GNU bug report logs - #35435
26.1; Gnome magnifier not following cursor when typing in emacs

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Message #5 received at submit <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Eric Danan <eric.danan <at> u-cergy.fr>
To: bug-gnu-emacs <at> gnu.org
Subject: 26.1; Gnome magnifier not following cursor when typing in emacs
Date: Fri, 26 Apr 2019 13:05:41 +0200

Hello,

Due to a visual impairment I constantly work with a screen magnifier 
turned on (in full screen mode), and I need it to track the cursor/caret 
to follow what I am typing.

So far I am using emacs 26.1 on cygwin on windows 10, and the windows 10 
magnifier does the job of tracking the cursor.

I am considering switching to gnome on linux and therefore installed the 
fedora (version 29) distribution to try it out. The gnome (3.30) shell 
magnifier supports cursor tracking and it works in other applications 
but not emacs (26.1).

I previously sent this message to the gnome accessibility list (that was 
a long time ago in 2015, so with earlier versions of emacs and gnome) 
and got a reply from Alex Arnaud stating:

> I've tried to test Emacs with Accercicer (a accessibility debug tool) 
and my conclusion are Emacs doesn't connect it to AT-SPI (accessibility 
stack).

I then wrote to the emacs-devel mailing list 2 months ago and Stefan 
Monnier suggested that I open a bug.

A simple recipe to reproduce the issue is:
- Turn on gnome magnifier from Settings > Universal access,
- Launch emacs
- Start typing in the scratch buffer
As you type, the magnified area would be expected to move to follow the 
cursor, but it does not and at some point the cursor leaves the 
magnified area so you do not see what you are typing anymore.

Please let me know if any further information is needed.

Best regards,

Eric

In GNU Emacs 26.1 (build 1, x86_64-redhat-linux-gnu, GTK+ Version 3.23.2)
 of 2018-08-13 built on buildvm-13.phx2.fedoraproject.org
Windowing system distributor 'Fedora Project', version 11.0.12001000
Recent messages:
Loading 
/usr/share/emacs/site-lisp/site-start.d/desktop-entry-mode-init.el 
(source)...done
For information about GNU Emacs and the GNU system, type C-h C-a.
GNU Emacs 26.1 (build 1, x86_64-redhat-linux-gnu, GTK+ Version 3.23.2) 
of 2018-08-13
You can run the command ‘emacs-version’ with M-x em-v RET
GNU Emacs 26.1 (build 1, x86_64-redhat-linux-gnu, GTK+ Version 3.23.2) 
of 2018-08-13

Configured using:
 'configure --build=x86_64-redhat-linux-gnu
 --host=x86_64-redhat-linux-gnu --program-prefix=
 --disable-dependency-tracking --prefix=/usr --exec-prefix=/usr
 --bindir=/usr/bin --sbindir=/usr/sbin --sysconfdir=/etc
 --datadir=/usr/share --includedir=/usr/include --libdir=/usr/lib64
 --libexecdir=/usr/libexec --localstatedir=/var
 --sharedstatedir=/var/lib --mandir=/usr/share/man
 --infodir=/usr/share/info --with-dbus --with-gif --with-jpeg --with-png
 --with-rsvg --with-tiff --with-xft --with-xpm --with-x-toolkit=gtk3
 --with-gpm=no --with-xwidgets --with-modules
 build_alias=x86_64-redhat-linux-gnu host_alias=x86_64-redhat-linux-gnu
 'CFLAGS=-DMAIL_USE_LOCKF -O2 -g -pipe -Wall -Werror=format-security
 -Wp,-D_FORTIFY_SOURCE=2 -Wp,-D_GLIBCXX_ASSERTIONS -fexceptions
 -fstack-protector-strong -grecord-gcc-switches
 -specs=/usr/lib/rpm/redhat/redhat-hardened-cc1
 -specs=/usr/lib/rpm/redhat/redhat-annobin-cc1 -m64 -mtune=generic
 -fasynchronous-unwind-tables -fstack-clash-protection -fcf-protection'
 LDFLAGS=-Wl,-z,relro
 PKG_CONFIG_PATH=:/usr/lib64/pkgconfig:/usr/share/pkgconfig'

Configured features:
XPM JPEG TIFF GIF PNG RSVG IMAGEMAGICK SOUND DBUS GSETTINGS NOTIFY ACL
LIBSELINUX GNUTLS LIBXML2 FREETYPE M17N_FLT LIBOTF XFT ZLIB
TOOLKIT_SCROLL_BARS GTK3 X11 MODULES THREADS XWIDGETS LCMS2

Important settings:
  value of $LANG: en_US.UTF-8
  value of $XMODIFIERS: @im=ibus
  locale-coding-system: utf-8-unix

Major mode: Lisp Interaction

Minor modes in effect:
  tooltip-mode: t
  global-eldoc-mode: t
  eldoc-mode: t
  electric-indent-mode: t
  mouse-wheel-mode: t
  tool-bar-mode: t
  menu-bar-mode: t
  file-name-shadow-mode: t
  global-font-lock-mode: t
  font-lock-mode: t
  blink-cursor-mode: t
  auto-composition-mode: t
  auto-encryption-mode: t
  auto-compression-mode: t
  line-number-mode: t
  transient-mark-mode: t

Load-path shadows:
None found.

Features:
(shadow sort mail-extr emacsbug message rmc puny seq byte-opt gv
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rfc2045 ietf-drums mm-util mail-prsvr mail-utils elec-pair time-date
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lisp-float-type mwheel term/x-win x-win term/common-win x-dnd tool-bar
dnd fontset image regexp-opt fringe tabulated-list replace newcomment
text-mode elisp-mode lisp-mode prog-mode register page menu-bar
rfn-eshadow isearch timer select scroll-bar mouse jit-lock font-lock
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ethiopic indian cyrillic chinese composite charscript charprop
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custom widget hashtable-print-readable backquote dbusbind inotify lcms2
dynamic-setting system-font-setting font-render-setting xwidget-internal
move-toolbar gtk x-toolkit x multi-tty make-network-process emacs)

Memory information:
((conses 16 96098 11551)
 (symbols 48 20401 1)
 (miscs 40 92 168)
 (strings 32 28397 1053)
 (string-bytes 1 744576)
 (vectors 16 14658)
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 (buffers 992 12))

Message #8 received at 35435 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org>
To: Eric Danan <eric.danan <at> u-cergy.fr>
Cc: 35435 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#35435: 26.1;
 Gnome magnifier not following cursor when typing in emacs
Date: Fri, 26 Apr 2019 14:14:47 +0300

> From: Eric Danan <eric.danan <at> u-cergy.fr>
> Date: Fri, 26 Apr 2019 13:05:41 +0200
> 
> Due to a visual impairment I constantly work with a screen magnifier 
> turned on (in full screen mode), and I need it to track the cursor/caret 
> to follow what I am typing.
> 
> So far I am using emacs 26.1 on cygwin on windows 10, and the windows 10 
> magnifier does the job of tracking the cursor.
> 
> I am considering switching to gnome on linux and therefore installed the 
> fedora (version 29) distribution to try it out. The gnome (3.30) shell 
> magnifier supports cursor tracking and it works in other applications 
> but not emacs (26.1).
> 
> I previously sent this message to the gnome accessibility list (that was 
> a long time ago in 2015, so with earlier versions of emacs and gnome) 
> and got a reply from Alex Arnaud stating:
> 
>  > I've tried to test Emacs with Accercicer (a accessibility debug tool) 
> and my conclusion are Emacs doesn't connect it to AT-SPI (accessibility 
> stack).

The Windows port of Emacs has special code to move the system caret in
sync with the cursor.  I guess the X build should have something
similar, patches are welcome to implement that.

Message #13 received at 35435 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Eric Danan <eric.danan <at> u-cergy.fr>
To: Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org>
Cc: Alex ARNAUD <alex <at> arnaud.link>, 35435 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#35435: 26.1; Gnome magnifier not following cursor when typing
 in emacs
Date: Thu, 2 May 2019 10:17:38 +0200

Thanks for your reply. I don't have the knowledge (neither on the emacs 
code nor on X) to prepare such a patch, and I of course understand if no 
one else can do it, but I an otherwise happy to test things if that can 
help.

(Also cc'ing Alex Arnaud, which I forgot to do the first time.)

On 2019-04-26 13:14, Eli Zaretskii wrote:
>> From: Eric Danan <eric.danan <at> u-cergy.fr>
>> Date: Fri, 26 Apr 2019 13:05:41 +0200
>>
>> Due to a visual impairment I constantly work with a screen magnifier
>> turned on (in full screen mode), and I need it to track the cursor/caret
>> to follow what I am typing.
>>
>> So far I am using emacs 26.1 on cygwin on windows 10, and the windows 10
>> magnifier does the job of tracking the cursor.
>>
>> I am considering switching to gnome on linux and therefore installed the
>> fedora (version 29) distribution to try it out. The gnome (3.30) shell
>> magnifier supports cursor tracking and it works in other applications
>> but not emacs (26.1).
>>
>> I previously sent this message to the gnome accessibility list (that was
>> a long time ago in 2015, so with earlier versions of emacs and gnome)
>> and got a reply from Alex Arnaud stating:
>>
>>   > I've tried to test Emacs with Accercicer (a accessibility debug tool)
>> and my conclusion are Emacs doesn't connect it to AT-SPI (accessibility
>> stack).
> 
> The Windows port of Emacs has special code to move the system caret in
> sync with the cursor.  I guess the X build should have something
> similar, patches are welcome to implement that.
> 

Message #16 received at 35435 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Eric Danan <eric.danan <at> u-cergy.fr>
To: Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org>
Cc: Alex ARNAUD <alex <at> arnaud.link>, 35435 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#35435: 26.1; Gnome magnifier not following cursor when typing
 in emacs
Date: Mon, 3 Feb 2020 10:49:15 +0000

Hello,

For the record, it seems that cursor tracking does not work with the Mac 
OS magnifier ("zoom") either when typing in Emacs. I tested this with a 
Mac OS 10.15 virtual machine and installing Emacs from the following 
sources:

* emacsformacosx.com

* Homebrew:
** brew cask install emacs: I was not able to complete the installation 
for some reason but it is the same as emacsformacosx.com if I understand 
correctly
** brew install emacs-plus
** brew install emacs-mac

* Mac Ports
** sudo port install emacs-app
** sudo port install emacs-app-devel
** sudo port install emacs-mac-app

On the other hand, cursor tracking worked correctly in e.g. the Safari 
browser. So I guess the Mac port of Emacs does not have the "special 
code to move the system caret in sync with the cursor" that the Windows 
port has.

Eric

On 2019-05-02 09:17, Eric Danan wrote:
> Thanks for your reply. I don't have the knowledge (neither on the emacs 
> code nor on X) to prepare such a patch, and I of course understand if no 
> one else can do it, but I an otherwise happy to test things if that can 
> help.
> 
> (Also cc'ing Alex Arnaud, which I forgot to do the first time.)
> 
> On 2019-04-26 13:14, Eli Zaretskii wrote:
>>> From: Eric Danan <eric.danan <at> u-cergy.fr>
>>> Date: Fri, 26 Apr 2019 13:05:41 +0200
>>>
>>> Due to a visual impairment I constantly work with a screen magnifier
>>> turned on (in full screen mode), and I need it to track the cursor/caret
>>> to follow what I am typing.
>>>
>>> So far I am using emacs 26.1 on cygwin on windows 10, and the windows 10
>>> magnifier does the job of tracking the cursor.
>>>
>>> I am considering switching to gnome on linux and therefore installed the
>>> fedora (version 29) distribution to try it out. The gnome (3.30) shell
>>> magnifier supports cursor tracking and it works in other applications
>>> but not emacs (26.1).
>>>
>>> I previously sent this message to the gnome accessibility list (that was
>>> a long time ago in 2015, so with earlier versions of emacs and gnome)
>>> and got a reply from Alex Arnaud stating:
>>>
>>>   > I've tried to test Emacs with Accercicer (a accessibility debug 
>>> tool)
>>> and my conclusion are Emacs doesn't connect it to AT-SPI (accessibility
>>> stack).
>>
>> The Windows port of Emacs has special code to move the system caret in
>> sync with the cursor.  I guess the X build should have something
>> similar, patches are welcome to implement that.
>>

Message #19 received at 35435 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Stefan Kangas <stefan <at> marxist.se>
To: Eric Danan <eric.danan <at> u-cergy.fr>
Cc: Alex ARNAUD <alex <at> arnaud.link>, Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org>,
 35435 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#35435: 26.1; Gnome magnifier not following cursor when
 typing in emacs
Date: Tue, 04 Feb 2020 01:51:22 +0100

Eric Danan <eric.danan <at> u-cergy.fr> writes:

> For the record, it seems that cursor tracking does not work with the Mac OS
> magnifier ("zoom") either when typing in Emacs. I tested this with a Mac OS
> 10.15 virtual machine and installing Emacs from the following sources:

My guess is that this is unrelated to the issue with the Gnome
magnifier, since macOS uses a different GUI toolkit.  I would
therefore suggest that you file a new bug report to track this issue.

Best regards,
Stefan Kangas

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