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    Issues with PKL

    • Started by rebus
    • 6 Replies:
    • Reputation: 0
    • From: Italy
    • Registered: 04-Apr-2014
    • Posts: 14

    Hello,

    I am trying to learn Colemak, but I need to use PKL because I do not have admin privileges at work. I use Win7 and an Italian QWERTY keyboard (but I have ordered a Typematrix).

    The tool is very good for typing, but I am experiencing some issues (so far) in the following cases:

    - alt+ctrl shortcuts (like alt+ctrl+0) do not work at all; I need to temporarily disable PKL in order to use them (very annoying).
    - in MS Excel only, the "." key is producing a ",", so I got two keys acting the same way and no way to type a full stop (also annoying).
    - It seems I cannot use shortcuts containing special letters only available on the Italian layout (like "ò"), but they are only a few.

    Any suggestion about how to workaround these issues? Thanks a lot

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    • From: Viken, Norway
    • Registered: 13-Dec-2006
    • Posts: 5,361

    LAlt+RCtrl is defined as the AltGr key. Maybe that's your problem? And look in pkl.ini whether there are any '^!' (means ctrl+alt) shortcuts set.

    Sounds like you have a problem with the decimal character for Excel. Does your Excel use the same decimal point definition as your system?

    Shortcuts should work in PKL no matter where they come from; probably not if you have to use a dead key but otherwise okay?

    Did you download my PKL files, or get them from somewhere else? How is your OS keyboard set (Italian QWERTY)?

    *** Learn Colemak in 2–5 steps with Tarmak! ***
    *** Check out my Big Bag of Keyboard Tricks for Win/Linux/TMK... ***

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    • From: Italy
    • Registered: 04-Apr-2014
    • Posts: 14

    Thanks for your time! I have tried both the portable version that this site links in the download section, as well as yours, and I am having the same issues with both. I did not make any changes (I still have to understand how to arrange them for the Italian layout, but that's another point) and I notice the alt+ctrl problem when pressing indifferently LAlt or RAlt.

    Actually Excel uses the comma as decimal separator. Is this an option that can be set somewhere?

    Yes, shortcuts work, except for the ones with alt+ctrl, and as you say for the ones where I have to use a dead key.

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    • From: Italy
    • Registered: 04-Apr-2014
    • Posts: 14

    So nobody had the alt+ctrl issue before? Maybe it could be fixed with a new keyboard?

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    • From: Viken, Norway
    • Registered: 13-Dec-2006
    • Posts: 5,361

    Okay, let's see. I'm using PKL all the time on several machines. The one I'm on now has Windows 7. No MS Office, but I'll try in LibreOffice Writer. Testing the Ctrl+Alt shortcuts there (Ctrl+Alt+Up to move paragraph, Ctrl+Alt+Shift+V to paste unformatted) works fine with PKL for me! This includes using the Extend mappings (Caps+A+T+U to move paragraph).

    A new keyboard most likely won't help; if you're in doubt you could try borrowing someone's keyboard but I doubt it'll matter. Seems this is a problem with some system settings you have?

    In Excel, there may be an option for decimal separator. However, most likely it uses your system's decimal separator set in the "Region..." control panel.

    For the dead key letters, you can have them on AltGr mappings and then the shortcuts using them might work.

    By the way, here's how I recommend to remap Colemak for Italian:

    DreymaR said:

    The '[eD] unified' solution for it:
    • For the Italian layout, several different accented letters are needed but capitalized letters weren't in the default layout.
    • Thus, the letters were provided directly as in the default layout. The éè key was kept on LBr and the rest put together.
    • The ìù were placed fairly logically on the phonetically related J, but had to go on lv3-4 mappings.
    • If this approach doesn't suit you, I recommend using the Spanish layout instead! It does the same using dead keys.

        Cmk-X-eD-us-awide-sl_crop.png    Cmk-X-eD-it-usym-awide-sl_crop.png
        Italian 'Unified Symbols' Colemak[eD]

    For PKL, there's a layout.ini file inside the layout folder you're using; there you can actually just paste in the letters you need in the right mapping positions. Make sure you make a backup first. ;)

    [edit:] Actually, I decided to be extra nice: I've made you an Italian Colemak[eD] PKL layout! If you download my latest PKL files from my PKL sig topic, there's now a 'colemak-eD-It_ISO' layout in there that should do the job. Hope it'll help you and/or someone else! It's not using a Wide ergo mod, so keep that in mind. Should you want the AngleWide mod we'll need to paste the relevant characters into the right lines of a copy of the Wide Norwegian layout in my PKL layout folder...

    Last edited by DreymaR (15-Apr-2014 14:41:08)

    *** Learn Colemak in 2–5 steps with Tarmak! ***
    *** Check out my Big Bag of Keyboard Tricks for Win/Linux/TMK... ***

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    • From: Italy
    • Registered: 04-Apr-2014
    • Posts: 14

    Thanks a lot, DreymaR! I got a little confused at first because the help image, which I still use especially for dead keys, is unchanged, but the layout is actually different.

    Great news: Alt+Ctrl works now! I had some troubles with shortcuts including special keys like PgDn, but I got them work again by commenting some lines in the layout.ini (I guess I've lost some special feature this way, but it's way more usable for me).
    Some shortcuts still don't work (for instance, Ctrl+ò, though ò has is own key now), but probably I can live without.

    I also tried OpenOffice Calc and I got the dot issue just like in MS Excel. Don't know how to fix that. But hey, overall it's been a great improvement indeed! Thanks again

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    • From: Viken, Norway
    • Registered: 13-Dec-2006
    • Posts: 5,361

    Glad it works for you! :)

    Yes, sometimes you need to choose between the full functionality of a key and the Extend layer. For me it was like that with the Tab key; that needs to be unmapped for me.

    If you have a "non-wide" pkl.ini and a non-wide layout like the Cmk[eD]-It I gave you, you can try the Extend mode! Press Caps and U for the Up key for instance, and Caps+A+T+U is Ctrl+Alt+Up (see my sig topic for more). Check whether that works for your shortcuts; it does for me. I think the pkl.ini in my folder is based on a "wide" setup so you'll have to copy-paste the "non-wide" pkl.ini to be your pkl.ini first.

    Last edited by DreymaR (16-Apr-2014 13:24:04)

    *** Learn Colemak in 2–5 steps with Tarmak! ***
    *** Check out my Big Bag of Keyboard Tricks for Win/Linux/TMK... ***

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