Remapping Keys

[Pyrthas]

Well, I couldn't find a thread about it here, so I figured I'd post something. I was rather pleased this morning (around 1...) when I finally figured out how to remap keys. I'd been wanting to do it for a while. It's pretty easy. (I currently have 14 remapped keys on my deck keyboard. As an aside, it's actually a really nice keyboard; the footprint is nice and small, but it has all the keys I want. The keys have a good feel to them, too. I don't really care about the lighting, but if you like that sort of thing, it's pretty nice.)

 

This is a link to the site that I first found. It was useful for figuring out how to get started. NOTE: I'm pretty sure that there are typos in this article (as well as in the files he has available for download). At least, you don't need the extra byte he has sitting there at the end (for doing what he's talking about, you only need five 00s at the end, not six). Also, his link to a Microsoft article is broken; this is where you want to go.

 

I figure that at the very least, gamers using standard keyboards wouldn't mind getting rid of their left windows key, so I hope that someone else out there is interested in doing this. If not, my apologies for the spam.

[InvaderTrax]

Wonder if I can turn this useless Email key into a CS key

[bishop245]

I figure that at the very least, gamers using standard keyboards wouldn't mind getting rid of their left windows key, so I hope that someone else out there is interested in doing this. If not, my apologies for the spam.

461369[/snapback]

to true and if i was hoe i would be working to remap it to god knows what

[ravix]

http://www.autohotkey.com/

 

Probably the most useful freeware program I have ever used. This (opensource) program allows you to remap any key on your keyboard, as well as manipulate many of the features of the windows OS. What really cool is how you do it, the program allows you to create scripts using a C++ like language that can be used to automate many repetitive tasks.

 

For instance, I was bored one day and created a script to open warcraft.exe, log me into battle net, type in my login info, and join a channel, all at the click of a button.

 

Don't be afraid of the scripting, either. Its extremely simple, and the help file is very detailed and friendly.

 

some sample commands:

 

^H::send, hello world!

This will send the text "hello world!" to whatever window is in focus when one hits ctrl+h

 

^a::

mousemove, 1, A_screenwidth - 1

mouseclick

return

This physically moves the mouse curser to the start menu and clicks

 

Given that the scripts also allow variables and flow of control (if, else, loops, etc), you can imagine the flexibilty this program gives you.

 

So, wether you just want to remap some keys, or create scripts to automate simple tasks, autohotkeys is a great, non obtrusive program.

 

Try it out, its simple and a functional tool.

Edited April 13, 2005 by ravix

[bishop245]

hey thanx ravix for the link it is another thing i will try when i get home to my beloved triple monitor main rig as there are a few things i have been wanting to bind to button combos but i am to lazy to look for programs/guides to do it since i once knew how but forgot

[Guest Jeremy]

http://www.autohotkey.com/

 

Probably the most useful freeware program I have ever used. This (opensource) program allows you to remap any key on your keyboard, as well as manipulate many of the features of the windows OS. What really cool is how you do it, the program allows you to create scripts using a C++ like language that can be used to automate many repetitive tasks.

461664[/snapback]

How does a key remapper allow you to manipulate the features of Windows?

[ravix]

How does a key remapper allow you to manipulate the features of Windows?

462068[/snapback]

 

thats the thing: its not just a key re-mapper. People write all kinds of utilities with it. And autohotkey scripts can even be compiled into stand-alone *.exe files.

 

 

Here are some example scripts from the help file:

 

Easy Window Dragging -- KDE style (requires XP/2k/NT) -- by Jonny: This script makes it much easier to move or resize a window: 1) Hold down the ALT key and LEFT-click anywhere inside a window to drag it to a new location; 2) Hold down ALT and RIGHT-click-drag anywhere inside a window to easily resize it; 3) Press ALT twice, but before releasing it the second time, left-click to minimize the window under the mouse cursor, right-click to maximize it, or middle-click to close it.

 

Seek -- by Phi: Navigating the Start Menu can be a hassle, especially if you have installed many programs over time. 'Seek' lets you specify a case-insensitive key word/phrase that it will use to filter only the matching programs and directories from the Start Menu, so that you can easily open your target program from a handful of matched entries. This eliminates the drudgery of searching and traversing the Start Menu.

 

Volume On-Screen-Display (OSD) -- by Rajat: This script assigns hotkeys of your choice to raise and lower the master and/or wave volume. Both volumes are displayed as different color bar graphs.

 

I think you get the idea. The functionality is amazing. Just give the help file a runthrough and I think you'll like what you can do (especially with a little knowledge of programming)