diff --git a/include/wx/osx/cocoa/private.h b/include/wx/osx/cocoa/private.h
index 18267fda31..bd4f07ff81 100644
--- a/include/wx/osx/cocoa/private.h
+++ b/include/wx/osx/cocoa/private.h
@@ -50,6 +50,7 @@ class WXDLLIMPEXP_FWD_CORE wxDialog;
 class WXDLLIMPEXP_CORE wxWidgetCocoaImpl : public wxWidgetImpl
 {
 public :
+    wxWidgetCocoaImpl( wxWindowMac* peer , WXWidget w, bool isRootControl, bool isUserPane, bool wantsUserKey ) ;
     wxWidgetCocoaImpl( wxWindowMac* peer , WXWidget w, bool isRootControl = false, bool isUserPane = false ) ;
     wxWidgetCocoaImpl() ;
     ~wxWidgetCocoaImpl();
diff --git a/include/wx/osx/core/private.h b/include/wx/osx/core/private.h
index af0657ce8f..ba3a9e70dd 100644
--- a/include/wx/osx/core/private.h
+++ b/include/wx/osx/core/private.h
@@ -216,6 +216,7 @@ protected :
 class WXDLLIMPEXP_CORE wxWidgetImpl : public wxObject
 {
 public :
+    wxWidgetImpl( wxWindowMac* peer , bool isRootControl, bool isUserPane, bool wantsUserKey );
     wxWidgetImpl( wxWindowMac* peer , bool isRootControl = false, bool isUserPane = false );
     wxWidgetImpl();
     virtual ~wxWidgetImpl();
@@ -224,8 +225,12 @@ public :
 
     bool                IsRootControl() const { return m_isRootControl; }
     
+    // is a completely control that has all events handled in wx code, no built-ins
     bool                IsUserPane() const { return m_isUserPane; }
 
+    // we are doing keyboard handling in wx code, other events might be handled natively
+    virtual bool        HasUserKeyHandling() const { return m_wantsUserKey; }
+    
     wxWindowMac*        GetWXPeer() const { return m_wxPeer; }
 
     bool IsOk() const { return GetWXWidget() != NULL; }
@@ -572,6 +577,7 @@ public :
 protected :
     bool                m_isRootControl;
     bool                m_isUserPane;
+    bool                m_wantsUserKey;
     wxWindowMac*        m_wxPeer;
     bool                m_needsFocusRect;
     bool                m_needsFrame;
diff --git a/src/osx/cocoa/glcanvas.mm b/src/osx/cocoa/glcanvas.mm
index de9ff18901..74bb5a9386 100644
--- a/src/osx/cocoa/glcanvas.mm
+++ b/src/osx/cocoa/glcanvas.mm
@@ -140,6 +140,15 @@ WXGLPixelFormat WXGLChoosePixelFormat(const int *GLAttrs,
     return YES;
 }
 
+// for special keys
+
+- (void)doCommandBySelector:(SEL)aSelector
+{
+    wxWidgetCocoaImpl* impl = (wxWidgetCocoaImpl* ) wxWidgetImpl::FindFromWXWidget( self );
+    if (impl)
+        impl->doCommandBySelector(aSelector, self, _cmd);
+}
+
 @end
 
 bool wxGLCanvas::DoCreate(wxWindow *parent,
@@ -149,7 +158,6 @@ bool wxGLCanvas::DoCreate(wxWindow *parent,
                           long style,
                           const wxString& name)
 {
-
     DontCreatePeer();
     
     if ( !wxWindow::Create(parent, id, pos, size, style, name) )
@@ -159,13 +167,12 @@ bool wxGLCanvas::DoCreate(wxWindow *parent,
     NSRect r = wxOSXGetFrameForControl( this, pos , size ) ;
     wxNSCustomOpenGLView* v = [[wxNSCustomOpenGLView alloc] initWithFrame:r];
     
-    wxWidgetCocoaImpl* c = new wxWidgetCocoaImpl( this, v );
+    wxWidgetCocoaImpl* c = new wxWidgetCocoaImpl( this, v, false, false, true /* wants key events */ );
     SetPeer(c);
     MacPostControlCreate(pos, size) ;
     return true;
 }
 
-
 wxGLCanvas::~wxGLCanvas()
 {
     if ( m_glFormat )
diff --git a/src/osx/cocoa/window.mm b/src/osx/cocoa/window.mm
index 45cfdd7c37..eba0c50235 100644
--- a/src/osx/cocoa/window.mm
+++ b/src/osx/cocoa/window.mm
@@ -897,7 +897,7 @@ static void SetDrawingEnabledIfFrozenRecursive(wxWidgetCocoaImpl *impl, bool ena
 - (BOOL) canBecomeKeyView
 {
     wxWidgetCocoaImpl* viewimpl = (wxWidgetCocoaImpl* ) wxWidgetImpl::FindFromWXWidget( self );
-    if ( viewimpl && viewimpl->IsUserPane() && viewimpl->GetWXPeer() )
+    if ( viewimpl && viewimpl->HasUserKeyHandling() && viewimpl->GetWXPeer() )
         return viewimpl->GetWXPeer()->AcceptsFocus();
     return NO;
 }
@@ -2101,7 +2101,7 @@ void wxCocoaGesturesImpl::TouchesEnded(NSEvent* event)
 void wxWidgetCocoaImpl::insertText(NSString* text, WXWidget slf, void *_cmd)
 {
     bool result = false;
-    if ( IsUserPane() && !m_hasEditor && [text length] > 0)
+    if ( HasUserKeyHandling() && !m_hasEditor && [text length] > 0)
     {
         if ( m_lastKeyDownEvent!=NULL && [text isEqualToString:[m_lastKeyDownEvent characters]])
         {
@@ -2190,7 +2190,7 @@ bool wxWidgetCocoaImpl::performKeyEquivalent(WX_NSEvent event, WXWidget slf, voi
 
 bool wxWidgetCocoaImpl::acceptsFirstResponder(WXWidget slf, void *_cmd)
 {
-    if ( IsUserPane() )
+    if ( HasUserKeyHandling() )
         return m_wxPeer->AcceptsFocus();
     else
     {
@@ -2512,8 +2512,8 @@ void wxOSXCocoaClassAddWXMethods(Class c, wxOSXSkipOverrides skipFlags)
 
 wxIMPLEMENT_DYNAMIC_CLASS(wxWidgetCocoaImpl , wxWidgetImpl);
 
-wxWidgetCocoaImpl::wxWidgetCocoaImpl( wxWindowMac* peer , WXWidget w, bool isRootControl, bool isUserPane ) :
-    wxWidgetImpl( peer, isRootControl, isUserPane )
+wxWidgetCocoaImpl::wxWidgetCocoaImpl( wxWindowMac* peer , WXWidget w, bool isRootControl, bool isUserPane, bool wantsKey ) :
+    wxWidgetImpl( peer, isRootControl, isUserPane, wantsKey )
 {
     Init();
     m_osxView = w;
@@ -2528,6 +2528,23 @@ wxWidgetCocoaImpl::wxWidgetCocoaImpl( wxWindowMac* peer , WXWidget w, bool isRoo
     [m_osxView release];
 }
 
+wxWidgetCocoaImpl::wxWidgetCocoaImpl( wxWindowMac* peer , WXWidget w, bool isRootControl, bool isUserPane ) :
+wxWidgetImpl( peer, isRootControl, isUserPane )
+{
+    Init();
+    m_osxView = w;
+    
+    // check if the user wants to create the control initially hidden
+    if ( !peer->IsShown() )
+        SetVisibility(false);
+    
+    // gc aware handling
+    if ( m_osxView )
+        CFRetain(m_osxView);
+    [m_osxView release];
+}
+
+
 wxWidgetCocoaImpl::wxWidgetCocoaImpl()
 {
     Init();
@@ -3658,7 +3675,7 @@ bool wxWidgetCocoaImpl::DoHandleKeyEvent(NSEvent *event)
             return true;
     }
 
-    if ( IsUserPane() && [event type] == NSKeyDown)
+    if ( HasUserKeyHandling() && [event type] == NSKeyDown)
     {
         // Don't fire wxEVT_KEY_DOWN here in order to allow IME to intercept
         // some key events. If the event is not handled by IME, either
diff --git a/src/osx/window_osx.cpp b/src/osx/window_osx.cpp
index be965a4890..f6b8dde4b0 100644
--- a/src/osx/window_osx.cpp
+++ b/src/osx/window_osx.cpp
@@ -2223,7 +2223,7 @@ void wxWindowMac::MacRepositionScrollBars()
 
 bool wxWindowMac::AcceptsFocus() const
 {
-    if ( GetPeer() == NULL || GetPeer()->IsUserPane() )
+    if ( GetPeer() == NULL || GetPeer()->HasUserKeyHandling() )
         return wxWindowBase::AcceptsFocus();
     else
         return GetPeer()->CanFocus();
@@ -2742,10 +2742,20 @@ void wxWidgetImpl::RemoveAssociation(WXWidget control)
 wxIMPLEMENT_ABSTRACT_CLASS(wxWidgetImpl, wxObject);
 
 wxWidgetImpl::wxWidgetImpl( wxWindowMac* peer , bool isRootControl, bool isUserPane )
+{
+    Init();
+    m_isRootControl = isRootControl;
+    m_wantsUserKey = m_isUserPane = isUserPane;
+    m_wxPeer = peer;
+    m_shouldSendEvents = true;
+}
+
+wxWidgetImpl::wxWidgetImpl( wxWindowMac* peer , bool isRootControl, bool isUserPane, bool wantsUserKey )
 {
     Init();
     m_isRootControl = isRootControl;
     m_isUserPane = isUserPane;
+    m_wantsUserKey = wantsUserKey;
     m_wxPeer = peer;
     m_shouldSendEvents = true;
 }