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ALT-A no longer an option

Philip von Gontard

Latest release R27.24 seems to have removed a handy ALT-A shortcut to save a register transaction. Any reason why they eliminated such a useful feature?

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Quicken Sarah

Hello All,

The Alt+A keyboard shortcut key has been restored in the R28.10 release.

The R28.10 is now being made available to Users in a staged release format.

If you would prefer not to wait for the update to be made available for all users, please download and install the Mondo Patch, available here.

We appreciate your patience while this issue was under investigation and thank you again for reporting this behavior in the community.

Sarah

All comments

jhl1951

Today my Quicken version was updated to R27.24, Build 27.1.27.24

As I was entering transactions into check register I used to save these with keys ALT-A
This is no longer available and now there is a small disk image in green where you save each transaction.

Please turn on the ALT-A option. It is very convenient.
Thanks

Chris_QPW

Hmm, never knew about Alt+A, it definitely wasn't the standard way to save a transaction. To save a transaction you should be using Enter or Ctrl+Enter.

jhl1951

Good to know.

When you look at the EDIT > Transactions > Save , CTRL-ENTER isn't listed, so how did you get that?

Chris_QPW

Select F1 to bring up help and then Appendixes -> Keyboard shortcuts. It is under Register and Write Checks as "Record a transaction".

volvogirl

Hmmmm, maybe something did get broken. (Removed-Self-Referencing Thread)

NotACPA

Title & OP changed to reflect actual shortcut under discussion. CTRL-A (previous title) still brings up the Account List.

NotACPA

I just now opened QWin R27.24 and discovered that, much to the dismay of my muscle memory, Alt-A no longer works for me either.

Saving a transaction in that manner was such a reflex action for me that I hadn't even realized that I was using it.

Chuck Fraley

I have been using Alt+A as well for years to quickly save a transaction in my register. No idea why it was removed but now instead of that quick keyboard combination, one has to remove their from the keyboard and select Save with the mouse. Not the end of the world, but I don't understand why Alt+A was removed.

volvogirl

Use Ctrl+Enter. That's what most of us have been using.

Eugene King

I have been using ALT-A for a long time, as suggested by someone else, it is in my muscle memory. It was convenient. I guess I will switch to CTRL-enter until they decide to eliminate that. I hope there was a really good reason to eliminate ALT-A. Annoying when things seem to change randomly.

Chris_QPW

Alt anything seems "inconsistent". Alt is generally used for menus shortcuts and Ctrl for "commands".

Enter was really what most programs use to "save" things or say "OK".
And that is what Quicken uses, but it is clear they added Ctrl+Enter for the people that want to use Enter to move between fields instead Tab (which the more standard way of moving between fields).

And the reason the added the option to use Enter to move between fields is for the people that are really good/trained at using the keypad for numeric entry.

Maybe at one point they added Alt+a for "add transaction" even though Ctrl+A would be more to the "standard", but of course Ctrl+A was already taken for bring up the account list.

Philip von Gontard

Thanks for all of the supporting comments! I'll adapt as needed and use the Ctrl+Enter.

unknown

(Removed-Rant)

unknown

How do I roll back to a version with a working shortcut? (Removed-Rant)

wgb

Eliminating Alt-A to enter a transaction is a disaster. Enter is on the opposite side of the keyboard. I have used Quicken for 30 years and Alt-A has to be reinstated. PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE!

unknown

ALT+A is a necessary shortcut. It must be restored.

volvogirl

That's why I like Ctrl+Enter. I can use 2 hands without moving them. Seems easier than the right hand reaching over to hit the A and having both hands in the same place or trying to use one hand to hit both keys. But it's whatever you got used to using. When they changed years ago I had to get used to Ctrl+Enter (probably from just Enter)

unknown

> @volvogirl said:
> That's why I like Ctrl+Enter. I can use 2 hands without moving them. Seems easier than the right hand reaching over to hit the A and having both hands in the same place or trying to use one hand to hit both keys. But it's whatever you got used to using. When they changed years ago I had to get used to Ctrl+Enter (probably from just Enter)

It's a matter of personal preference. Legacy users like myself have used and preferred to use ALT+A (one hand, thumb & forefinger). Unless Quicken can offer a valid reason for its removal, it should be restored ASAP.

Chris_QPW

EPICFAIL said:

ALT+A is a necessary shortcut. It must be restored.

And what are you going to do if they decide they don't want to?

unknown

Terminate my sub, rollback my install to a working non-sub version of the program, and manually enter my tx if necessary. But having just spent four (!) hours on the phone with programming level tech support, I'm still hopeful Quicken will issue a correction to this poorly considered unnecessary mod.

unknown

> @Chris_QPW said:
> Alt anything seems "inconsistent". Alt is generally used for menus shortcuts and Ctrl for "commands".

It's worth mentioning that ALT+ is the standard executable for Windows Accelerators. And Quicken made that a clear choice on the button itself (see the grab). To replace it with a floppy disc icon is neither a necessity nor an improvement.

Chris_QPW

Hmm. They also removed/changed that button. And if you click on the gear icon or right click you will see that Save no longer has an accelerator/shortcut on it. And notice there isn't another shortcut on that menu that isn't Ctrl+Some thing. Seems pretty deliberate to me.

I have to say Quicken users are strange breed. Deciding to stop using a program because one shortcut is changed.

unknown

> @Chris_QPW said:
> Hmm. They also removed/changed that button. And if you click on the gear icon or right click you will see that Save no longer has an accelerator/shortcut on it. And notice there isn't another shortcut on that menu that isn't Ctrl+Some thing. Seems pretty deliberate to me.>

Yes, they removed the button (and its shortcut) and replaced it with a floppy disc icon requiring a mouse-click. Precisely why we're here having this discussion.

> I have to say Quicken users are strange breed. Deciding to stop using a program because one shortcut is changed.>

A program that once cost $70 every three years, now priced at $100 annually, in which unwelcome changes like this are forced on long time users like me without consultation, warning, or option does not make us "a strange breed." Rather, it makes us the foundation on which this software was built and why it still exists. With all the options available to users new and old, Quicken really shouldn't be working on ways to drive us away with needless, time-wasting frustrations like these.

UKR

I really don't understand why there's such a big fuss about this.

I've been using ENTER to save my new register transactions ever since I got the first Quicken for Windows version.

As suggested, some of you may have to use CTRL-ENTER, but, AFAIK, this applies only if your setting in Edit / Preferences / Data Entry & Quickfill has enabled "use enter key to move between fields".
I did not enable this setting. This allows me to tab between fields and ENTER to save a transaction. Easy peasy.

unknown

> @UKR said:
> I really don't understand why there's such a big fuss about this.I've been using ENTER to save my new register transactions ever since I got the first Quicken for Windows version.As suggested, some of you may have to use CTRL-ENTER, but, AFAIK, this applies only if your setting in Edit / Preferences / Data Entry & Quickfill has enabled "use enter key to move between fields".
> I did not enable this setting. This allows me to tab between fields and ENTER to save a transaction. Easy peasy.<

Users have their preferences. You prefer ENTER, I prefer ALT+A. I have an established workflow after thirty years of using this program as a professional bookkeeper. No user should be forced to surrender their workflow for an unwanted and unnecessary program modification.

Chris_QPW

@EPICFAIL I certainly don't agree with everything the Quicken Developers do. Lots of times they do things that might be considered "dictated by the current GUI police standards" and I think this probably falls into that category. And from what I have seen in the past very little will get them to change their minds once they have decided to do something like that.

But on the other hand there is a constant stream of requests to change Quicken, and a constant stream of requests not to change it. And no matter how much people want for the things they use a certain way never to change, but have the things they want changed, a program like Quicken is a "shared experience" and ultimately the end result is controlled not by the users, but by Quicken Inc's decision of what they think is best. And that may or may not line up with what you or I think.

There was never a promise that Quicken will not change just because you want it that way.

unknown

@Chris_QPW I appreciate the POV, [removed - violation of community guidelines] This is a forum to seek answers to issues and fixes for problems. The restoration of ALT+A is a valid concern for many users, if not for you. So please enjoy Quicken as they serve it to you and let the rest of us push for improvements.

NotACPA

"[removed]?"

What evidence do you have that this decision was made my the programmers???

MUCH more likely that this decision was made WAAYYYY over their heads.

Sherlock

I have yet to upgrade from 26.23, so I have been hesitant to contribute...

There is a behavioral difference between Enter and Ctrl + Enter (or Alt + A) with respect to the cursor location after the keystroke. Enter resets the cursor to the Date column of the next transaction where as Ctrl + Enter (or Alt + A) preserves the column on the transition.

For those interested in a work around, I suggest you consider using an AutoHotkey script to map the Alt + A to Ctrl + Enter:

 
#ifWinActive ahk_exe qw.exe

!A:: ; save
  Send, ^{Enter}

#ifWinActive

unknown

NotACPA said:

"[removed]"
What evidence do you have that this decision was made my the programmers???
MUCH more likely that this decision was made WAAYYYY over their heads.

Consider the change that was made: a command button with an embedded accelerator, replaced by an icon with the same functionality minus the keyboard shortcut. What's the benefit gained vs the benefit lost? Any user can understand a button that reads "SAVE." Changing it to an icon doesn't improve that experience. [removed - rant/violation of community guidelines]