It is now possible to temporarily permit a watcher to control your
keyboard while you are being watched, even when the watcher would
not normally be allowed keyboard control due to licensing or ALLOW
command restrictions.
Keyboard control can also be temporary permitted in this same way for
a secondary watcher (who normally isn't permitted keyboard control).
A primary watcher may also temporarily permit keyboard control by
a secondary watcher.
Several new hot-keys and qualifiers have been added which support
this new feature.
1. A PERMIT_INPUT hot-key for permitting a watcher to temporarily
provide input when that watcher wouldn't otherwise be allowed to
control the watched-user's keyboard. See the top-level PEEK
Subtopics: Commands ALLOW /PERMIT_INPUT and Watching /PERMIT_INPUT.
2. A REQUEST_INPUT hot-key for use by a watcher to request this
ability to provide input. See the top-level PEEK Subtopic:
Watching /REQUEST_INPUT.
3. Special permitted-input versions of the WATCH-command qualifiers
/SIMULTANEOUS_INPUT and /NOBEEP. The /PSIMUL and /PNOBEEP
qualifiers (and their defaults) control the simultaneous-input
and nobeep settings which apply as a permitted watcher. These
qualifiers were added so the behaviors of simultaneous-input and
nobeep can be specified as different when one is a permitted watcher
vs when one is a full watcher. See the top-level PEEK Subtopics:
Watching /PNOBEEP and Watching /PSIMUL_INPUT.
These new hot-keys and qualifiers are usually assigned system-wide
default values by PEEK_DEFAULTS.COM. The Peek/Spy command
SHOW KEYS displays all of the currently-defined hot-key values.
The guidelines to follow when temporarily permitting keyboard
control are listed separately below for a user being watched
and for a primary watcher.
1 – User-being-watched
For a person being watched to temporarily permit keyboard control by
a watcher who could not otherwise have it:
1. To successfully use the PERMIT_INPUT hot-key to temporarily permit
a watcher to have keyboard control, the user being watched must
currently have control of his keyboard.
2. Enter the PERMIT_INPUT hot-key.
As shipped, the default hot-key value for PERMIT_INPUT is
<CTRL-P>A. (The obvious choice, <CTRL-P>P, is already in
use for /PREVIOUS, so <CTRL-P>A was chosen instead. The
"A" stands for ALLOW which is a synonym for PERMIT.)
3. If the hot-key is accepted, this means the PERMIT_INPUT was
successful and a watcher will now be able to do a REQUEST_INPUT.
The hot-key will just beep if the PERMIT_INPUT isn't accepted.
(PERMIT_INPUT will not be accepted if the hot-key is not defined,
or if you are currently being watched with Peek/Spy and the
watcher currently has control of your keyboard.)
4. After a successful PERMIT_INPUT has been done by the user being
watched, a watcher who wants temporary keyboard control can use
his REQUEST_INPUT hot-key to request it.
5. If the REQUEST_INPUT by the watcher is accepted, he will be able
to use his TOGGLE_INPUT key to toggle input with the user he is
watching.
Or if the permitted watcher has PSIMUL, then both the permitted-
watcher and the user being watched will be able to type at the
same time. (See the top-level PEEK Subtopic: Watching
/PSIMUL_INPUT.)
6. If the REQUEST_INPUT hot-key entered by the watcher just beeps,
this means his REQUEST_INPUT wasn't successful.
This could mean that another watcher has already requested, and
been granted, temporary keyboard control. (Only one watcher at
a time may have REQUEST_INPUT.)
Or it could mean that the PERMIT_INPUT has been revoked.
7. PERMIT_INPUT is revoked when the user being watched toggles
his PERMIT_INPUT back off again by entering his PERMIT_INPUT
hot-key a second time.
If there is a primary watcher, PERMIT_INPUT granted by the user
being watched is also revoked whenever the primary watcher takes
over keyboard control.
8. A permitted watcher who currently has REQUEST_INPUT can
relinquish it at any time by entering his REQUEST_INPUT
hot-key a second time.
This would allow another watcher to then do a REQUEST_INPUT in
order to gain temporary keyboard control.
2 – Primary-watcher
For a primary watcher to temporarily permit keyboard control by a
secondary watcher:
1. To successfully use the PERMIT_INPUT hot-key to temporarily permit
keyboard control by a secondary watcher, the primary watcher must
currently have control of the keyboard of the user being watched.
2. Enter the PERMIT_INPUT hot-key.
As shipped, the default hot-key value for PERMIT_INPUT is
<CTRL-P>A. (The obvious choice, <CTRL-P>P, is already in
use for /PREVIOUS, so <CTRL-P>A was chosen instead. The
"A" stands for ALLOW which is a synonym for PERMIT.)
3. If the hot-key is accepted this means the PERMIT_INPUT was
successful and a secondary watcher will now be able to do
a REQUEST_INPUT.
The PERMIT_INPUT hot-key will just beep if it isn't accepted.
(PERMIT_INPUT will not be accepted if the hot-key is not defined,
or if the primary watcher doesn't currently have keyboard control.)
4. After a successful PERMIT_INPUT has been done by the primary
watcher, a secondary watcher who wants temporary keyboard
control can use his REQUEST_INPUT hot-key to request it.
5. If a REQUEST_INPUT by a secondary watcher is accepted, he
will be able to use his TOGGLE_INPUT key to toggle input with
the primary watcher.
Or if the permitted watcher has PSIMUL, then both the permitted-
watcher and the primary watcher will be able to type at the same
time. (See the top-level PEEK Subtopics: Watching /PSIMUL_INPUT.)
6. If the REQUEST_INPUT hot-key entered by the secondary watcher
just beeps, this means his REQUEST_INPUT wasn't successful.
This could mean that another secondary watcher has already
requested, and been granted, temporary keyboard control.
(Only one secondary watcher at a time may have REQUEST_INPUT.)
Or it could mean that the PERMIT_INPUT has been revoked.
7. PERMIT_INPUT is revoked when the primary watcher toggles his
PERMIT_INPUT back off again by entering his PERMIT_INPUT
hot-key a second time.
A PERMIT_INPUT done by the primary watcher is also revoked
whenever the user being watched takes back control of the
keyboard from the primary watcher.
8. A permitted watcher who currently has REQUEST_INPUT can
relinquish it at any time by entering his REQUEST_INPUT
hot-key a second time.
This would allow another secondary watcher to then do a
REQUEST_INPUT in order to gain temporary keyboard control.