Erasing with back of a Surface pen

Related products: Cross-Device

With my Surface Pro 7 Stylus I can erase by rubbing the back of the pen across the screen (like with a physical pen with an eraser attached), in apps that support this (OneNote, Microsoft Whiteboard). Can Miro be set up to work like this too?

 

It is very frustrating not being able to do this once one has grown accustomed to it.

Thanks for sharing @ProfDavid! Great idea :thumbsup_tone2:

This is so necessary for me now!!!

I would love this feature -- as I think most if not all ppl using a surface device would want/expect.  Once you have a pen with an eraser, it interrupts your flow to have to erase by pausing and clicking other buttons to erase a simple line.

If anyone’s interested in a hacky way to use the Surface Pen to toggle between the pen and eraser in Miro, I made an AutoHotkey script that helps me, at least.

Single-clicking the eraser of the pen switches to “pen mode”, while double-clicking switches to “eraser mode”. It’s not exactly what you’re asking for, but you can flip the pen after double tapping and it’ll at least feel like you’re using the eraser.

AutoHotkey code that works (for me)

SetTitleMatchMode 2
SendMode Input  ; Recommended for new scripts due to its superior speed and reliability.
SetWorkingDir %A_ScriptDir%  ; Ensures a consistent starting directory.

InstallKeybdHook

#IfWinActive Online Whiteboard for Visual Collaboration
*#F20::
    Send p
    Sleep 100
    Send {Space}
return

*#F19::
*#e::
    Send e
return

*#F18::h

#IfWinActive
*#F20::LWin

Update: removed the capslock->~ binding I was using for something else :)

my guess is that we could make Miro do this, if we could capture the “pointerId” attribute of the stylus event, and use one id as the pencil, and the other as the eraser. Not sure if we can do that via a plugin or not.

Hi, just tried to use my surface pen in Miro but it’s really annoying it’s not so surface pen friendly. Please add this functionality, it’s very important!

Not sure if this will help anyone else, but I updated my Autohotkey script.

you will have to set all of the pen’s default button actions to “nothing” in Windows settings for this to work.

With it, the surface pen works like this:

  • Single-clicking the eraser goes to pen mode
  • Double-clicking the eraser goes to eraser mode.
  • Holding down the eraser goes to “hand mode”

You can flip the pen over and use the eraser while erasing. It’s fun, at least :)

The script: 

SetTitleMatchMode 2
SendMode Input  ; Recommended for new scripts due to its superior speed and reliability.
SetWorkingDir %A_ScriptDir%  ; Ensures a consistent starting directory.

#InstallKeybdHook
SetTitleMatchMode, RegEx
#IfWinActive .*Online Whiteboard for Visual Collaboration.*
*#F20::
    Send h
    Sleep 100
    Send p
    Send {Space}        
return

*#F19::
*#e::
    Send e
return

*#F18::h

#IfWinActive
*#F20::LWin

Hello. 

Can somebody explain me how to enter the script into Miro to enable eraser on the surface pen as detailled up here ? 

Is there a way to use AutoHotKeys to automatically switch to the eraser tool when the user hovers above the screen with the eraser end, and switch back to the pen when they hover over the screen with the pen? It would be amazing if this feature could be implemented, since OneNote already has that functionality and I don’t want to keep having to choose the eraser manually.

same need here with a wacom tablet : I am used to have gimp and other apps switching tool with back of the pen… erasing with it (or just changin tool with it) would be great !

 

Hey Miro, stylus support is already implemented for Apple, but not for Windows / Surface Pen - don’t discriminate and get it done, this thread is open for 2 years!

@Alyona FYI ☝️

Thanks so much for taking the time to comment about this feature. We understand the frustration and appreciate your patience. Our team is reviewing this idea as it continues to be open for votes and comments.

 

For those coming across this idea, if you feel this would be helpful for you or your business, please be sure to vote for it and leave a comment about your use case to help our team scope this request!

 

Thank you,

Miro Community Team

Hello! 

It worked automatically for me until a week ago. Suddenly it stopped erasing me and selecting the Surface pen automatically when I picked it up. I don't understand why it used to be able to do it automatically and now it does not. 

Can anyone help me figure out what happened please? 

Hello Miro team!

This eraser feature is the last and only must-have for me before I can totally ditch Microsoft Whiteboard and switch over 100% to Miro on my Surface Pro. I would love to consolidate all my work in Miro. Currently, scribbling and erasing flow poorly on Miro. It’s tiring to keep going back to the side bar to “get” my eraser and then “pick up” the pen afterwards via icons. Someone suggested using the the keyboard shortcuts “E” and “P” for eraser and pen respectively, but unfortunately they are useless for me because I don’t use my keyboard at all when scribbling (I prefer a flat, tablet-like surface). 😞

Having used Miro for over 5 years with now my 3rd Surface Pro device, it would be fantastic if this feature finally becomes part of the product! 🙌🏻 Thank you!

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