NUM-LOCK issue with DOS based App 1

[ruster]

Hello All,

I have a client that uses a DOS based app on a Citrix Server for data input. If the user enables the Num-Lock key before starting the ICA session, when the application loads, she needs to disable Num-Lock for it to output numerical values using the keypad. If the user starts the ICA session with the Num-Lock disabled, once the app loads, the user must enable Num-Lock to output numerical values using the keypad. In other words, regardless of the mode the keyboard reflects the num-lock being in(enabled or disabled), the Num-Lock key has to be depressed again within the ICA session to activate it. Does anyone have a solution to have the Num-Lock mode accurately reflect the mode selected on the keyboard.

Thanks.

Ruster.

 

[CitrixEngineer]

Are you effectively saying that this application reverses the current state of the Numlock key?

Since it is a DOS app, I would think that there is an *.ini file setting for the program to make key state comparisons with - and somehow the app is misreading what NT is telling it.

What happens if you run the app on an NT workstation? Does the same issue show itself?

Does the same thing happen via a terminal server client, or is this issue purely Citrix related?

I hope this helps

 

[ruster]

Hello CitrixEngineer,

Thank you for your comments. I actually got in contact with Citrix regarding this matter. According to the technician I spoke to, the problem is affiliated with the fact that the ICA client does not pass the state of the Num-Lock to the Citrix Session. When a new session is launched on a Terminal Server,the server will always start with a default setting of the Num-lock being disabled. The existing ICA client as it was developed, does not incorporate any logic to determine the local system's Num-lock state. As the server is unaware of the state of the key, and by default assumes that it is disabled, the session expects that the Num-Lock be depressed again before it will activate it, regardless of the fact that on the local side it is already activated. There is a vbs script released by Microsoft that can be used to automatically switch the state of the Num-Lock to 'On'. Information pertaining to this script can be found in Microsofts Q article Q262625. (Note: even though this article references Windows 2000 as the applicable OS, it does function as well on a TS NT4 environment as long as the Script Engine is upgraded).

Ruster.