Editing metadata fields allows only one character to be typed

[Chet Dunaway]

I'm running Calibre 4.3.0 on Windows 10 Home 64-bit Version 10.0.18362 Build 18362.

Since version 4.2.0, when I try to edit metadata Series or Tags fields I can enter only a single character, at which point I am presented with a pick list of existing content from which to choose. If I click the cursor in the field just after the character entered, I can enter one more character only. This click, type, repeat process is the only way to enter new data. Please return the behavior to the way it worked prior to v4.2.0.

[Kovid Goyal (kovid)]

I cannot replicate this on my win10 machine. Do you have some unusual
software that interferes with keyboard/mouse functioning installed? Such
as assistive software?

 status incomplete

[Chet Dunaway (ocdunaway)]

I have X-Mouse Button Control (XMBC) installed to allow me to define actions for the side buttons on my 5-button mouse. This software works fine with Calibre 4.1.0, which I reinstalled today.

After receiving your message (via email), I uninstalled XMBC, rebooted the machine and checked again. Calibre 4.1.0 still works correctly. I then installed Calibre 4.2.0 and the problem came back. I then installed Calibre 4.3.0 and the problem remained, again without XMBC installed. As far as I know, the OS is basic Windows 10 Home 64-bit with no other user interface add-ons or special drivers.

Finally, I again reverted to Calibre 4.1.0 and the problem went away. I then reinstalled XMBC (latest version 2.18.8) and Calibre 4.1.0 still works perfectly. I'll stick to Calibre 4.1.0 for now, as it does everything I need. That said, I would be remiss unless I also said thank you for developing this marvelous program.
----------------------------------
Side note: I discovered that replying with the content above to the email message I received resulted in the following:

     Error message:

     The message you sent included commands to modify the bug report,
     but you didn't sign the message with an OpenPGP key that is
     registered in Launchpad.

I logged in to Launchpad to post this comment, something I'll try to remember should such an occasion arise in the future.

[Eli Schwartz (eschwartz)]

That probably happened because you quoted Kovid's message, which
included the text " status incomplete" (note the single space at the
beginning) on its own line. This caused you to accidentally trigger
https://help.launchpad.net/Bugs/EmailInterface

The easiest solution is to just remove the quoted email you are replying
to. They serve no purpose on the bug tracker. ;)

[Kovid Goyal (kovid)]

There must be something, that is causing this behavior only on your
system. Try running in Safe mode, see if that changes things.

[Chet Dunaway (ocdunaway)]

At your suggestion, I uninstalled Calibre 4.1.0, reinstalled 4.2.0, and verified the problem returned. I then booted into Safe Mode and found that the problem did not occur. I rebooted normally and the problem reappeared. Apparently there is something about my configuration that is interfering with this aspect of Calibre operation, but only in 4.2.0 and later.

I will look into this further and report if I find the culprit. If you have any suggestions to aid in this effort, they would be appreciated.

[Eli Schwartz (eschwartz)]

It will most likely be some application which is autostarted at boot by
default, and is not being started when Windows rebooted into safe mode.

Try starting those programs one by one, and each time see if calibre
still works. This will let you determine exactly which program is
conflicting with calibre.

It is the same general issue described in
https://manual.calibre-ebook.com/faq.html#calibre-freezes-crashes-occasionally

(Except that in your case, the program is not crashing, just failing to
work properly.)

[Chet Dunaway (ocdunaway)]

Thanks to Eli -
After reading the referenced article, I tried the 32-bit version of Calibre 4.3 and found that it works correctly. The problem occurs only with the 64-bit version of 4.2 or later.

The article also mentioned incompatibility with Wacom branded USB tablets. I have the drivers for a Wacom Bamboo Pen and Touch installed because I use it occasionally for Photoshop editing. I'll check to see if that's the issue with the 64-bit version of Calibre.

[Chet Dunaway (ocdunaway)]

Update - stopped Wacom service, disabled driver startup, and rebooted, but problem remains. More digging to do.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

[Expired for calibre because there has been no activity for 60 days.]