Make Backspace equivalent to Delete on all platforms

• Nov 10, 2019 - 21:03
Reported version
3.x-dev
Type
Ergonomical (UX)
Frequency
Once
Severity
S5 - Suggestion
Reproducibility
Always
Status
active
Regression
No
Workaround
Yes
Project

Select any object (not text) in MuseScore and press the Backspace key (not the Delete key).

  • Result on macOS: the object is deleted.
  • Result on other platforms: nothing happens.

Mac computers do not have a Delete key, hence Backspace is used instead. However, Delete still works on macOS if you have it (e.g. via a USB keyboard or fn+Backspace combination).

PCs traditionally have both keys, but not always, especially on smaller laptops and Chromebooks. Naturally, if you run Windows or Linux on Mac hardware (e.g. via Bootcamp or virtual machine) then you will be missing a Delete key.

Backspace is the obvious key to use when Delete is missing. The lesson from macOS is that there doesn't appear to be any disadvantage to enabling Backspace even when Delete is not missing.

Workaround: fn+Backspace or Alt+Backspace can sometimes be used to simulate Delete on keyboards that don't have it, but people should not have to resort to special key combinations just to delete stuff.


Comments

Well, one thing is the Backspace then no longer functions as Undo in note input mode, which is really fine by me. Functioning as Delete is the same thing in many cases, and of course the usual Ctrl+Z still works.

On macOS you don't have to choose: Backspace works as Undo in note input mode, as delete in normal edit mode, and it still has its traditional role in text edit mode.

I guess that's because it's hardcoded that way into the program for macOS, where in my case I did this by customizing the Delete shortcut to add Backspace as an alternate. Unless for Mac it really is just using the separate shortcuts file, I'm still not clear on how that works,