Bug: Prompt for User Input: `OK` button is not blue

Questions & Suggestions
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1

Problem Description:

Prompt for User Input action's default OK button doesn't display as the blue default button color.

Steps to Reproduce:

  • Add the action Prompt for User Input to a macro.
  • Try that action or run the macro.

Actual Result:

  • The OK button is not blue.
    Screen Shot 2020-09-12 at 9-12, 9.42.37PM

Expected Result:

  • The OK button should be blue.

Via the Keyboard Maestro docs:
https://wiki.keyboardmaestro.com/action/Prompt_for_User_Input

Notes:

  • It still functions as the default button.

    • Pressing the return or enter key does input, close the window, and continue the rest of the macro.
    • So it seems to just be a visual issue.

  • I tried restarting the Keyboard Maestro Engine and the computer.

  • I just started noticing this recently (~September 2020).

    • I think sometime between 9.0.5 and 9.0.6.
    • I'm on El Capitan 10.11.6.
    • So I wouldn't be surprised if that has something to do with it.

  • I was able to reproduced this with the default Prompt for User Input action.

    • So I reported it this way because it's a reduced test case.
    • But I first noticed this with my existing macros.

Thanks.

2

I am unable to reproduce the behavior you are seeing:

Running Keyboard Maestro 9.0.6 on macOS 10.14.6 (Mojave)

image

image

What versions of macOS and KM are you running?

3

KM: 9.0.6
OS: 10.11.6 (El Capitan)

4

Thanks. I don't see anything there that should be an issue.

How about KM Alerts? Is the "Continue" button show in blue:

image

5

Good thought.

But it's the same:

Screen Shot 2020-09-13 at 9-13, 2.10.15PM

I should have added:
When you mouse down it changes blue, as expected for any button.

6

What about other apps?
Like the TextEdit Save dialog:

image
image845×445 66.6 KB

7

The Default button in other apps (ex: Save and Print sheets) appear as expected. As do OS security dialogs.

I don't think I've noticed this anywhere else in the OS.

FYI: I have Default Folder installed. Which does stuff to Save and Open sheets. So just to be sure, I tried quitting it and restarting the Keyboard Maestro Engine. No change. (Also, it hasn't been updated in a few weeks.)

8

Just a thought: if the prompt dialog is not "active" then the buttons are not highlighted like this:

CleanShot 2020-09-13 at 19.51.20

whereas when the prompt is active the buttons are highlighted, like this:

CleanShot 2020-09-13 at 19.51.41

Might be a total red herring...

9

It's a good thought and thanks (you too @JMichaelTX) !

But I've tried that. The dialog is definitely in its front/active state.

I wouldn't be surprised if the cause is related to this though. As in: The buttons think (for reasons related to their parent window's state) that they should present as being in their in the background state.

10

The KM Prompt windows below to the KM Engine -- so they don't really have a "parent window". But if you mean the app that is frontmost when you trigger the macro with the Prompt, then that might affect it if you in some way activated the app AFTER displaying the prompt.

For example, if I display the Prompt, then trigger LaunchBar, its prompt has focus, and the KM Prompt then does NOT color its buttons:

image
image714×215 33.6 KB

11

By "parent window" I was referring to the Keyboard Maestro popup window itself. The place where the OK button lives within.

(I don't have an evidence. It was just a deduction on my part that points to a relatively likely cause. But I could be totally off.)

Of course.

12

Since it affects Alerts as well, I'd guess it is a system or a memory corruption issue. Try the usual fixes - restarting Keyboard Maestro Engine or restarting your system.

After that Safe Boot would be the next thing to try.

13

Tried both of those.

Hum... That would certain clear a few things out.

What do you think about the fact that it seems to be only effecting the Default button in Keyboard Maestro windows but no others?

14

No idea. The buttons are clearly default buttons or they would not response to Return. So it is a system display issue.

You don't happen to have XtraFinder installed? That can mess up UI stuff.

Other than that, I would look at some sort of extension - it's really not up to Keyboard Maestro to draw the buttons, the system handles that.

15

No (good thought).

As I mentioned above, I have Default Folder installed, but quitting that didn't help.

From what I remember (and maybe I'm wrong), nothing on the system has changed in a while. The newest update was Keyboard Maestro, to 9.0.6. Which is why I thought maybe something changed there and as interacting in a funny way with 10.11.6.

I have a backup of 9.0.5 (and earlier), but was hesitant to try them because I didn't want to corrupt the preferences.

Would it be safe (and worth it) to swap out these minor versions of "Keyboard Maestro.app"

16

Running the same Mac OS (10.11.6) and Keyboard Maestro (9.0.6) versions, I see the same behavior as described by @ar-km.

17

A safe way to do this without risking 9.0.6 or later is to

  1. while keeping 9.0.6 around, install 9.0.5 (or earlier) but do not launch it;
  2. create a new user account and log in to that user account;
  3. open 9.0.5 from within the new user account to test its button-appearance behavior.

When testing is complete, log back in to your original user account to delete the user account created for testing. All that will remain of KM 9.0.5 is the app shown in the Finder and that can be safely moved to the Trash. KM 9.0.6 and any of its associated files should remain perfectly intact.

18

That's a really good idea... and thorough.

iu

I was going to just copy all of the 9.0.6 files in:

  • ~/Library/Application Support/Keyboard Maestro
  • ~/Library/Preferences/Keyboard Maestro*
  • etc.

Swap out the version for 9.0.5, test, and then move the 9.0.6 versions back in place.

But I like your idea much better.

Before I test that and since you too are on 10.11.6:

  • Have you tried this?
  • If it's still there in 9.0.5, what about 9.0.4 ?

Thanks!

19

Just tried it now, upon reading your post and thinking the prior versions might be available from the Keyboard Maestro site (they are). Both 9.0.4 and 9.0.5 showed the OK button highlighted.

20

Ahh! That's great. Thanks.

@peternlewis Is there anything else that might help you track this down?