Using MapTool on a Mac OSX machine

[Lord.Ashes]

Yesterday I tried to use my campaign file on a Mac OSX machine. There were a number of issues when I did this which prevented the campaign file from being used fully.

I am going to have to trouble shoot these issues more to identify the source. There are a couple possible sources for the issue:

1. I was using a slightly modified version of MapTool built on 1.3.b90beta. It is my Plugin version which I have been using for a while now with no issues on PC or Ubuntu (Linux). This was the first time, however, that I was using it on a Mac OSX machine. I don't believe that it is related to my MapTool mod but I will try it again using a vanilla version of MapTool.

2. It could be related to the Mac OSX operating system, since I don't see the same problem using the same JAR file and campaign file on PC and Linux. I think this is the most likely reason.

3. It could be related to individual computer.

Here are the odd results that I saw. Please bear with me, I am not a Mac user (I don't want to pay double for half the power just to look pretty) so some of the frustration may be related to the OS itself. Here are the issues that I saw:

1. I am not sure if the Mac OS computer, which was a laptop, had an actual right button. Typically PC laptops with a touchpad has either two buttons below the touchpad or a single button which has a sensor at each end so that depending on which end of the single button you click, you get either a left click or right click. In any case clicking on the left side or right side of the button performed the same action (select/window) as if the left click was being issued.

2. My friend (the owner of the laptop) suggested that I try holding the Control key to simulate a right click. I think he meant the Cmd key. When I held this key, while clicking, I was able to do a right click for the purpose of moving the map but still could not generate the right context menu on a token (which I was able to do using the same JAR file on a PC).

3. As soon as I used the Cmd key to move the map, the selection afterwards started to work oddly. I could no longer generate a selection window to select more than one token at once (which did work prior to me using the Cmd key). In addition, normally one can click a token and drag it (i.e. select and drag a token in one action) which became impossible after using the Cmd key. One the Cmd key was used, the user needed to specifically select a token (i.e. click on it and release) and the token only selected after the button click was released. Then, to move the token, the user had to click the same token again and this time drag.

Has anyone seen similar issues with MapTool on OSX? This is seriously crippling my game because my game is macro heavy and typically it is desirable to launch the macros from the token right context menu as opposed to using the Selection window.

[CoveredInFish]

I'm only using MT on Mac. RightMouse is not encouraged (but supported) .. so on laptop you might have to use a modifier key ([s]i think its ALT, but I would have to test it[/s]EDIT: yes, its CTRL for context menu)

You can use any mouse on a mac and you will have usual right-button-support.

Anything more that has to be tested will have to wait till after the weekend..

[JML]

I'm only using MT on Mac. RightMouse is not encouraged (but supported) .. so on laptop you might have to use a modifier key (i think its ALT, but I would have to test it)

If your mouse only has one button, use CMD+click. On Apple's touch pads you use two fingers click to get the right click.

Sorry but I didn't try B90 till now.

[Lord.Ashes]

I'm only using MT on Mac. RightMouse is not encouraged (but supported) .. so on laptop you might have to use a modifier key ([s]i think its ALT, but I would have to test it[/s]EDIT: yes, its CTRL for context menu)

You can use any mouse on a mac and you will have usual right-button-support.

Anything more that has to be tested will have to wait till after the weekend..

This is what I was going to start with...if somehow the modifier key is causing the selection issue then maybe using a mouse will resolve all the issues.

[Lord.Ashes]

If your mouse only has one button, use CMD+click. On Apple's touch pads you use two fingers click to get the right click.

Sorry but I didn't try B90 till now.

As I wrote in my original post, using the CMD key plus click go me right click action enough to move the map but it did not, for some reason, bring up the right click context menu (when right clicking a token instead of the map).

Also, as I wrote in my original post, as soon as I did one I got the campaign/laptop into a state where group selection was not possible. Clicking and dragging to draw a window around multiple tokens stopped working as soon as I used the CMD+click option. And, as I wrote in my original post, tokens could no longer be clicked and dragged directly. They needed to be selected first (i.e. click, release) and then clicked and dragged (i.e. click and drag) which is typically not the case (i.e. you can typically click and drag a token right away).

I even reload the campaign, confirmed that multi-selection and the slect-and-immediate-drag options worked...which they did...but as soon as I used the CMD+click, this broke again.

Hopefully using a USB mouse will make these problems go away.

[JML]

Sorry but I was wrong. It's been so long that I use a two buttons mouse that I forgot the right key to be used

It's CTRL+click. You're right in saying CMD+click is bringing huge problems. I never used it before, but have similar problems as yours on a regular b89.

[Lord.Ashes]

Sorry but I was wrong. It's been so long that I use a two buttons mouse that I forgot the right key to be used

It's CTRL+click. You're right in saying CMD+click is bringing huge problems. I never used it before, but have similar problems as yours on a regular b89.

Hmm...interesting...I will try CTRL+Click again...but I think I tried that first (since it is what my friend suggested) and it didn't work. I'll re-try this weekend when I go to his place. I will also try a USB mouse to see if that works.

[Lord.Ashes]

I'm only using MT on Mac. RightMouse is not encouraged (but supported)

Pardon me if I am asking a stupid question but how do you use MT without right button? Most of the campaigns that I create have maps that are larger than one screen so the users need to pan around in them which, as far as I know, requires the right click button (right click and drag to move the map). In addition, to save screen real-estate I typically close the Campaign and Selected windows and launch macros from the token itself which, once again, requires right mouse button.

I can see that it could be possible to create a campaign that does not require panning and/or heavy use of macros but, at least in my campaigns, that is not the case.

Or are there some shortcut keys, which I am not aware of, which can do the same functions (i.e. pan the map and open token menu) using keyboard as opposed to right clicking?

[CoveredInFish]

I DO use MapTool WITH the right mouse button. I do have a mouse with right button, that is (as I said) fully supported. It is even an apple mouse I think I had to enable the right button in the settings (it is this magic mouse) but I'm not sure about that. I cant imagine working on a computer without using context menus (or having to use press a key to access it).

I meant to say that Apple (still) does not encourage the use of the right click in generell (with Laptops having only one button, etc)

[Lord.Ashes]

I DO use MapTool WITH the right mouse button. I do have a mouse with right button, that is (as I said) fully supported. It is even an apple mouse I think I had to enable the right button in the settings (it is this magic mouse) but I'm not sure about that. I cant imagine working on a computer without using context menus (or having to use press a key to access it).

I meant to say that Apple (still) does not encourage the use of the right click in generell (with Laptops having only one button, etc)

Ahhh...Now I understand. Thanks for the clarification. I figured trying to use MapTool without Right Button would be very difficult in many campaigns.

[Lord.Ashes]

I tested the CONTROL+click combo again and got the same results. CONTROL+click does the exact same thing as click...It seems, at least on my friends Mac, that the CONTROL key does not simulate a Right Click. I guess I will have to "force" my player to invest in a mouse.

[CoveredInFish]

Strange. CTRL works fine here.

But another way could be to install BetterTouchTool and set an alternative trigger for right-click.

[JML]

Ok, CONTROL+click not working on a Mac is clearly not normal. I did quite an extended search in my Mac's preferences and help and didn't find a way to disable it. Then I searched on the net and it's clearly hard coded into the system.

So your friend's Mac has a problem. One issue I found on MacRumors had something to do with a Google Drive conflict which could only be solved by a safe reboot. Anyway:

• First, if your friend never did it, ask him to rebuild his disk permissions with OS X's Disk Utility, then use Onyx to do all cleaning it can do.
• If this still doesn't work, let him try the safe reboot.
• If this still doesn't work, then it's beyond my Mac fu and he's got to call Apple support unless someone else know better than I do (not unusual ).

[Lord.Ashes]

Ok, CONTROL+click not working on a Mac is clearly not normal. I did quite an extended search in my Mac's preferences and help and didn't find a way to disable it. Then I searched on the net and it's clearly hard coded into the system.

So your friend's Mac has a problem. One issue I found on MacRumors had something to do with a Google Drive conflict which could only be solved by a safe reboot. Anyway:

• First, if your friend never did it, ask him to rebuild his disk permissions with OS X's Disk Utility, then use Onyx to do all cleaning it can do.
• If this still doesn't work, let him try the safe reboot.
• If this still doesn't work, then it's beyond my Mac fu and he's got to call Apple support unless someone else know better than I do (not unusual ).

Sorry but I can't do any more testing because my friend has moved. I did try a regular 2 button USB mouse and that worked fine so that will be our plan for now.

BTW, does anyone know the default location of MapTool config directory on a Mac? On my Windows machine it creates a .maptool folder under C:/Users/{UserName} but that obviously is not applicable for Mac. Yes, I realize that I could just dump the setting to the console to see what it is but that would require me to do a MapTool mod just to see the results. On the Mac, MapTool is running from an Apps folder (created by user not the system) in the user's home directory.

[CoveredInFish]

You have it almost right.

Code: Select all

/Users/{UserName}/.maptool

MacOS hides folder beginning with a . by default (thats the purpose of the dot), but easiest way is to navigate there by the finder menu command "Go to -> Go to folder/location" (I have to guess the english name) or the terminal.

HTH