• You are not logged in.

    DreymaR's Big Bag Of Keyboard Tricks (Main Topic)

    • Started by DreymaR
    • 14 Replies:
    • Reputation: 210
    • From: Viken, Norway
    • Registered: 13-Dec-2006
    • Posts: 5,343
    DREYMAR'S BIG BAG of KEYBOARD TRICKS – ÞE OLDE PAGES

    The Big Bag has moved! Go find the updated and even more wonderfuller Big Bag at https://dreymar.colemak.org/.
    Some less central content may not (yet) have been moved though, so if you're missing something make sure to look in both places before you despair.

        Icon_BigBag.png


    THE BIG BAG THEORY

    My mission is to make your keyboard a lot more comfortable and powerful, even if you don't have an expensive programmable board. To this end, I use the Colemak layout with several ergonomic mods and additions that I and others have created over the years, on different OS platforms. These "tricks" are what this Big Bag is about.

    If you're new to this, there may be a lot of unfamiliar terms and concepts! You may not be sure whether your board (or OS layout) is ISO or ANSI, row-staggered or ortho – or something else. And what on earth are dead keys, ergo mods or Extend layers?! Relax and take a deep breath please, because it's all here. I hope you find what you're looking for and then a lot more useful stuff!

    If something is too obscure or hard, look up the community on the Colemak Forum and Discord. We're a right helpful lot! The BigBag is my go-to reply to many questions on the Discord and elsewhere, to the extent that a meme was created in my honor. Be warned...!  ( ͡~  ͜ʖ ͡°)

    Spoiler:

    DreymaR-TalkAboutBigBag_Poltergeist_med.png
    Created by Poltergeist at the Colemak Discord, 2020-09-29

        DreymaR ~ ( のvの) c[_]


    A SHORT CUT TO MUSHROOMS ... errr ... COLEMAK

    Some just want Colemak for Windows and just want it to work now, without reading up first. I recommend that you browse the contents below to know more about your options! But if you're impatient and would rather come back later to learn about Tarmak or Extend or ergo mods or Colemak[eD] or whatnot, here you go:
    Take me directly to EPKL with Colemak for Windows! There's No Place Like Home!

    I also have topics focusing on different implementations of the Big Bag Of Keyboard Tricks:
    • The Big Bag (PKL) for Windows (or go straight to the GitHub EPKL repository)
    • The Big Bag (XKB) for Linux
    • The Big Bag (TMK) for programmable "QUICKIE" devices
    • The Big Bag (Mac) for Karabinier by mkborregaard (not maintained by me; who knows more about this?)


        Tarmak-ETROI_Spectral_CAWS.png


    INTRO

    This is the Big Bag of Keyboard Tricks Main Topic, in which I go into detail on what my different tricks are.

    Colemak is a wonderful keyboard layout that I and many others use daily with great enthusiasm. It may – and in all likelihood, it will! – make you a faster typist, although you can get very fast with many other layouts. More importantly, it makes typing a lot more comfortable and optimal, and your fingers will thank you for the rest of your life for choosing it!  ♪~╰(*°▽°*)╯~♪

    Since I started using Colemak in early 2007 I've been fiddling with it, trying out ideas from the forum and adding some of my own. Colemak per se is to me only the letter mappings. I've always ended up with those intact, as Colemak has stood the test of time and experimentation. If you look up the ergonomic mods below you'll see that I'm somewhat flexible about the geometry – but in reality that's about the physical keyboard design and a better hand position for me. The layout itself stays essentially the same!

    And so, voila, here it is. Have a look inside the Big Bag and see what you'll find!  ( のvの) c[_]


    DREYMAR'S BIG BAG OF KEYBOARD TRICKS

    [1]    Character/Key Mapping Layers
            Getting the most out of each key with more shift states
    [1.1] Colemak[eD] AltGr letter/symbol mappings
    [1.2] Extend layers using Caps Lock as a modifier for navigation/editing/browsing/etc from the home position
    [1.3] Several Dead key enhancements giving access to lots of glyphs (presently for Windows/EPKL only)

    [2]    Ergonomic Key Remappings
            Moving keys around to increase typing comfort
    [2.1] Angle/Wide ergo modifications to improve wrist angles, hand spacing and right pinky stretch/load effort
    [2.2] Colemak-DH alias the Curl(DH) ergo mod (deprioritize middle columns without keys changing fingers)
    [2.3] Symbol key mods for the adventurous (better apostrophe and/or hyphen positions; Work-In-Progress)
    [2.4] Modifier modness for the adventurous (Sticky, One-shot etc; Work-In-Progress)

    [3]    Layout Variants
            Layouts for learning, for different languages, for the disabled...
    [3.1] Tarmak transitional Colemak layouts for learning Colemak in smaller steps if so desired
    [3.2] For several locales, a 'Unified Symbols' layout with only a few necessary changes from standard Colemak[eD]
    [3.3] Intuitive Cyrillic, Greek and Hebrew Colemak phonetic layouts to write other scripts (e.g., using a toggle switch key)
    [3.4] Mirrored Colemak, allowing one-handed typing without extra learning

    [4]    Other Board Tricks
            Typing training, phone typing, all sorts of tips.
    [4.1] Typing Training – Amphetype and other tips & tools
    [4.2] Touch Screen Typing – "Colemakoid" MessagEase
    [4.3] Typing Gaming – The Typing Of The Dead for ultra-cheesy-violent typing fun
    [4.4] Hardware Remapping – QUICKIE devices using microcontrollers
    [4.5] Physical keyboard modding
    [4.6] Imaginative Colemaking – a showcase for typing-related images I've made

    [5]    Get Outta Here!
            Links I like. Interesting reads by other authors. Also see the Colemak Discord #handy-links channel.
    [–] Colemak Design by Shai Coleman himself. This is the authoritative description of the layout's design, in case you missed it.
    [–] "On the Prehistory of QWERTY", a scientific paper giving a credible history of how QWERTY became what it is back in the late 1800s. There are many myths and this paper deals with them. Quote: "The keyboard [...] changed into QWERTY, first to receive telegraphs, then to thrash out a compromise between inventors and producers, and at last to evade old patents." For a more popularized writeup with some Dvorak added, there's a BBC News article.
    [–] No Big Deal and Will Colemak Destroy My QWERTY Skills? by our Discord champion, NottNott the "KnotNottNott-But-Not-NottNottBot" ^_^
    [–] Banish Key Chords by Xah Lee. The relationship between chording (such as holding Ctrl+Shift then hitting a key) and sequences (such as hitting one or more dead keys and/or a sticky shift then another key) is worth giving a thought.
    [–] Why we can't give up this odd way of typing, a BBC Worklife article; all in all, a good read. And it's got appearances both by Shai Coleman and the CarpalX guy!
    [–] In the Typing Training topic you'll find further links to and examples of expert typing tips from masters like Viper, Jashe and Sean Wrona.

    [] The Dreamer's Compass is actually not about typing, at least not directly! It's a writeup about Mindfulness meditation the DreymaR way. _/|\_


    HOWS:

    I use my own edition of Farkas Máté's excellent Portable Keyboard Layout – EPKL – to implement the Big Bag for Windows. For Linux, I've hacked up a bunch of modifications to the X.Org XKB files. Then I got me a USB-2-USB "QUICKIE" converter and implemented much of my tricks for that too; they should work for most programmable controllers. I'm pretty proud of it all, I must say! :) The links to the different implementation topics are at the top.

    An advantage with my implementations is that in most cases you can pick and choose most of the enhancements as modules:
    • Settings may be chosen per user
    • The Angle/Wide ergo mods should work with any layout you choose (including QWERTY or Dvorak ones; the Curl-DH mod is Colemak specific)
    • Extend layers and their switch keys are options that should work with nearly any existing layout
    • The locale/phonetic, Mirrored and Tarmak layouts are separate selectable layouts
    Freedom of choice through modularity is an ideal in the DreymaR world, as it is in Linux.


    DONE/TODO
    Spoiler:
    DONE:

    • Get the Big Bag implementations (Win/EPKL, Linux/XKB, Controllers/TMK) up and going as GitHub repositories.
    • Present the Big Bag more hypertextually on GitHub web pages with a colemak.org address (still Work-In-Progress).
    • Updated Rulemak and Bulmak to 2016 versions (ru/by/ua, bg/rs/mk – although only found in ru and bg so far):
        East Slavic (Russian/Church/Belarus/Ukraina?) & South Slavic (Bulgarian/ISO-9/Serbia(Cyrillic)/Macedonia?)
    • Tarmak layouts for Curl-DH modders. The changes are minor, but should be easily accessible for the newcomer.
    • Training topic: Alternative fingering. Tricks like sliding in for the NK/KN bigram are useful for the somewhat advanced typist.
    • Transition from DHk (the 2017 standard) to DHm (SteveP's original DH mod) as the Colemak-DH standard


    TODO:

    • Dead keys with currency on AltGr+4, Greek on AltGr+5, tech/math stuff on AltGr+= and IPA++ on AltGr+Shift+numbers(?) [done in EPKL]
    • A total of 4 Extend layers: Basic/nav/edit, NumPad++, Coding/etc, Hotstrings – or whatever you like! [done in EPKL]
    • Modifier keys for 4 Extend layers. For instance, Caps+{--, RShift, RAlt, RShift+RAlt}. Holding down Caps maintains the layer state.
    • "Tap dance sequences", using dead keys and/or combines to release strings and things without having to hold modifier chords.
    • Fix the Hebrew phonetic Colemak ("Hebmak") layout, once we agree on how!.
    • Also an Arabic phonetic Colemak variant, building on the same principles as the Hebrew one.
    • Develop and test a Vietnamese Colemak (with icedryst and whoever's interested).
    • More locale variants: epo (Esperanto), …? (Any suggestions, or comments on the existing ones?)

        Icon_BigBag.png

    LASTLY:

    • Best of luck with Colemak and its many marvelous mods!  ♪~╰(*°▽°*)╯~♪
    • If you do get stuck, here's a little light entertainment to hopefully Shift your mo(o)d.

    Typealong Clackity said:

    Colemak's connected to the ... Curl* mod,
    The Curl mod's connected to the ... Angle mod,
    The Wide mod's connected to the ... shoulder bones,
    And Extend's just wonderful!
    -------
    *: Curl=DH

    Last edited by DreymaR (09-Jun-2021 11:57:14)

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

    Offline
    • 1
    • Reputation: 210
    • From: Viken, Norway
    • Registered: 13-Dec-2006
    • Posts: 5,343
    [1]    Character/Key Mapping Layers
    [1.1]    COLEMAK[eD] - EDITION DREYMAR

    See the main Colemak[eD] topic if you're interested.

    This is my own preferred AltGr mapping layers (modifier lv3-4 in Linux terminology) for the Colemak layout. I've tried to add much functionality while keeping it intuitive. In particular, I want to be able to write different scripts and tech/maths symbols. Since the start, there's been some minor tweaks based on my experience and forum feedback, but it's been stable for a long time now.

    See my various layout files for comments and explanations, in addition to these design goals:
    - Keeping level 1-2 of Colemak intact! This is what I think of as the Colemak layout per se.
    - Dead keys easily accessible as unshifted AltGr+symbol keys; common ones in good positions.
    - Added letters/quotes allowing many of the major latin scripts to be written correctly.
    - Added symbols/glyphs similar to, e.g., Mac ones - allowing common math/tech/etc typing.
    - The positions of added letters and symbols should as far as possible be easy to remember!

        Cmk-ANSI-eD_96d-FShui.png
        The Colemak [edition DreymaR] layout, using different lv3-4 mappings from Shai's default Colemak.
        Shown on an ANSI keyboard with dead key emphasis (golden) and "FingerShui" color-coded proposed fingering.
       

        Cmk-ISO-eD-CurlAWide_96d-FShui.png
        Colemak-CAW[eD], using the Curl(DH)Angle-ISO and Wide(/) ergonomic mods like I do (see the next post).


    [1.2]    EXTEND LAYERS!!!

    Extend is like a special Shift key (usually the Caps key) that brings keys and functions close to the home position – as if you had extended your arms by magic.

    This is My Favorite Mod next to Colemak itself! The ability to navigate and edit from the home position and its immediate surroundings is extremely powerful. It's like having part of the power of advanced editors like Vim ready in all situations. Plus a fully functional multimedia keyboard without sacrificing compactness. And more, much more.

    Really, I cannot stress enough Just How Powerful Extend Is!!! once you understand its workings. It's miles ahead of most other "Fn key" layers, for several reasons including the home row modifiers which lead to an ocean of power chording possibilities. Most newcomers don't seem to get this at once, so I urge you to study my Extend topic a bit for your own sake. I realize that it may seem like much to learn one more thing, but it'll benefit you a lot. Furthermore, Extend can be learnt gradually and is much easier to learn than a new typing layout!

        Extend-ISO-NoMod-Linux_96d-Labels.png?raw=1
        A chart of my Extend mappings (Ext1 – Nav/Edit). Green, navigation; blue/circled, mousing; orange, multimedia; gray, system/misc.

    Here's the same image with symbolic labels like I use in the EPKL program; for more info see the Extend topic and my source files:

    Spoiler:

        Extend-ISO-NoMod-Linux_96d.png?raw=1
        My Extend mappings (Ext1 – Nav/Edit). Green, navigation; blue/circled, mousing; orange, multimedia; gray, system/misc.

    The Linux/XKB and Windows/EPKL implementations are almost the same. EPKL couldn't yet support mapping to the shifted multimedia keys. Linux usually has poor support for mouse WheelLeft/Right scroll keys so the XKB mappings have a MouseKeys On/Off key on <LSGT> and a Compose/Multi key on Slash instead.

    Holding down AltGr with the Extend modifier you get Extend2: A NumPad layer laid out pretty much like a standard one but with the top row moved around to fit existing keys:

        Extend-ISO-NoMod-Ext2_96d.png?raw=1
        Extend NumPad mappings (Ext2). Green, navigation; purple, NumPad; sepia, symbols; gray, system/misc.

    Ideally you can map any modifier to be the Extend "Mod2"/"Mod3" which select between different Extend layers, and only need to hold the Extend key itself after choosing the layer. At the moment though, this works as it should with EPKL and TMK but not XKB.

    There may be a need for navigating while entering numbers, but on the other hand KeyPad keys rarely use modifiers. Hence, I moved the nav block from its UNEI arrow cross to the WARS cross familiar to gamers. Number row keys 1-6 are mapped to their shifted symbols since these may be needed for numeric input, as are some other keys; the bracket keys cater for the parentheses in this layer which feels logical to me.

    In the Windows/EPKL implementation there are two more Extend layers; see the (E)PKL topic. One has a set of kaomoji!  ☆*:.。. o(≧▽≦)o .。.:*☆

    Tips:
    • The backtick/tilde key to the left of 1 can be whatever you want to: An extra Del, Ctrl+A (Select All), Ctrl+W (Close), Ctrl+T (New Tab), Win+T (Taskbar)...
    • You can do some really fancy stuff with this! Ext-A/T+4(=Alt/Ctrl+F4) closes programs/tabs, Ext-T+J/H(=Ctrl+PgUp/PgDn) switches tabs...
    • Or try this in a browser: Ext-6 for the address bar, then type an URL, then Ext-A+Spc to open it in a new tab (saves Ctrl+T for a new tab).
    • Most of these tricks work in many apps under both Windows and Linux these days. Some are application specific.
    • My Extend layer doesn't support letters nor the Win/GUI key, which limits the shortcut repertoire somewhat. But even so there's really a lot you can do!
      (FYI: There are good reasons for the WheelUp/Dn placements and the lack of a Win key, having to do with keyboard implementations.)
    • For more info and tricks, see my Extend Extra Extreme topic.


    [1.3]    ENHANCED DEAD KEY MAPPINGS

    Some dead keys are almost empty: The doubleacute only caters for ő ű, and ring only caters for å ů ẘ ẙ. There's also a whole iota dead key that only concerns itself with Greek characters. I'm tempted to stuff something good into those cracks even if it's not an entirely logical thing to do (because the name of the dead key wouldn't reflect these extra mappings). If you use up a key mapping on a dead key it really shouldn't sit there taking up keyboard space for the meager purpose of providing 2-3 glyphs!

    There are 19 dead keys in my Colemak[eD] layout. The common accents are there, together with a currency dead key on AltGr+4 and a Greek phonetic dead key on AltGr+5. Furthermore, some sparsely populated accent keys have been enhanced with extra content, such as superscripts/subscripts on acute/grave, fractions and negations on stroke/bar and ring symbols on ringabove. The most extensively reworked key is the double-acute which used to have only Uu and Oo and now contains a fairly rich set of math/science symbols (think of the double acute as akin to the equals and prime signs)! You really have to see them to believe them – I'll showcase some below but you can see them all using PKL (default Ctrl+Shift+1 for the help images):

    01) Dot below
    02) Hook, palatal hook
    03) Horn, retroflex hook/tail
    04) Currency:
        dk04_currency.png?raw=1    dk04sh_currency.png?raw=1
    05) Greek (phonetic):
        dk05_greek.png?raw=1    dk05sh_greek.png?raw=1
    06) Circumflex
    07) Caron
    08) Ogonek, comma below
    09) Breve
    10) Ring above, ring symbols, ligatures
    11) Macron
    12) Double-acute, math/science:
        dk12_dblacutesci.png?raw=1    dk12sh_dblacutesci.png?raw=1
    13) Umlaut/diaeresis
    14) Tilde
    15) Acute, superscripts
        dk15_acute.png?raw=1    dk15sh_acute.png?raw=1
    16) Grave, subscripts
    17) Cedilla
    18) Dot above
    19) Stroke/bar, fractions
        dk19_strokebar.png?raw=1    dk19sh_strokebar.png?raw=1


    Note that the dead keys are designed to interact in clever ways through chaining: 'Ring' then 'angle' will produce 'arced angle', 'Tilde' with 'equals' will produce 'equal or approximately equal', Stroke with many symbols will produce slashed symbols (e.g., from 'identical to' you get 'not identical to') etc. The sequence you press the dead keys in may matter: Usually, start with the modifier(s) (such as 'stroke' for "not") then the symbol-producing key (such as 'maths' and then '=' which will usually produce '≡' but now gives you '≢' instead). At the moment, the only documentation for all this cleverness is snoping around the PKL layout.ini files, but logic will take you far too.

    Last edited by DreymaR (04-Nov-2020 14:57:10)

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

    Offline
    • 0
    • Reputation: 210
    • From: Viken, Norway
    • Registered: 13-Dec-2006
    • Posts: 5,343
    [2]    Ergonomic Key Remappings
    [2.1]    THE ANGLE/WIDE ERGONOMIC KEYBOARD MODEL MODS

    Bigger On The Inside
    It has been noted that these mods can really open up, say, a cramped notebook keyboard so much that it feels "bigger on the inside"! So maybe this slogan is suitable? ;-)
    Typing Advancement: Row Displacement Increases Spaciousness (T.A.R.D.I.S.)
    (Technically speaking these mods mostly displace half-rows, but bear with me.)

    These are ergonomic mods, moving some keys around to achieve straight wrists (the Angle mods), better hand separation and lower right pinky load (the Wide mods). The Angle part is almost a no-brainer to me as it allows the left hand to keep a straight wrist without changing the fingering on ZXCV, and makes B easier to reach. Colemak creator Shai himself has given his blessing to this mod! The Wide mod is more optional, but it does put some load off the right-hand pinky, widen the arm distance (useful particularly for small keyboards, but nice regardless), and provide easier access to AltGr/Enter/Backspace/RShift – all at a very low learning cost.

    Angle: Keep the left wrist straight on the bottom row! The ring finger still types X and the middle finger C etc.
    Wide: Increase arm separation, relieve the right hand pinky, and make some keys easier to reach.

        Cmk-ISO-AWide-35_60d_FShui.png?raw=1
        The AngleWide ergo mod for ISO keyboards. Each image color corresponds to a finger.

    With a 102/105-key ISO keyboard the Angle mod is very smooth indeed, and I strongly recommend at least an Angle shift if you have an ISO keyboard! The US/ANSI solution is usually to move the Z to the middle which is a bit more dramatic but still very beneficial:

         Cmk-ANSI-AW-Marked-BadTrad__60d-FShui_.png
         An ANSI keyboard with finger coloring for the traditional, unergonomic way.
         Keys moved by the Angle (yellow) and Wide (purple) mods are circled. Arrows show the main key shift directions.

         Cmk-ANSI-AW-Marked-ZQu_60d-FShui.png
         With the ANSI-Angle(Z)Wide ergo mod applied, the left wrist can be held straight and the right hand pinky gets a lighter workload.

    When I use these mods I like to move the key caps around and make the change global - my family actually don't seem to mind as the changes are fairly intuitive and unintrusive, leastways for the run-of-the-mill keyboard user who looks at symbol key caps to find them. I got used to the changes quickly, too. But on laptops I usually don't move anything around and you can implement the change on a per-user basis if you wish. (If you do, take care with your logon dialogs and passwords!)

    stevep99's Ergonomic Keyboard Mods page lists the above mods and more.

    "There is another."
    Actually, there are a couple of other possibilities for ANSI boards, since they don't have a near-perfect solution like the ISO crowd. These are less common but some prefer them. I call them "A-Wing" and "FatZ". And then there's the insidious "Angle Cheat" too...:

    Spoiler:

    Again, this is the most common Angle/Wide mod for an ANSI/PC104 keyboard:

         Cmk-ANSI-AWide-ZQu_60d_FShui.png?raw=1
         The ANSI-Angle(Z)Wide(Qu) ergo mod.

    One alternative for a straight left wrist is the A-Wing mod which has a cool name but little usage: Split the bottom row while shifting all the others to the right. With A-Wing, you won't get the "wide" experience, and must live with an increased distance to Tab and LShift. In comparison, hitting LShift when using Angle(Z) and straight wrists is actually rather nice!

         Cmk-ANSI-AWing_60d_FShui.png?raw=1
         The ANSI "A-Wing" ergo mod.

    I haven't implemented the Fat-Z ANSI Angle mod anywhere, but I will mention it here. The trick is moving Z to the LShift key! LShift then needs a new home which should be better than the old B position. One solution is to move LShift to the Alt key and put Alt on the old B key. But this means moving modifiers around, so I'm a bit wary of it. Also, a fat Z key looks a bit odd, but if it works for you then all's fine!

    If you go DoubleFatWide and do the same with RShift and Slash, you'll get a Wide mod with better Slash key placement too. Fat-Z and its fatter cousin DoubleFat may be the best solution for people who use thumb Shift or other ways of shifting!?

    One possibility tried out by BenDover178 is to make LShift a dual-function key that produces Z on tap and LShift when held. This precludes Sticky Shift, but that may not be a hurdle for many. This trick is hard to implement unless you're using TMK/QMK controllers. See the Modifier Modness section below.

         Cmk-DH-ANSI-DblFatWide-BenDoverish_60d_FShui.png?raw=1
         The "DoubleFatWide" ergo mod for ANSI keyboards; shown with the DH mod and some extras.

    The above image shows a DoubleFatWide-modded ANSI board, inspired by BenDover. It also has some interesting (and optional!) extras:
    • The Colemak-DH mod (see below), affecting the DBG(V) and HM letters
    • The middle parentheses can be exchanged for pretty much anything. If you need locale letters/accents for instance, they're good for those.
    • Double-function Shift keys, working both as letters and modifiers (see the Modifier Modness section)
    • Fat Apostrophe, forcing Enter upward. If you use Extend-Enter and/or don't mind, this is no problem. Could also swap it with semicolon if desired.
    • \ and - swapped for easier access to hyphen-minus; this is kinda nice. If you like, you could put the backslash on the middle number row position too.

    "Angle-Cheat":The least technically intrusive but probably not the smartest way of ensuring a straight left wrist is a trick I've seen many typists do intuitively: Simply change the ZXC fingering so that the index finger hits C and so on. This is what many of the fastest QWERTY and Colemak speed typists have been using, so you can certainly type fast with it! And it'll be available for both Colemak and QWERTY without any tweaks. On the downside, this trick does nothing to improve the B position, it swaps the SC/CS same-finger bigram for the more common CT/TC one (which I consider A Bad Thing™) and it doesn't enable Colemak-DH (see below). Colemak speed record holder Viper used to Angle-Cheat but now he prefers a proper Angle mod – in fact, he uses the whole CAWS mod battery like me!

    Backdrop:
    For some more background...

    Spoiler:

    See for instance this topic by cevgar on Wide mods, and this topic by me on Angle mods.

    Other names:
    Many of these mods have been discussed under other names. So if you come across older posts here's a key to what we've been discussing:
    • AngleWide is often abbreviated as AWide, and Curl(DH)AngleWideSym as CAWS.
    • The Colemak-DH Curl mods have somewhat arcane longer names (DH=DHm=DvbgHm, DHk=DvbgHmk and DvH=DbgHk) which describe and distinguish them.
    • I've named Wide mods after which key they put in the old Right Bracket position; as such, the one I use is AWide(/), AWide-Slash or Awide(35) mod.
    • The A-Wing angle mod has been called Angle-Frame, A-Frame or AngleWing.
    • I don't know any snappy names for the Fat-Z mod. Then again, Fat-Z is more than cool enough already. ;-)

    6s and 7s With U
    Some Wide mods have the = key between 5 and 6 whereas mine has it between 6 and 7. Most split keyboards with standard row-staggered geometry follow my way and others – particularly matrix boards – have 6 on the right hand. The 6-on-right variant is a priori more symmetric with five number keys on each hand, but on a normal-staggered board mine has 6 on the shortest and = on the longest stretch from the home position which is as it should be. Efficiency before aesthetics. ;-)

    There has also been discussion about which key should be on the "Left Bracket key" upper-right position: On ANSI boards it pretty much has to be the apostrophe but on ISO boards another fairly common key should get the honor. I prefer the forward slash in the Wide-ISO mod, as both slash and question mark are relatively common symbols. In my Symbol key mod (see below) I put the even more common hyphen-minus there which feels very good.

    [2.2]    COLEMAK-DH ALIAS THE CURL ERGO MOD

    The point of the Colemak-DH ergo mod is to make the home row curl like a relaxed hand does instead of forcing it to a straight line as was commonly thought best some years ago. Several typists have felt that the middle-trench D and H positions of Colemak weren't so comfortable and as a result the Workman and Norman and other layouts were made. However, they lose to Colemak on several other important performance statistics (more keys moved, and/or more same-finger bigrams, and/or poorer performance on other stats). So the proposal by stevep99 in 2014 to fix the issue based on Colemak and without any letters changing fingers was a stroke of genius! It's a low-cost improvement of the default straight-homerow Colemak. And I still think of it as Colemak because it really is, keeping its good stats for travel distances, finger usage and same-finger ratios.

        Cmk-ISO-CurlAWide_90d-FShui.png
        The Colemak-Curl(DH)-AngleWide, a.k.a. Colemak-CAW, ergo modded layout. Each image color corresponds to a finger.

    The Colemak-DH mod also puts the G key back to its old QWERTY position which more than offsets moving the less frequently used B. On the right hand side, the M and H keys move compared to standard Colemak. But this investment returns a larger gain, as the common H moves to a better position. One substantial benefit is that the common bi-/trigram HE and THE are made better.

    If you type a lot in a language in which L is more common than H (including several latin and Nordic languages), it may be worth considering a further tweak in which L is moved down to the better position on the lower row and H gets whatever position you deem second-best. There have also been mod proposals for the Dutch who need a better J position, but it turns out that all the other index finger keys were more important still.

    The DH mod for normal row-staggered keyboards depends on using an Angle mod which is easier on an "105-key"/ISO keyboard but there are decent options for "US"/ANSI boards too. If you want to learn this using the Tarmak progression described above, that's possible too! You just have to learn the Angle mod early on, and the 2nd Tarmak step is tweaked a little. The right-hand mod is mostly separate from the rest of the layout from Tarmak1 onwards, but it's okay to do it in the Tarmak1 step.

        Cmk-pos-Angle-ISO_90d.png
        My personal assessment of key position goodness (from green via blue to purple), using a straight-wrist, relaxed-fingers hand position.
       
    I've dubbed my CurlAngleWide modded Colemak the Colemak-CAW! It's a Colemak at heart, but sufficiently modded that I wanted a snappy name for it. And yes, that's also a tip-of-the-hat to Billy Macaw in CATS. ;-) Also, there have been spiritual developments...:

    Spoiler:
    COLEMAK ⲔⲰ – THE SOUL OF TYPING!?

    Would you believe that in ancient Egyptian Ka means the "soul-body" or life force (while Ba is the "traveling soul" and Akh the "eternal/divine soul"), its hieroglyph being the symbol of... two hands!!! Maybe that's something right there...?

    To go further down the rabbit hole, Wikipedia states that the Coptic word ⲔⲰ (kw) means approximately the same as Egyptian Ka, and this claim is further supported by a book on hieroglyphics I found. As an added bonus, the latin translation of Ka is ... wait for it ... "genius"!

    To make it even stranger, ⲔⲰ would well transliterate to CAW!

    So maybe Colemak-ⲔⲰ is the new thing then? The life force of ingenious two-handed typing! ^_^

    ka-and-ba.jpg

    (Easter Egg spoiler: If you're using EPKL try pressing Extend+Home!)

    Or, as the great poet Edgar Allan MacCole so famously put it:

    CAWed the Raven "Evermore!"

    Backdrop:
    The DH mod has had a few variants in addition to the standard one, which from 2020 is Steve's original DHm mod swapping the Colemak(Angle) D–V–B–G and H–M positions. This variant was selected as the standard since it's good both for standard row-staggered and modern matrix/column-staggered keyboards. My old DvH (DbgHk) mod kept the ZXCV keys together, and the 2017–2020 DHk standard had K on the home row and M in the "pocket" – which most typists agree is just a little better on row-staggered boards but significantly worse on matrix boards. We've tried out all these variants a lot, and arrived at a single strong and flexible DH standard.

    See stevep99's Colemakmods page, as well as the main Colemak-DH topic and links therein. Also, note my review of the DH mods and the 2017 DHk standard topic.


    [2.3]    PLAYING WITH THE SYMS

    The symbol keys weren't touched when Shai designed Colemak, since they're quite rare and mostly not an integral part of the typing flow; they're also a bit different in some locale variants. Semi-/colon was the exception since it sat in a too good position in QWERTY. While I agree that keeping symbols in the standard US layout positions shouldn't affect typing speed or comfort substantially, notice that some keys like ' " and - _ are more common than several letters and do figure in normal text flow. Other layout creators like Dvorak have chosen to optimize symbol key positions too, obviously at the cost of more keys moved from their original positions.

    For the more enthusiastic layout modders, I've made a symbol key rotation mod that I simply call Sym. It's only implemented in EPKL for Windows so far.

    Its simplest form is a single swap of the apostrophe/quote and semicolon/colon keys, which I feel makes text entry a bit more natural and comfortable since the apostrophe is an integral part of English text and quite common. Heavy C coders may disagree with it, but even they may appreciate that single and double quotes are common in code as well. The semicolon key is still only one little stretch away from the home position.

    The other element brings the hyphen-minus key down from the number row, at the cost of less common keys like the brackets. For Wide modded keyboards, the less common slash/question and the rare backslash/pipe key are demoted. This should be very good for coders too, who use the underscore a lot. Dvorak users know that a better hyphen placement can be nice.

    For ISO boards, as one QU and one MN loop:
    QU > SC
    MN > LB > PL , or
    MN > SL > BS > PL (w/ the Wide mod)
    
    For ANSI boards, putting semicolon on the BS key:
    QU > SC > BS > PL > MN > SL
    
    Optional addition: Swap parentheses and brackets
    () > []
      7   8   9   0   =   [
    j   l   u   y   '   -   ]        Colemak-Sym
     h   n   e   i   o   ;   \       (Quote & Minus)
       k   m   ,   .   /   _____

        Cmk-ISO-CurlAWideSym_90d-FShui_EPKL.png
        Colemak-CAWS: The Sym symbol rotation together with the CurlAngleWide ergo mods on an ISO board.


    [2.4]    MODIFIER MODNESS (Work-In-Progress)

    We've already encountered a modfied modifier above: The Extend key, which is usually the mostly unused CapsLock being put to far better use. In "vanilla" Colemak, this key is modded to a second Backspace. Furthermore, in EPKL the Extend key can be modified by other modifiers to select different Extend layers, and it can be a tap-mod key that produces for instance a Backspace when tapped quickly but Extend when held.

    In the Linux world, it's quite common to shuffle around the modifiers a bit. Caps can become Control, Esc or something else for instance.

    stevep99 is a big fan of remapping in particular the Alt keys, since they're thumb keys which can be very ergonomic. He likes to put Extend and/or Shift on those keys. See his Ergonomic Keyboard Mods GitHub page for more info.

    A similar idea is swapping both Alt and Shift keys so you can thumb Shift with both thumbs. This should take a load off your pinkies and give the otherwise underused thumbs more to do while allowing very fast and flexible typing.

    I'm a little wary of modifier modding myself, as it can be hard to implement reliably across platforms. Sometimes keys don't play well together, possibly because of hardware limitations in the scan matrix of cheaper keyboards and possibly because an OS (or Java/Flash/etc) can get confused when a non-modifier key becomes one. I've had my share of troubles with the Extend-modifier keys (Ext+A/S/T for Alt/Shift/Ctrl). I'd recommend using Registry remapping or a "hacked" MSKLC layout for Windows to make the remapping work at a sufficiently low level, and similarly edit the keycodes for Linux XKB (e.g., swap the numbers for '<LFSH> = 50;' and '<LALT> = 64;').

    Another issue is the differences between keyboards when it comes to the position of particularly the Right Alt key, making it very convenient on some boards but not on others. I do believe you should use a keyboard with a good RAlt position. Note that the Wide mod helps a bit with that.

    Another modifier mod is Sticky Shift. With this mod, which is available out-of-the-box in many OSes, you can tap a Shift (or Ctrl) key and then another key to released a shifted (or control) character. It's used by some of the fastest typists because with a chording Shift there's a higher risk of getting DOuble CApitals at high speeds. I find it quite pleasant to use. EPKL supports setting one or more modifiers as sticky. If you move the Shift keys to thumb keys as described above, Sticky Shift should still be useful.

    As shortly mentioned above, Dual-function keys is another interesting possibility. I've implemented it for TMK/QMK and EPKL. The idea is that a tap produces one key press, typically a letter, but holding down the key makes it a modifier instead. This may be a little confusing but also quite useful! Keys like Enter and Esc that don't need to be repeated are best for this, since the tapped key won't be able to repeat this way.

    Last edited by DreymaR (01-Feb-2021 16:43:03)

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

    Offline
    • 0
    • Reputation: 210
    • From: Viken, Norway
    • Registered: 13-Dec-2006
    • Posts: 5,343
    [3]    Layout Variants
    [3.1]    THE TARMAK TRANSITIONAL COLEMAK LAYOUTS

    There's a main Tarmak topic that you should take a look at. Basically, I've added four Tarmak layouts that provide stepping stones from the standard QWERTY layout to Colemak[eD] by moving only 3-4 keys per step. Each step brings at least one important key to the home row (notably, E-T-R-O-I) and only the rare J key is misplaced in the process. If you're brave and impatient, you may of course skip steps to customize your progress.

    Tarmak transitional layouts have been reported successful in easing the conversion to Colemak typing and although this evidence is anecdotal I find the proposed hypothesis that gradual changes should be easier to learn for many a plausible one.

        Tarmak_Spectral_ETROI.png?raw=1
        The 5-step Tarmak (transitional Colemak) layouts, spectrally color-coded from red (Tarmak#1) to violet (Colemak).


    [3.2]    LOCALE COLEMAK[eD] VARIANTS

    See my Locale Variants forum topic for the various locale solutions.

    I took off a bit and made quite a bunch of these, heh! I can make more on request. It'd be nice with feedback from local users as some design decisions are open to debate and depend on actual usage as well as personal preferences.

    Here's what I've covered so far, for the most part both with conservative 'keep local symbols' and my preferred 'unified symbols' variants
    (On a side note, there were only 11 Dvorak layouts in the xkb files last time I looked!):
    al at ba be bg br ca cz de dk es fi fr gb gr hr hu il is it latam nl no pl pt ro rs ru se si tr us

    - The brackets (lvl3-4) and the LSGT key may hold the most common locale-specific keys.
         • The oe/aring special letters may well be replaced; these should also be on dead keys.
         • Furthermore, keys with non-essential mappings (H J K L) are up for grabs if need be.
         • See the colemak_template symbols file for more info on local Colemak[eD] variants.

        Cmk-eD-usym-aw_Xm.png?raw=1
        Cmk-eD-dk%2Bno-usym-aw_Xm.png?raw=1
        The Colemak [edition DreymaR] layout, Norwegian+Danish 'Unified Symbols' variant (mostly like the standard Colemak above).

        Cmk-eD-no-ksym_Xm.png?raw=1
        The Colemak [edition DreymaR] layout, Norwegian 'Keep Local Symbols' variant (symbols like local key markings).

    Please note: The 'Local Symbols' variant for a locale uses symbol mappings from the default locale layout (usually a QWERTY one), which are also the ones normally found on physical key markings on keyboards made for that locale. The letter block, however, is the Colemak[eD] one which may lead to some inconsistencies or faults in lv3-4 mappings. For the most consistent and complete set of AltGr mappings, use the 'Unified Symbols' variants.


    [3.3]    PHONETIC COLEMAK LAYOUTS FOR NON-LATIN SCRIPTS

    See the phonetic subtopic of my Locale topic for more info on these layouts.

    For the Greek and Hebrew phonetic variants I mostly moved the keys of their default phonetic xkb layouts to a Colemak setup, hardly changing anything else. Ideally, I should be able to define phonetic names for the keys corresponding to Colemak so that other 'phonetic' layouts would work automatically, but I think the XKB way of doing that may be too QWERTY-centric for that to work right now. For Kyrillic, I've used Ghen's excellent Rulemak which under my xkb patch is found under 'Russian (Colemak, phonetic E-Slavic)'. It isn't for Russians only, but that's how xkb likes to sort things. Similarly, for South Slavic there's the Bulgarian (Colemak, phonetic S-Slavic) variant now. Let me know how that works out, please?

        Cmk-X-phon-gr-awide-sl_mask.png?raw=1
        The Colemak phonetic layout for Greek, simply moving around the keys of the default (here xkb) Greek layout.


    [3.4]    MIRRORED COLEMAK

    Advanced typing is possible with only one hand given a mimimum of training with the mirroring method. In fact, this paragraph was written entirely using the left hand with the exception of the mirroring key itself, with hardly any training! The brain is inherently good at mirroring things.

    Mirroring for one-handed typing was described by Edgar Matias et al in the 1996 paper "One-Handed Touch-Typing on a QWERTY Keyboard". Dedicated Matias keyboards and various other implementations of the principle are available, but most of them cost money or require technical knowledge.

    I think the Colemak is a very good layout for this kind of one-handed typing: It scores well on home-row usage, finger load balance and same-finger bigram avoidance, and it doesn't focus overmuch on hand alternation which could lead to same-finger bigrams when mirror-typing (Dvorak has lots of hand alternation; it also has separate right-hand and left-hand variants but then you'd have to learn a new layout).

    You'll want an easily accessible key (such as a thumb key) to switch between normal and mirrored typing. One suggestion is using LAlt for left-handed typing, and RAlt or RWin for right-handed typing. But you may instead use an arm or foot switch set to any other key (maybe an out-of-the-way one like ScrollLock), or a "ghetto switch" made by stripping most keys off a keyboard and placing it on the floor. A more fancy but still cheap switch could be made by soldering the wires from a foot pedal switch (if you have something useable) to the contacts of a key on a cheap keyboard.

    Some adventurous souls might want to try the mirrored Colemak as a main layout? Some say it's more similar to Dvorak that way. However, my implementation is meant for one-handed typing. To use it as a standalone layout, you'll want to take out the remapping of special keys.


        Cmk-ISO-MirrorOn-Angle_90d-FingerShui.png?raw=1
        The Mirrored Colemak layout, which should be good for right-handed typing (the Angle mod is recommended for this)


        Cmk-ISO-MirrorOn-AWide35_90d-FingerShui.png?raw=1
        The Mirrored Colemak layout with the AngleWide-Slash mod (see the Wide mod heading); better for left-handed typing I think

    A more straightforward one-handed typing method would be simply centering your one hand in the middle of the board on the TDHN (QWERTY FGHJ) keys; that's probably also easy to get used to and requires no software solutions at all, but I imagine it to be less ideal in the slightly longer run. People have reached decent speeds with this technique though. For more info on one-handed typing options, see for instance this KPR Blog page.

    Last edited by DreymaR (08-Mar-2021 12:38:10)

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

    Offline
    • 0
    • Reputation: 210
    • From: Viken, Norway
    • Registered: 13-Dec-2006
    • Posts: 5,343
    [4]    Other Board Tricks
    [4.1]    TYPING TRAINING – AMPHETYPE AND FRIENDS

    Amphetype is a cross-platform, layout agnostic typing program written by user tristesse. I think it's very nice for typing texts, analyzing weaknesses and generating lessons. Check it out directly or from my Training topic which contains good tips both from me and the experts.


        Amphetype_1-Typer.png?raw=1
        Amphetype about to start a book text session (from Berens' Greek/Roman mythology)


    [4.2]    TOUCH SCREEN TYPING – "COLEMAKOID" MESSAGEASE

    MessagEase is a wonderful touch screen keyboard with large keys, very fast typing and lots(!) of possibilities! As mentioned, this is mainly for touch screen devices (Android/Apple/etc) and as such I'll only mention it briefly here. In the Colemakoid MessagEase layout topic you can read more about this wonderful touch screen "keyboard" and my preferred settings for it. Highly recommended for your screen devices!

        MessagEase_KbdEx_DreymaR_Colemakoid.png?raw=1
        My "Colemakoid" drag mappings for the MessagEase touch screen keyboard (shown with my "subtle" color scheme)


    [4.3]    TYPING GAMING – THE TYPING OF THE DEAD

    The Typing Of The Dead is a weird and wonderful thing: The rail shooter House Of The Dead converted into a typing game! Heh. So much fun.

    The conversion is quite faithful, but with extra silly elements added – particularly in the first game. Zombies will often throw or wield kitchen utensils instead of knives and axes, and the main characters have a SEGA Dreamcast console with a huge cell battery strapped on their back as well as a SEGA keyboard before them.

    The original is still lying about and considered abandonware, so if you're interested you may give it a spin of the barrel. The original's drills can be downright handy for practising a particular aspect of your typing. There are exercises focused on typing speed, accuracy, reaction and special keys. There's even a typing tutorial (QWERTY-based but still useful).

        TTotD-1_Tower.jpg?raw=1
        In The Typing Of The Dead, you'll meet various challenges such as the Tower boss. Type in the right answer to defeat it.


    The second installment, Typing Of The Dead: Overkill is available on Steam, optionally bundled with several add-on dictionaries. It has more shine, but only three extra minigame modes. And I have a feeling that it's managed the nigh-impossible task of being even cheesier than the original. Beware! ;-)

        TTotD-Overkill_Shakespeare.jpg?raw=1
        The Typing Of The Dead: Overkill has hi-res sound & graphics, and custom dictionaries such as this Shakespeare one!


    For the record: I like both! The original is what I'll go to for typing training, though.

    More info and downloads through these links:
    The Typing Of The Dead 2000 (Windows version for free on MyAbandonware)
    The Typing Of The Dead: Overkill (Steam)

    Technical tips for TotD 2000:
    • After unpacking the .rar file there's an install.exe and then a setup.bat you should run.
    • I've gotten it to run on an extended monitor, without changing color depth (on Win 10).
        – If you have a second monitor and want to play on your main one, disable the other.
    • I have to start it up with a standard US or UK layout active, or some keys will be weird.
        – After that, I can switch to any other Win layout such as the one I've made with MSKLC.
    • Locale layouts may struggle as they can have some symbols on AltGr or dead keys.
    • PKL works so I can use Extend to navigate etc.
    • The gun sound files (TotD\sound\SE\COMMON\gun#_22.wav [1-5]) can be replaced with ...
        ... typing sound files (TotD\sound\SE\typing\typing#.wav [1-5]) which are more pleasant.
    • If it's hard, set it to "Very Easy" in Options. There are other settings there that may help too.


    [4.4]    HARDWARE REMAPPING – QUICKIE DEVICES

    USB-to-USB remapping devices are programmable microcontrollers that allow you to remap and enhance your keyboard. I've decided to call this kind of device a QUICKIE (QWERTY USB In, Colemak Key Input Emulated)!   ̄(=⌒ᆺ⌒=) ̄

    It's a very interesting XKB/Win/Mac-independent trick: A USB-to-USB device that plugs between the keyboard and whatever you're connecting your keyboard to, provides an OS independent solution that can accommodate many of my tricks! For people having to deal with zealous IT security rules, this may be the only solution short of getting an expensive remappable keyboard. It could let you type Colemak to, say, a PlayStation. And it could be fun to make one yourself if you're adventurous and DIY oriented! If you do have an actual programmable keyboard, you can probably use nearly the same (TMK) code for it.

    It'll remap only key strokes so basic layout and ergo mods such as Colemak-Curl(DH)AngleWide(+Extend) are possible, but not easily AltGr or dead key mods such as Colemak[eD].

    The safest and easiest option may be to order the brilliant USB to USB Converter from GeekHack user Hasu, who has also developed the TMK software for converting keyboards to more awesome keyboards. I provide TMK files in the USB-2-USB Big Bag topic.

    For more info, see the Big Bag of Tricks topic – USB2USB edition! Note that some keyboard controllers can be programmed with TMK or its fork QMK. My code should work for these controllers too, at least using TMK, and then you wouldn't need a separate device.

        USB2USB-Hasu_GeekHack-Topic69169_GadOE.jpg?raw=1
        Hasu's USB to USB Converter for TMK Key mapping


    [4.5]    PHYSICAL KEYBOARD MODDING

    You don't need special hardware to use a special layout. On my laptop I blind type happily away using Colemak-CAW and the only change I've made is to scratch the N (QWERTY K) key a little to aid homing since I have a Wide ergo mod. But some will want the visual to match the experience. And naturally, many layout enthusiasts are also keyboard hardware enthusiasts!

    These days, there are many many options to buy or make a keyboard to your liking. I have an old and somewhat dated physical board modding topic where you may pick up some ideas, but you may also want to search around for newer topics.

    I also suggest checking out the Deskthority.net Wiki and the GeekHack.org forums as they are great founts of knowledge and opinions on most things keyboard. Especially mechanical switches, but lots of other things too. For all questions hardware, there's also the Colemak Discord #Hardware channel, always full of knowledgeable and helpful enthusiasts.


        Cmk-CAW_Unicomp_DreymaR_TN-Ninja_2017-08.png?raw=1
        My Unicomp SpaceSaver Buckling Spring (IBM Model M ISO type) keyboard with "American/Ninja" caps, splendidly sporting the Colemak-CAW layout.


    [4.6]    IMAGINATIVE COLEMAKING

    You may or may not feel the need for Colemak-related images, but I do. In my Image topic you can see a showcase of them. Some are useful as help images, others are interesting and some are hopefully funny.

       ColemakTime_Color.png?dl=1

    Last edited by DreymaR (17-Sep-2020 14:02:06)

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

    Offline
    • 0
    • Reputation: 3
    • Registered: 29-Apr-2015
    • Posts: 23

    Two quick questions:
    1. I've used your old angle-curl mod for a few years (bottom row "zxcvd<hm,.-"), but now I see you've changed your mind. Might it be worth the effort of changing to the now "canonical" modDH layout? (bottom row "zxcdv<mh,.-"?
    2. When I update my Mac mappings (sorry for being tardy there) would it make sense to change to that, and also let the Tarmak progression point to that? (if it is, is there a new version of the Tarmak progression towards the new modDH?). EDIT: That question is answered here: https://forum.colemak.com/topic/1858-le … ts/#p14801 Sorry for not looking sufficiently before asking.

    Thanks!

    Last edited by mkborregaard (24-Oct-2017 13:17:09)
    Offline
    • 0
    • Reputation: 210
    • From: Viken, Norway
    • Registered: 13-Dec-2006
    • Posts: 5,343

    For me, it's nice if we forget the old variant(s) and move on. For you, it may not matter. I think the new variant is even more comfy (at the price of one more moved key and a little frustration during the switch), but the old one is nice by all means. So it's up to you, friend. :-)

    When it comes to documentation and what we put out there for the newcomers, I hope we can keep it all to the new variant as anything else causes confusion. For those matrix keyboard users preferring M in the middle I'll keep SteveP99's old mod available, but I won't promote it on the front page so to speak. So yes, I hope you'll update your files to the new Curl(DH) mod too!

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

    Offline
    • 1
    • Reputation: 3
    • Registered: 29-Apr-2015
    • Posts: 23

    Thanks a lot! :-) I'll update them as soon as I catch a minute.

    Offline
    • 0
    • Reputation: 210
    • From: Viken, Norway
    • Registered: 13-Dec-2006
    • Posts: 5,343

    So, what do you think of using spoiler tags to get some less central stuff off the front page but still easily accessible? I think it works rather well (given that the forum format isn't perfect for this anyway!), but let's hear your opinions.

    Last edited by DreymaR (03-Apr-2018 11:17:40)

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

    Offline
    • 0
    • Reputation: 0
    • Registered: 22-Feb-2020
    • Posts: 5
    DreymaR said:

    So, what do you think of using spoiler tags to get some less central stuff off the front page but still easily accessible? I think it works rather well (given that the forum format isn't perfect for this anyway!), but let's hear your opinions.

    Hello! Great job! I'm missing 2 options:
    -autocomplete-brackets (allows you to assign more other keys to the wide-mode instead of ] etc.)
    -Ability to assign 4th and 5th (XButton1,XButton2) mouse keys as "ext"+ mod example 4th as tab+rshift and 5th as tab+ralt
    also it would be nice to see these options in the next version with the on/off switch in the config file :P

    here is my sample ahk -autocomplete-brackets script:

    #NoEnv  
    SendMode Input
    SetWorkingDir %A_ScriptDir%  
    
    ; This autocompletes (), [], "", '',
    
    :*?:(::
    SendInput, {Raw}()
    SendInput, {Left 1} 
    return
    
    :*:'::
    SendInput, {Raw}''
    SendInput, {Left 1}
    return
    
    :*:sout::
    SendInput, System.out.println();{Left 2} 
    return
    
    :*?:{::
    SendInput, {Raw}{}
    SendInput, {Left 1}
    return
    
    :*?:[::
    SendInput, {Raw}[]
    SendInput, {Left 1}
    return
    
    :*:<::
    SendInput, {Raw}<>
    SendInput, {Left 1}
    return
    
    :*:"::
    SendInput, ""{Left 1}  
    return

    where should I paste it to make it works with EKPL  executable/github  win ver?
    lock extend layer and quick/slow relase option ext key (for backspace/change layer) are still in WIP?

    Offline
    • 0
    • Reputation: 0
    • Registered: 22-Feb-2020
    • Posts: 5

    then it could looks that:
    for programmers
    Bez-tytu-u.png

    Offline
    • 0
    • Reputation: 210
    • From: Viken, Norway
    • Registered: 13-Dec-2006
    • Posts: 5,343
    kolorowy420 said:

    Hello! Great job! I'm missing 2 options:
    -autocomplete-brackets (allows you to assign more other keys to the wide-mode instead of ] etc.)
    -Ability to assign 4th and 5th (XButton1,XButton2) mouse keys as "ext"+ mod example 4th as tab+rshift and 5th as tab+ralt
    ...
    where should I paste it to make it works with EKPL  executable/github  win ver?
    lock extend layer and quick/slow relase option ext key (for backspace/change layer) are still in WIP?

    • Thanks for the praise!  ♪~╰(*°▽°*)╯~♪
    • I'm not sure pasting that script into the EPKL code would work well. Most likely not. EPKL is a complex beast and it remaps most keys already.
    • Yes, lockable Extend is still under consideration. I actually thought about it today! But so far I've decided against it, and/or not prioritized it.
    • Not sure what exactly you mean by "quick/slow release option ext key"? If you mean making "sticky Extend" layers then this is already there. Extend-tap is useable and showcased in the Layouts_Override.ini file, giving multiple dead key layers for use with the Extend key. It's how I make shortcuts and kaomoji.
    • Your hotstrings would likely also get interrupted by the hotkeys. However, you can put their effects into dead key mappings, for instance Ext-tap ones.
    • Autocompleting brackets are kind of implemented. Check the dk_Ext_Special entry for <y> for instance. As it is now you tap Extend then type y to do that, but you could make such an entry a PowerString and refer to it in your layout, or just use it directly in the layout entries.
    • Mapping the XButton1/2 should be possible. I don't have them so I can't test it. If they aren't mappable by names, then find their scan codes with AHK Key History. Not sure what you mean by "Ext"+mod?
    • Out of curiosity: Why do you swap Z and V? Z is rarer than V in English.
    • EPKL pro tip: When screenshotting layout help images, set their opacity to 255 in the Settings file beforehand. If you wish, you can also tweak their size.

    Last edited by DreymaR (04-Mar-2020 11:15:08)

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

    Offline
    • 0
    • Reputation: 0
    • Registered: 22-Feb-2020
    • Posts: 5
    DreymaR said:

    • Yes, lockable Extend is still under consideration. I actually thought about it today! But so far I've decided against it, and/or not prioritized it.

    I thought I needed this option before, but I came up with a better one:
    1)Is it possible (if so, how)
    assign the X key to change to the YY layout (not the next one, but the one defined in the settings)

    DreymaR said:

    • Out of curiosity: Why do you swap Z and V? Z is rarer than V in English.

    because I can.( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) my native language is Polish and Z is in 5th place

    a     8.91%       w     4.65%       p     3.13%       g     1.42%       ć     0.40%
    i     8.21%       s     4.32%       m     2.80%       ę     1.11%       f     0.30%
    o     7.75%       t     3.98%       u     2.50%       h     1.08%       ń     0.20%
    e     7.66%       c     3.96%       j     2.28%       ą     0.99%       q     0.14%
    z     5.64%       y     3.76%       l     2.10%       ó     0.85%       ź     0.06%
    n     5.52%       k     3.51%       ł     1.82%       ż     0.83%       v     0.04%
    r     4.69%       d     3.25%       b     1.47%       ś     0.66%       x     0.02%

    • EPKL pro tip: When screenshotting layout help images, set their opacity to 255 in the Settings file beforehand. If you wish, you can also tweak their size.

    (୨୧•͈ᴗ•͈)◞ᵗʱᵃᵑᵏઽ*♡

    I have analyzed the EPKL a bit and discovered some new options!
    I have a few more uncertainties/things:
    2) how to set :
    shift-on-quick-tap - works as normal shift as long as any key is pressed (1-9 a-z)
    shift-on-hold - switches capsLock on/off

    4) what is "SG" key SGCap,SGCSh in BaseLayout.ini?
    5) What are these wheels for? What's the difference or just the visual appearance? (I know I can turn them into DeadKeys.ini)
    1.png
    6) Full sate images make EKPL running faster ?

    Offline
    • 0
    • Reputation: 210
    • From: Viken, Norway
    • Registered: 13-Dec-2006
    • Posts: 5,343

    Sorry, but for the sake of order and accessibility could I ask you to take this thread to the Big Bag for EPKL/Windows topic please?  (✿◠‿◠)

    (I started without you...)

    Last edited by DreymaR (17-Mar-2020 16:03:21)

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

    Offline
    • 0
    • Reputation: 0
    • Registered: 22-Feb-2020
    • Posts: 5
    DreymaR said:

    Sorry, but for the sake of order and accessibility could I ask you to take this thread to the Big Bag for EPKL/Windows topic please?  (✿◠‿◠)

    sure ᕕ༼ຈل͜ຈ༽ᕗ

    Offline
    • 0