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    Using Alt key as Shift

    • Started by stevep99
    • 2 Replies:
    • Reputation: 117
    • From: UK
    • Registered: 14-Apr-2014
    • Posts: 978
    09-May-2014 11:37:50#1 Using Alt key as Shift

    Shift is a much more common key than Alt (for me at least). But Alt is positioned next to space where it can potentially be used as a thumb key.

    So I was thinking about switching these over such that
    - Left shift and Left alt exchange places
    - Right shift and AltGr exchange places

    Searching around I found some cases where people remap Alt to Control, but not shift.

    I came up with this fairly simple AHK script.

    LAlt::Shift
LShift::LAlt
;RAlt::Shift
LControl & RAlt::Send {Shift Down}
LControl & RAlt Up::Send {Shift Up}
RShift::Send {LControl Down} & {RAlt Down}
RShift Up::Send {LControl Up} & {RAlt Up}

    It works OK for the left-hand side switch, but the AltGr remapping doesn't work correctly, probably because of its weird internal remapping to LControl + RAlt.

    Having tried it for a short while I think it has potential but the worst thing is pressing the new Alt key when Shift was intended, causing all sorts of undesired things to happen.

    But if was able to get used to it, it might be nicer to have Shift via thumb than via pinky.

    Last edited by stevep99 (09-May-2014 11:39:08)

    Using Colemak-DH with Seniply.

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    • From: Viken, Norway
    • Registered: 13-Dec-2006
    • Posts: 5,361
    19-May-2014 08:48:45#2 Re: Using Alt key as Shift

    Found an old thread:
    https://colemak.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=9776

    Did you try just RAlt, or maybe <!>Alt? (This has been discussed a lot on the AHK forums already I remember.)

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    • From: UK
    • Registered: 14-Apr-2014
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    10-Jun-2014 15:00:34#3 Re: Using Alt key as Shift

    After trying it for a while with just left-alt as shift, I decided it didn't feel right.  So instead I experimented using the spacebar-as-shift approach instead, which I'm finding works surprisingly well. 

    $space::
   send {LShift down} 
   Spacedown := A_TickCount 
   Return    
$+space up::
   ; The space-down set the shift-key, so the space-up event is now shift+space-up
   send {LShift up}   
   if (A_TickCount - Spacedown <200) 
      ; If short time between space-down and space-up...  
      Send {Space}
   Return

    https://www.autohotkey.com/board/topic/ … -as-shift/


    Update: Unfortunately, I later discovered that as typing speed increases, there is an increasing occurence of errors, where words are unintentionally capitalized after a space.

    Last edited by stevep99 (24-Aug-2014 13:00:36)

    Using Colemak-DH with Seniply.

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