QSO Data Entry

The QSO entry boxes contain exchange information about pending QSOs. The row of text entry fields has items for the received call and other exchange entry fields. The number and type of the exchange fields depend on the contest name. Each of the entry fields has a help tag that identifies what is expected as content. The two QSO entry boxes are identical and create the same information in your log, with the exception that SkookumLogger keeps track of which box created each QSO. The only place where this flag is used is the statistics report.

You can use the mouse to change keyboard focus to any of the QSO entry fields, or use the keyboard to move focus left and right. The tab key moves keyboard focus to the next field on the right, or to the first field when the last field has focus. Shift-tab moves keyboard focus in the other direction. Tapping the spacebar acts like the tab key, except that it skips over signal report entry fields. The Notes entry field accepts anything you can type, including spaces, so you need to use the tab key or the mouse to navigate out of that field. Log ► Focus Call Field jumps keyboard focus to the call field for the active QSO entry box.

Note: Entry field navigation in the ARRL Sweepstakes contest is slightly different from other contests. Initially the call field is focused. The spacebar then jumps focus to the first field (number), and thereafter spacebar behaviors as above until the navigation logic is reset by logging a QSO or clearing the entry box.

Standard macOS behavior when a non-empty text entry field becomes focused is to select all of the existing text. SkookumLogger overrides this behavior for the call field and for report fields:

When the call field becomes focused and the content contains a question mark, then the question mark is selected. Otherwise the content is deselected and the cursor is positioned at the location it had when the call field lost focus.
When a report field becomes focused and the content has at least two characters, the second character (the ‘S’ digit) is selected

In addition, the Position cursor at end of entry field option in Logging preferences changes the standard behavior for all other entry fields.

The arrow keys are helpful when editing content in a focuses text entry field:

All arrow keys first deselect the content.

Up move the insertion point to the beginning of the content.
Down moves the insertion point to the end of the content.
Left move the insertion point over the previous character, or to the beginning of the content if it was selected.
Right moves the insertion point over the next character, or to the end of the contest if it was selected.

There are many other MacOS text editing keyboard shortcuts that involve modifier keys. In addition, MacOS text fields also supports many emacs keyboard commands.

When keyboard focus leaves the call field, SkookumLogger searches your log and your Exchange database for previous QSOs with that call and uses the results to pre-fill other QSO entry fields. When a field content is set this way, the background color for the field is changed to the Entry field background highlight color defined in Logging preferences. When using the Call Stacking feature, separate calls with a comma. You can also set radio modes and frequencies, and rotator bearing, using text commands .

The QSO entry fields have formatters that affect what happens as you type. The behavior of a formatter depends on what kind of information SkookumLogger expects for the field. All formatters define a list of acceptable characters and silently ignore all other characters. For example, a serial number field accepts only digits.

Press the return key to log a QSO with the data in the entry box with keyboard focus, and clear the the entry fields. SkookumLogger will not stop you from logging incomplete QSOs unless you enable the Refuse to log incomplete QSOs option in Logging preferences. The log document is automatically saved after adding a QSO.

Also see: