I've missed and that's easily answered, but I've searched for it several times and can't find the solution.
A couple of versions ago, Oxygen XML Editor started opening a list of suggestions for autocompletion whenever I type backslash in the Search/Replace window (in Text view). More often than not, I use the backslash in regular expressions to escape certain characters. I would like to simply turn off that list popping up, as it steals the focus from what I'm typing at the time. Is this possible? And if so, how? Thank you in advance for the help.
Re: autosuggest in Search/replace window - how to disable
Posted: Mon Jan 13, 2025 10:58 am
by tavy
Hello,
Thanks for your feedback.
Unfortunately I cannot reproduce the behavior that you describe. What version of Oxygen do you use?
Best Regards,
Octavian
Re: autosuggest in Search/replace window - how to disable
Posted: Mon Jan 13, 2025 11:28 am
by Radu
Hi,
Indeed the Oxygen "Find/Replace" dialog shows a content completion window when typing "\" in the find field when the "Regular expression" checkbox is checked in the dialog. A workaround would be to uncheck the checkbox, enter the expression and then check it back.
You mentioned:
as it steals the focus from what I'm typing at the time
So if you type "\" in the Find text area does the focus jump to the content completion window all the time or only from time to time?
On what operating system are you working?
Regards,
Radu
Re: autosuggest in Search/replace window - how to disable
Posted: Mon Jan 13, 2025 12:27 pm
by DanA_Nota
The focus switches to the dropdown list (from the search field). That is: If I try to enter \( to escape a parentheses in a regular expression, it stops at the backslash, since it then opens a dropdown suggestion of "\Quote special character", "\0nnn", etc. While I could simply choose "\Quote special character" - this is what I want - the backslash retains a block mark, which then would overwrite it unless choosing right arrow to move out of the block mark. In any way it is a lot of extra keystrokes to just type "\(". Which also would be the case of unchecking/checking Regular expressions field.
And for the OS: it's Windows 11. Oxygen version is 24.0, build 2022012607.
Re: autosuggest in Search/replace window - how to disable
Posted: Mon Jan 13, 2025 12:36 pm
by Radu
Hi,
As a side note we no longer officially support Oxygen 24:
https://www.oxygenxml.com/eol.html
Back to the problem, how about if you edit inside an XML document and press "<"? Does the opened content completion window steal the focus as well? Or can you continue typing in the editor even if the window is opened?
Regards,
Radu
Re: autosuggest in Search/replace window - how to disable
Posted: Tue Jan 14, 2025 4:05 pm
by DanA_Nota
Unfortunately, I'm using oXygen at work, and some transformation scenarios used will possibly have to be adjusted, when we upgrade the version. For now, we're using v. 24.
In the XML scenario, < also opens a dropdown menu, and unless I continue my typing very fast, it will also assume, I'm choosing from that menu. Here, though, it doesn't have the same impact, as it tend to be a selection of choices reflecting what I want to type.
Re: autosuggest in Search/replace window - how to disable
Posted: Tue Jan 14, 2025 4:28 pm
by Radu
Hi,
In general content completion windows (like the one in the Find/Replace dialog) should not take the keyboard focus while you are typing. So it should show up but it should not take the keyboard focus and allow you to continue typing if you ignore its suggestions.
Oxygen behaves differently if it considers that custom support for accessibility is enabled. Could you follow the advice here?
post69540.html#p69540
Regards,
Radu
Re: autosuggest in Search/replace window - how to disable
Posted: Wed Jan 15, 2025 3:44 pm
by DanA_Nota
Thank you for the advice. I do however work with accessibility for blind/dyslexics, so disabling that part in the OS is not an option. But thank you anyhow.
Re: autosuggest in Search/replace window - how to disable
Posted: Wed Jan 15, 2025 3:49 pm
by Radu
Hi,
In a way the fact you are working with accessibility systems explains why Oxygen considers that accessibility should be enabled when it is opened.
Running "jabswitch -enable" or "jabswitch -disable" in the command line would only enable/disable accessibility support in Java-based applications.
Maybe before starting Oxygen you could run "jabswitch -disable" and after it opens run "jabswitch -enable" as Oxygen should only check if it should enable extra accessibility related behaviors when it opens.
Regards,
Radu
Re: autosuggest in Search/replace window - how to disable
Posted: Thu Jan 16, 2025 3:52 pm
by DanA_Nota
Thank you - that seemed to work. The suggestions still pop up (which of course is actually good), but the focus doesn't switch, so I can keep typing.

Re: autosuggest in Search/replace window - how to disable
Posted: Thu Jan 16, 2025 5:17 pm
by Radu
Hello,
Great. Oxygen attempts to detect from your system if accessibility is enabled and for visually impaired people in order for the screen reader to read the list of proposals we give focus to the content completion list.
Regards,
Radu