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    Keyboard shortcuts (WRSTF)

    • Started by ChappyHappy
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    • Registered: 01-Dec-2009
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    Hey, I noticed this isn't in the "Switch from _____ to Colemak" section. The WRSTF keys.

    You only mentioned AZXCVB in keeping continuity but didnt mention WRSTF. These keys are commonly used when surfing...well S is for word processing. Granted those keys arent the same place as on QWERTY but they are still easily accessible with the only the left hand (compared to Dorvak).

    On a related note, would it have been better to keep WRSTF in their QWERTY positions?
    Would taking a hit on the home row usage, ergo, finger movements, etc be balanced by the similarities for surfing? (have a feeling it wouldnt...but who knows..)

    Last edited by ChappyHappy (10-May-2010 06:01:58)
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    • From: Viken, Norway
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    One of Colemak's ancestors kept the S in its position. Didn't work too well with digraphs. And the R is probably too important to not make the home row.

    Surfing is done in a variety of ways, whereas typing patterns are usually quite similar (unless you've reinvented the touch technique to your own tune somehow). I'm not even sure exactly what it is you're doing with all those keys when surfing! What I usually do is emulate a mouse wheel for the W and R keys, and back/forward keys for the F and P keys which help when surfing regardless of which browser you use. And the G key emulates a left mouse click for when I lose focus for whatever reason.

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    DreymaR said:

    What I usually do is emulate a mouse wheel for the W and R keys, and back/forward keys for the F and P keys which help when surfing regardless of which browser you use. And the G key emulates a left mouse click for when I lose focus for whatever reason.

    How do you achieve that in a browser independent way? Both on Linux and Windows?

    Thanks for sharing.

    Dvorak typist here.  Please take my comments with a grain of salt.

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    • From: Viken, Norway
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    I don't achieve that on Linux, unfortunately. Never said I did. I'm hoping and firmly believing that you can emulate keypresses there but I don't know how to.

    I have a feeling that Linux may be in need of a simple scripting tool like AutoHotkey - but maybe having all those smart people writing in Python and its ilk is enough? I'm really hoping that someone is on this case in the Linux community.

    What I do achieve is browser independence. Using PKL, I send the keystrokes WheelUp/WheelDown which work almost anywhere.

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    I don't *really* understand the argument of similarity. Just as a kind of background: I edit text in the vim text editor, I use Vimperator as my web browser, I typeset documents with LaTeX, i browse files with Midnight Commander and so on. I use the keyboard for a lot of tasks, including shortcut-heavy ones. I've never had a single problem with another layout. It's just about relearning, and takes three to six days, depending on how often you use the program in question.

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    Thanks Dreymar.

    There are alternatives to AHK on Linux. I have not investigated them yet.

    I was more interested about the method you are using to achieve that, since W and R are letters, and you have to use them to enter text too. Did you leave out you are using them with Ctrl? Do you check the active window title to recognize browsers?

    Dvorak typist here.  Please take my comments with a grain of salt.

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    • From: Ann Arbor, MI
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    DreymaR said:

    I have a feeling that Linux may be in need of a simple scripting tool like AutoHotkey - but maybe having all those smart people writing in Python and its ilk is enough? I'm really hoping that someone is on this case in the Linux community.

    xmodmap(1)?

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    • From: Viken, Norway
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    Spremino: Oops. I forgot to mention that I was talking about Extend mode, in which the CapsLock (or another key of your choice) becomes the key to a whole new layout as you probably know. This is one of my favourite things about PKL.

    Jrick: Xmodmap doesn't a scripting tool make. I don't think you can define a new alt state and populate it like with the Extend key in PKL using Xmodmap? Please tell me if I'm wrong.

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    jrick said:

    No. These: xbindkeys + xmacro.

    Dvorak typist here.  Please take my comments with a grain of salt.

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    DreymaR said:

    Spremino: Oops. I forgot to mention that I was talking about Extend mode, in which the CapsLock (or another key of your choice) becomes the key to a whole new layout as you probably know. This is one of my favourite things about PKL.

    Something like this: http://geekhack.org/showwiki.php?title=Island:6491

    DreymaR said:

    Jrick: Xmodmap doesn't a scripting tool make. I don't think you can define a new alt state and populate it like with the Extend key in PKL using Xmodmap? Please tell me if I'm wrong.

    It allows remapping AltGr and Shift+AltGr key codes. For instance, I think you could remap AltGr+L to LeftArrow, and so on.

    However, unlike Xkb, Xmodmap is a user level remapping utility, that is: it works after logon.

    Dvorak typist here.  Please take my comments with a grain of salt.

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    • From: Viken, Norway
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    Well... something like that "Squeezeboard" - except that it's my own variant which naturally is infinitely much better!

    Remapping AltGr+L to LeftArrow doesn't cut it. You'd have to remap CapsLock+N to left arrow and additionally have CapsLock+A/S/T represent Alt/Shift/Ctrl. Also, CapsLock+W would have to be mapped to MouseWheelUp (or whatever its proper name is) and F1 to the multimedia Stop key for instance.

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    DreymaR said:

    Well... something like that "Squeezeboard" - except that it's my own variant which naturally is infinitely much better!

    Have you posted it.

    DreymaR said:

    Remapping AltGr+L to LeftArrow doesn't cut it.

    It was just an example - I picked L from Left - to show that you can remap unused AltGr combinations. However, I don't know whether Xmodmap and XKB allow remapping mouse wheels.

    Dvorak typist here.  Please take my comments with a grain of salt.

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    • From: Viken, Norway
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    Not sure where my many posts on this have been hiding. Here's an excerpt from my pkl.ini file at any rate (unless particularly interested, don't read the whole wall-of-text at the end!):

    ; These keys are modified/transposed by holding down the 'extend key' (CapsLock by default):
    ;+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
    ;|Esc + |F1 <> |F2 << |F3 >> |F4 <> |F5 <> |F6 << |F7 >> |F8 <> |F9 <> |F10<> |F11<> |F12<> |
    ;| Caps | Play | Prev | Next | Stop | Mute | Vol- | Vol+ | Media| BrHom| Mail | App1 | App2 |
    ;+======+======+======+======+======+======+======+======+======+======+======+======+======+
    ;|` ¤¤¤ |1     |2     |3     |4     |5     |6     |7     |8     |9     |0     |-     |=     |
    ;| Del  | F1   | F2   | F3   | F4   | F5   | F6   | F7   | F8   | F9   | F10  | F11  | F12  |
    ;+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
    ;|Tab   |Q ¤¤¤ |W *** |F <<> |P <>> |G *** |J ### |L ### |U ### |Y ### |; ¤¤¤ |[ ¤¤¤ |] ¤¤¤ |
    ;|      | Esc  | *WhUp| BrBck| BrFwd| *Btn1| PgUp | Home | Up   | End  | Del  | Esc  | Ins  |
    ;+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
    ;|Caps+ |A +++ |R *** |S +++ |T +++ |D *** |H ### |N ### |E ### |I ### |O ¤¤¤ |' ¤¤¤ |\ ><> |
    ;| ++++ | Alt  | *WhDn| Shift| Ctrl | *Up17| PgDn | Left | Down | Right| Back | Apps | BrFav|
    ;+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
    ;|Z ¤¤¤ |X === |C === |V === |B *** |_ *** |K *** |M *** |, *** |. *** |/ *** |Spc ¤ |Entr¤ |
    ;| Undo | Cut  | Copy | Paste| *Le17| *Dn17| *Ri17| *Btn3| *WhLe| *WhRi| *Btn2| Enter| Break|
    ;+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+-------------+
    ;Legend: # Movement; + Modifiers; = GUI edit; * Mouse; <> MultiMedia; ¤ Various commands.
    
    
    ; NOTES:
    ; - This map shows a 'comfort' Colemak with VK_102 in the middle (the '_' key). See below.
    ;    * The actual remaps are by scan codes though, so the positions are layout independent!
    ; - Multiple extended mappings would've been nice; this setup is a general/basic one.
    ;    * For instance, accelerated nav/mousing, NumPad/maths, mirroring, coder's toolbox...
    ; - If your layout doesn't define the key, 'extend' won't work with it!
    ;    * Solution: Put, e.g., 'SC039 = SPACE    VirtualKey' etc in your layout .ini file.
    ;    * You'll need at least Escape/Space/Return/Back and F1-F12 for full functionality.
    ; - The Tab key is currently a poor candidate for remapping because of problems with AltTab.
    ;    * It might be useable as another extensor/modifier though? (Probably best left alone.)
    ; - My WARS = modifier block idea didn't work because R cannot map a modifier! A bug?!
    ;    * R can map non-modifiers, so I settled for another solution for now: The mouse wheel.
    ;    * My preferred way would have browsing/modifiers more ergonomically/logically placed:
    ;+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
    ;|Tab   |Q ¤¤¤ |W <<> |F <>> |P *** |G *** |J ### |L ### |U ### |Y ### |; ¤¤¤ |[ ¤¤¤ |] ¤¤¤ |
    ;|      | Esc  | BrBck| BrFwd| *WhUp| *Btn1| PgUp | Home | Up   | End  | Del  | Esc  | Ins  |
    ;+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
    ;|Caps+ |A +++ |R +++ |S +++ |T *** |D *** |H ### |N ### |E ### |I ### |O ¤¤¤ |' ¤¤¤ |\ ><> |
    ;| ++++ | Alt  | Ctrl | Shift| *WhDn| *Up17| PgDn | Left | Down | Right| Back | Apps | BrFav|
    ;+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
    ; - A Win key wouldn't be very useful here since nearly all Win hotkeys use letters/nums.
    ;    * It might be put in because of Win-F1/F3, Win-Break and the Start menu.
    ;    * Tip: T+Q (Ctrl-Esc) shows the Start menu too. Win-Help/Win-Search are on that menu.
    ; - Tech note: The mappings are on the form Send {Blind}{%YourMapping%} (see the AHK Help).
    ;    * Thus, if you want, say, a modified keypress you can use, e.g., '}#r{' or '}^{Left'.
    ; - There isn't a sendable Undo key per se, oddly enough. (Ctrl+Z isn't a hard reach though.)
    ;    * However, A+O (Alt-Back) = Undo (http://www.geocities.com/ian_springer/winkey.html).
    ;    * Actually, it'd be nice to be able to Send any APPCOMMAND_ message but AHK doesn't...
    ;    * APPCOMMAND candidates: UNDO/REDO, NEW/OPEN/CLOSE, PRINT...
    ; - Mapping something to the Sleep key doesn't seem to do a lot on many computers.
    ; - The Pause and CtrlBreak are usually both on the same physical key, which is a bit weird.
    ;    * Using Pause, Win+Enter is System Properties.
    ;    * Actually, both Pause/Break and SysRq/PrntScrn send their codes strangely.
    ;    * Hence, I didn't remap any of them to avoid trouble.
    ; - The AppsKey and Btn2 may seem to do the same, but the menu appears in different places.
    ; - Mapping Del or Back (or something else?) to the ` key was a bit of a toss-up.
    ;    * For instance, use S+` (Shift-Del) to delete a file bypassing the Recycle Bin.
    ;    * The Back key is handy when navigating - but that's 2-handed work anyway.
    
    ; TIPS:
    ; - These mappings enable you to do many things without leaving the typing home position.
    ;    * Mappings are based on ease of reach vs. usefulness, and some left-hand-only use.
    ; - This could take some getting used to for the left pinky, but it gets really cool!!!
    ; - The Caps key plus Esc turns the CapsLock state on and off now.
    ; - It's handy to control your browser back/forward with the left hand only while browsing.
    ; - Similarly, the wheel up/down keys are favorites.
    ; - Space for Enter is also nice; can be worked with left-hand-only as well.
    ;    * To press dialogue buttons for instance, use Tab to move and Space/Q to select/abort.
    ;    * A+Space (=Alt+Enter) when a file/disk is selected, brings up the object's Properties.
    ; - Use the Apps (or *Btn2) for context menus; arrows, 'mousing' or shortcuts select items.
    ; - Esc mapped to '[' (Telnet/Vim/etc compliant) is okay, but a left-hand one is even better.
    ; - The left-hand Del key is also convenient; the right-hand one is best when editing.
    ; - Cut/Copy/Paste are Windows 'multimedia board' versions - should work mostly anywhere.
    ; - Using S/T (Shift/cTrl) with the UNEI/LY/O' keys you can jump words, jump/select, etc.
    ; - The number keys are mapped to function keys. They are reachable with the left hand!
    ;    * A4 closes apps; Win+3 GUI-searches; try 1(Help)/2(Rename)/3(Find)/5(Refresh) too.
    ; - The function keys are mapped to multimedia keys like the ones on multimedia keyboards.
    ;    * Browser_Stop/Refresh/Search are usually covered by hotkeys (e.g., Esc/F5/^F).
    ;    * Browser_Favorites usually needs a menu choice, so that's included (near the arrows).
    ; - The App1/2 keys are defined in the registry, in ShellExecute (REG_SZ) values:
    ;    * HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\AppKey\17
    ;    * HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\AppKey\18
    ;    * You could also do user-specific ones in HKEY_CURRENT_USER (might have to create them).
    ;    * Usually though, I find that the defaults of Explorer (App1) and Calc (App2) are fine.
    ;    * The Mail one lies in AppKey\15, Media in 16, and Browser in 7. Can change those too.
    ; - Wheel Up/Dn are nice for scrolling windows/bars; Wheel Left/Right for horizontal scroll.
    ;    * Horizontal scrolling doesn't always work though, at least not before Windows Vista.
    ; - The 'virtual mousing' is rudimentary; a 'last resort' when arrows/Tab aren't enough.
    ;    * The 'mousing cross' is placed similarly to the 'mouse stick' on some boards.
    ;    * A mousing resolution of 17 pixels roughly fits *most* context and similiar menus.
    ;    * A full mouse layout could have multi-resolution, diagonals, Btn4/Btn5 and sticky Btn1.
    ;    * The keyboard's auto-repeat makes virtual mousing odd/'laggy' when a key is held down.
    ;    * In particular, beware of holding down the *Btn key(s) for a 'rapid-click' effect.

    Also, here's a color map (I've been wanting to add icons to that but haven't yet):
       CmkIBM-ISO60d_ExtendColors.png

    Note that I want to use more than one Extend state so I can add a NumPad and other stuff, including accelerated navigation (5 at a time or thereabouts for the arrows, larger mousing jumps). I'm thinking that, e.g., Alt+CapsLock will switch to this state (and then you let go of the Alt key). The mouse functionality isn't all that good but it's sometimes handy.

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    • From: Belgium
    • Registered: 26-Feb-2008
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    Sure looks interesting, DreymaR!  I find it unfortunate though, that it depends on your Comfort mod, so it won't apply to 101/104 keyboards.

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    • From: Viken, Norway
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    Ah yes, I've thought of that of course. Thing is, without the Comfort the only thing you'll be missing will be the geometrically pleasing cross for the mousing. That's no big deal because you tend to 'key-mouse' EITHER vertically or horizontally but rarely both. Since you have one less key to play with you have to forgo one mapping but there are good candidates like the second Esc or mouse button 2 or 3 (which I can't remember having used much - there's the Menu key mapping that competes with Mouse 2 in most contexts).

    What I'd do to be more specific would be to have MouseUp/Dn keys on Colemak DB and MouseLeft/Right on Colemak KM positions on a non-ergomodded ANSI board.

    So I don't think non-comforters should be daunted. They should be envious of the Comfort mod for other reasons of course, but...

    Last edited by DreymaR (18-Jun-2010 13:21:37)

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