Mame button configs (Menu and Pause)

[Dazz]

I just did a new compile of MAME 127u3.  I normally have my TAB key setup in the Mame config for the UI to both bring up the Mame config menu and also as Pause.  This way when I go into the menu it pauses the game at the same time.  This has worked beautifully in the past.  However with this new compile when I press TAB to bring up the Mame menu, the game is not being paused until I press TAB again.  Hitting TAB the second time does pause the game, but it also exits the Mame config menu. 

How can I get Mame to realize that I want to bring the menu up and also pause the current game at the same time?

[DeLuSioNal29]

The only thing I can think of off hand (blind, wild guess here), is assign the pause key as the tab button FIRST, and then the P key.  Not the other way around.  Perhaps it needs to be the first button assigned in the setup.  Even better, remove the normal pause button "P" and just assign the tab key to see what happens.  If it works then add the normal pause button "P" to troubleshoot.

~ D

[u_rebelscum]

Interesting. 

Short answer: press the tab button slower.

Long answer: I thought I wasn't having any problems with "P or Tab" mapped for pause and pressing tab, and then I started pressing and releasing the tab key faster.  If I press tab quickly, sometimes mame doesn't pause when going into the UI menu.  If I press and release tab slowly, the game pauses and I go into the UI menu (actually, the pause toggles).  Coming out of the menu with tab seems to always toggle pause.

Could you give a reference to when it last "worked beautifully"?

BTW, why do you always want to pause when you go into the UI menu?  Hopefully the stuff you change are a set and forget once only stuff, and hopefully that's done before you get in the middle of a game.  (I know auto pausing might help as a better UI in most players cases, but I don't see it for developers.)  If you want it that bad, and can find when it last worked as you want, you might want to post it as a minor (or feature) bug at mametesters.

[u_rebelscum]

The only thing I can think of off hand (blind, wild guess here), is assign the pause key as the tab button FIRST, and then the P key.  Not the other way around.  Perhaps it needs to be the first button assigned in the setup.  Even better, remove the normal pause button "P" and just assign the tab key to see what happens.  If it works then add the normal pause button "P" to troubleshoot.

Didn't change anything for me. 

More testing, 0.119 usually works (pauses & brings up UI), but not always.  However, exiting UI with tab fails (doesn't unpause) more often than the other way, although not too often.  Also 0.127u3 sometimes doesn't unpause exiting UI, but not as often as when entering UI + pause. 

[Dazz]

Even better, remove the normal pause button "P" and just assign the tab key to see what happens.  If it works then add the normal pause button "P" to troubleshoot.

~ D

This is how I normally have it set...  In the Mame menu I assign the TAB button to bring up the Mame Menu and I also bind TAB to Pause.  This way it pauses the game when I go into the Mame Main Menu.  Instead of having 2 keys on my cabinet to do this setting it up like this only requires 1 key to be assigned for both functions.  My son uses pause all the time and I like having the game paused when I am working in the Menu.

This is strange....  The first time I press TAB it brings up the Mame Menu (game still running), if I hit it again it removes the Menu (game still running), if I hit it again (3rd time) it both Pauses the game and brings up the Mame Menu (like it should and has in the past).  If I hit TAB one more time (4th) it un-pauses and closes the menu like it should. 

This worked with my last compile of .126 just fine.

[u_rebelscum]

This is strange....  The first time I press TAB it brings up the Mame Menu (game still running), if I hit it again it removes the Menu (game still running), if I hit it again (3rd time) it both Pauses the game and brings up the Mame Menu (like it should and has in the past).  If I hit TAB one more time (4th) it un-pauses and closes the menu like it should. 

This worked with my last compile of .126 just fine.

Hmm, for me the first time is like yours (always UI menu, never pauses), but every time after, it depends on how long I hold the button (the shorter, the higher chance pause doesn't toggle, the longer the better).  So for me, it's easy to get "out of sync".  (Of course, it's just as easy to get back into sync.)

[DeLuSioNal29]

More testing, 0.119 usually works (pauses & brings up UI), but not always.  However, exiting UI with tab fails (doesn't unpause) more often than the other way, although not too often.  Also 0.127u3 sometimes doesn't unpause exiting UI, but not as often as when entering UI + pause. 

You know, now that you mention it, I get the same results with 0.119.  It just never really bothered me much, since I already have a dedicated pause button on my panel.  When I pressed tab and it didn't pause, I simply hit the pause button.  I don't use tab often anyway, so again, didn't bother me much.

~ D