Introduction
Repeatedly, folks post about the scroll-wheel on their mouse not working in FrameMaker, while they state it does work in other software. First, it needs to be said that is not a universal that scroll wheels don't work in FrameMaker. Some users do report that they work fine.
Background
Windows 98 and up have mouse wheel support build into the operating system. However, in order to profit from this mouse wheel support, applications must either explicitly watch for mouse wheel messages or use current versions of the standard Windows GUI controls, such as scroll bars.
And here's the problem: FrameMaker, being an old cross-platform application, does neither. So by default, the mouse wheel should not work in FM -- at all.
But why then DOES it work sometimes? That's because the user installed an ADDITIONAL mouse driver that translates mouse wheel messages into scroll bar messages, or some other kind of input. Microsoft IntelliPoint does that, and also (apparently) the Logitech drivers.
Drivers and Versions
Depending on the individual driver and version, however, there may be some guesswork and silent assumptions involved on what constitutes, for instance, a scroll bar. The version used by FM may be so old, weird, or whatever, that some drivers don't recognize it, and thus don't correctly create scroll bar messages for mouse wheel input.
The obvious choice is to try the latest version of driver software, and to make sure that your driver matches the manufacturer of the mouse. But note that it's been reported that later Logitech drivers failed, while others worked.
Some users report that going back to older versions is what worked, or that certain combinations of operating system, Frame version work. For instance, it has been reported that FrameMaker 6 and the Microsoft IntelliPoint Mouse Driver version 3.2 work in Windows 2000.
Another working combination is FrameMaker 7, Windows XP, the IntelliMouse Optical mouse, and IntelliPoint driver 4.1.
Summary
It should become clear that there is no clear-cut solution, and, if your mouse is going to work on your system at all, it will require some experimenting with drivers. My suggestion is to try the latest, then work your way backward.
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Contributors: R. VanDyke, Sean, Dov, Tim
Repeatedly, folks post about the scroll-wheel on their mouse not working in FrameMaker, while they state it does work in other software. First, it needs to be said that is not a universal that scroll wheels don't work in FrameMaker. Some users do report that they work fine.
Background
Windows 98 and up have mouse wheel support build into the operating system. However, in order to profit from this mouse wheel support, applications must either explicitly watch for mouse wheel messages or use current versions of the standard Windows GUI controls, such as scroll bars.
And here's the problem: FrameMaker, being an old cross-platform application, does neither. So by default, the mouse wheel should not work in FM -- at all.
But why then DOES it work sometimes? That's because the user installed an ADDITIONAL mouse driver that translates mouse wheel messages into scroll bar messages, or some other kind of input. Microsoft IntelliPoint does that, and also (apparently) the Logitech drivers.
Drivers and Versions
Depending on the individual driver and version, however, there may be some guesswork and silent assumptions involved on what constitutes, for instance, a scroll bar. The version used by FM may be so old, weird, or whatever, that some drivers don't recognize it, and thus don't correctly create scroll bar messages for mouse wheel input.
The obvious choice is to try the latest version of driver software, and to make sure that your driver matches the manufacturer of the mouse. But note that it's been reported that later Logitech drivers failed, while others worked.
Some users report that going back to older versions is what worked, or that certain combinations of operating system, Frame version work. For instance, it has been reported that FrameMaker 6 and the Microsoft IntelliPoint Mouse Driver version 3.2 work in Windows 2000.
Another working combination is FrameMaker 7, Windows XP, the IntelliMouse Optical mouse, and IntelliPoint driver 4.1.
Summary
It should become clear that there is no clear-cut solution, and, if your mouse is going to work on your system at all, it will require some experimenting with drivers. My suggestion is to try the latest, then work your way backward.
==============
Contributors: R. VanDyke, Sean, Dov, Tim