How can I make the scroll wheel work in FrameMaker?

(This FAQ is taken directly from the FrameMaker forum at Adobe Forums.)

Introduction

Repeatedly, folks post about the scroll-wheel on their mouse not working in FrameMaker, while they state it does work in other software. First, it needs to be said that is not a universal that scroll wheels don't work in FrameMaker. Some users do report that they work fine.

Background

Windows 98 and up have mouse wheel support build into the operating system. However, in order to profit from this mouse wheel support, applications must either explicitly watch for mouse wheel messages or use current versions of the standard Windows GUI controls, such as scroll bars.

And here's the problem: FrameMaker, being an old cross-platform application, does neither. So by default, the mouse wheel should not work in FM -- at all.

But why then DOES it work sometimes? That's because the user installed an ADDITIONAL mouse driver that translates mouse wheel messages into scroll bar messages, or some other kind of input. Microsoft IntelliPoint does that, and also (apparently) the Logitech drivers.

Drivers and Versions

Depending on the individual driver and version, however, there may be some guesswork and silent assumptions involved on what constitutes, for instance, a scroll bar. The version used by FM may be so old, weird, or whatever, that some drivers don't recognize it, and thus don't correctly create scroll bar messages for mouse wheel input.

The obvious choice is to try the latest version of driver software, and to make sure that your driver matches the manufacturer of the mouse. But note that it's been reported that later Logitech drivers failed, while others worked.

Some users report that going back to older versions is what worked, or that certain combinations of operating system, Frame version work. For instance, it has been reported that FrameMaker 6 and the Microsoft IntelliPoint Mouse Driver version 3.2 work in Windows 2000.

Another working combination is FrameMaker 7, Windows XP, the IntelliMouse Optical mouse, and IntelliPoint driver 4.1.

Summary

It should become clear that there is no clear-cut solution, and, if your mouse is going to work on your system at all, it will require some experimenting with drivers. My suggestion is to try the latest, then work your way backward.

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Contributors: R. VanDyke, Sean, Dov, Tim


Additional info from the Frameusers list:

Subject: ANN: Download Logitech MouseWare v9.421
From: "Lester C. Smalley" <lsmalley@infocon.com>
Date: Wed, 16 Jul 2003 15:13:03 -0400

Get your mouse's scroll wheel to function in FrameMaker by downloading Logitech MouseWare

INFOCON is pleased to announce the availability of MouseWare, v9.421, for download from our website at http://www.infocon.com/. This is the last version that supports scroll wheels within FrameMaker, but is not the most recent version Logitech has released. The download is offered simply as a convenience to others, and INFOCON makes no warranties or representations of any kind regarding this software.

The link is on the homepage to retrieve this self-extracting ZIP file, (approximately 4.3 MB). This file was provided through the generosity of Mike Wickham at Pleco Press (http://www.plecopress.com) and we thank him.

Many users in these forums have complained that the scroll wheel does not function in FrameMaker, but does work in other applications. The mouse drivers in this package enable scrolling in FrameMaker and we have tested it in FrameMaker/FM+SGML 5.56 and 6, and FrameMaker 7 with mice from Logitech, Kensington and Microsoft, and found no problems in Windows 98, NT, 2000 and XP. We did not do any checking specifically with other applications, so "caveat emptor" for your own environment.

While we believe that this will work with most scrolling wheel mice, INFOCON does not make any representations or guarantees to that effect. Please be aware that there may be unintended consequences, and this may not support all the features or capabilities of specific mice (especially newer models). Also as this is the product of Logitech and not the currently available version their website offers, support is probably not available from any source. Use at your own risk.


More information - January 2004

There also is freeware driver called "FreeWheel" that apparently works quite well with any mouse. See

http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/2060/freewheel.html

Additional info from SnowWolf:

You could try an application called KatMouse. It enables you to scroll in Frame. Is working fine here on several machines.

You can find it at http://eduard.hiti.bei.t-online.de/.