Kinesis remapping/macroing woes...

[bonega]

Hi.

Is there anyway to make a macro with a modifier without it getting mirrored to the other modifier?
AltGr and Alt always maps to the same macro which isn't working for me.

Basically I want to use Altgr to switch to a special layer with symbols important for programmers.
Ctrl and Alt already have their own important functions.

Furthermore: is there a way to remap a key to a shifted key?

I know that I can do all this in Software, but that solution have a whole other set of problems associated.

Thanks.

[Lanx]

quick answer:
wait for sordna to answer or IN

[kps]

Is there anyway to make a macro with a modifier without it getting mirrored to the other modifier?

Do you mean a macro mapped to AltGr plus some other key? If so, then no, macro sources don't distinguish between left and right modifiers, and AltGr is really sent as “right Alt”. (Blame Microsoft for this bit of stupidity in the USB spec.)

Basically I want to use Altgr to switch to a special layer with symbols important for programmers.

That should really be done by the host. USB (like PS/2) deals in keys, not characters.

Furthermore: is there a way to remap a key to a shifted key?

Do you mean something like having the ‘1’ key send ‘!’? If so, you would need to define a macro that sends SHIFT-1-UNSHIFT. Again, USB and PS/2 send key events, and it's up to the host to map them to characters. What OS are you using that doesn't handle keyboard layouts properly?

[sordna]

Hi.

Is there anyway to make a macro with a modifier without it getting mirrored to the other modifier?
AltGr and Alt always maps to the same macro which isn't working for me.

Hmm, in that case, pick some alt+key combos that are unused. I tend to make my macros with ctrl+alt+some letter since they are less likely to be used my OS or programs. By the way, I hit ctrl+alt together with the same thumb.

Furthermore: is there a way to remap a key to a shifted key?

Nope, remapping transposes an entire key as is. I find shift generally tiring in all keyboards, so on the Kinesis I either use a footswitch, or the extra thumb and/or palm keys I've added to my keyboards for effortless shifting.

[bonega]

Sorry for the late reply.

I can do layout remapping in software on all different oses I use.
The problem is keeping them in sync or being forced to use another computer.
 
Macros however are problematic:

Some programs are strangely resilient to remapping efforts.
Both RDesktop and Thunderbird in Windows refuses to heed autohotkeys macros.

In Linux I still haven't found a way to make macros.

Is Kinesis ps2 compatible? If so I have a spare teensy, so I could make a hardware remapper.

Thanks.

[sordna]

Is Kinesis ps2 compatible?

What do you mean? And, which exact Kinesis model do you have, you didn't mention in your OP.

[bonega]

What do you mean? And, which exact Kinesis model do you have, you didn't mention in your OP.

I have a kinesis advantage MPC/USB European/Swedish model.

A PS2 compatible usb-keyboard means that you can get an adapter and connect it to one of your ps2 ports.
Teensy cannot act as a usbhost, therefore the Kinesis must be ps2 compatible.

And no, using spare alt-gr combos wont work for me.
There are too many symbols I want to bind.

[sordna]

It's not PS/2 compatible then, however the main PCB outputs PS/2, which connects to a secondary PCB for USB conversion / USB hub. Open up the keyboard and you'll see. The connector is detachable, so you can easily detach it and connect it cleanly to a teensy. Info about the PS/2 main board here:
http://geekhack.org/showwiki.php?title=Island:8110&p=561731&viewfull=1#post561731

[bonega]

Thanks for your answer.

Really I am thinking of trying out TE instead.
One of the main kinesis selling points for me was layout remapping/macroing, but if I still have to do this in software I might as well look for other alternatives.
I find the Advantage to be overpriced if I only benefit from the ergonomic design.