geekhack

geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: Malenky on Sun, 05 June 2016, 17:24:29

Title: To all fellow Europeans
Post by: Malenky on Sun, 05 June 2016, 17:24:29
After being so annoyed by "ISO kits" in keysets having only ISO enter and some random other keys which do not match ISO-UK layout, I eventually bit the bullet and made the transition to ANSI. While the benefits of shift and enter being close to the home row are great, the one thing I still missed so regularly was the £ symbol. Then I found this blog:

https://blog.ginkel.com/2010/05/us-international-keyboard-layout-wo-dead-keys-for-microsoft-windows/

The layout is there for you, but the software it talks about basically allows you to create your own keyboard language to suit your keycaps. I now have £ on shift-altgr-4, which makes perfect sense to me as it's a modifier of $. The software allows you to create your own layout and then create a pack to install it. All you have to do after install it sign out and in (or restart) and then you can choose it from your input languages.
Title: Re: To all fellow Europeans
Post by: chyros on Sun, 05 June 2016, 17:30:45
ANSI is wasteful of space, I think personally, and the return key is just horrendous.

If you want £, either stick your layout on UK, or be oldschool like me and use alt+156 ;) . Left alt and numpad numbers or it won't work. 
Title: Re: To all fellow Europeans
Post by: davkol on Sun, 05 June 2016, 17:30:49
MS Keyboard Layout Creator is a neat thing to know.

There's one noteworthy alternative: Portable Keyboard Layout (https://sourceforge.net/projects/pkl/), that embeds an AHK keymap into a simple binary file, that doesn't require installation.
Title: Re: To all fellow Europeans
Post by: xondat on Sun, 05 June 2016, 17:33:53
Not having the pound sign on my keyboard is the most annoying thing using ANSI. I've never made the effort to get it though, however I should tomorrow when I have nothing else to do. I like the idea of having shift-altgr-4 but I'll have to see.
Title: Re: To all fellow Europeans
Post by: Almost on Sun, 05 June 2016, 17:36:11
This is quite nifty, thanks for posting!

Ex-ISO user on ANSI now, got away with it by just having the PC set to United Kingdom layout. £ is Shift-3 like on ISO. Only thing missing is \| key
Backwards slash I memorised as Alt 92 on a numberpad untill I realised I could set up macro's in autohotkey (I'm a slow learner!).

Gonna try this out sometime though.  ;D
Title: Re: To all fellow Europeans
Post by: appleonama on Sun, 05 June 2016, 17:38:33
Quote from: Malenky on Sun, 05 June 2016, 17:24:29
After being so annoyed by "ISO kits" in keysets having only ISO enter and some random other keys which do not match ISO-UK layout, I eventually bit the bullet and made the transition to ANSI. While the benefits of shift and enter being close to the home row are great, the one thing I still missed so regularly was the £ symbol. Then I found this blog:

https://blog.ginkel.com/2010/05/us-international-keyboard-layout-wo-dead-keys-for-microsoft-windows/

The layout is there for you, but the software it talks about basically allows you to create your own keyboard language to suit your keycaps. I now have £ on shift-altgr-4, which makes perfect sense to me as it's a modifier of $. The software allows you to create your own layout and then create a pack to install it. All you have to do after install it sign out and in (or restart) and then you can choose it from your input languages.

praise it brother.  :thumb: :thumb: :thumb: :thumb: :thumb: :thumb: :thumb:

ISO is dumb
Title: Re: To all fellow Europeans
Post by: chyros on Sun, 05 June 2016, 18:39:26
Alt keys are the answer to everything. Memorise them all mofos (http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab207/Chyrosran/8I%20smileys/I8_zpsmkdo4cj9.gif) .
Title: Re: To all fellow Europeans
Post by: xondat on Sun, 05 June 2016, 20:15:21
Quote from: chyros on Sun, 05 June 2016, 18:39:26
Alt keys are the answer to everything. Memorise them all mofos
Show Image
(http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab207/Chyrosran/8I%20smileys/I8_zpsmkdo4cj9.gif)
.

Slight problem. I look down and it turns out I don't have a numpad!
Title: Re: To all fellow Europeans
Post by: Bucake on Sun, 05 June 2016, 20:17:34
Quote from: xondat on Sun, 05 June 2016, 20:15:21
Quote from: chyros on Sun, 05 June 2016, 18:39:26
Alt keys are the answer to everything. Memorise them all mofos
Show Image
(http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab207/Chyrosran/8I%20smileys/I8_zpsmkdo4cj9.gif)
.

Slight problem. I look down and it turns out I don't have a numpad!

..oh my god! my keyboard has the same defect!
Title: Re: To all fellow Europeans
Post by: chyros on Mon, 06 June 2016, 02:16:55
Quote from: Bucake on Sun, 05 June 2016, 20:17:34
Quote from: xondat on Sun, 05 June 2016, 20:15:21
Quote from: chyros on Sun, 05 June 2016, 18:39:26
Alt keys are the answer to everything. Memorise them all mofos
Show Image
(http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab207/Chyrosran/8I%20smileys/I8_zpsmkdo4cj9.gif)
.

Slight problem. I look down and it turns out I don't have a numpad!

..oh my god! my keyboard has the same defect!
Hahaha and now everyone knows why I like fullsize layouts so much  :)) .
Title: Re: To all fellow Europeans
Post by: Bucake on Mon, 06 June 2016, 02:25:47
yeah, the lack of numpad shortcuts is one of the reasons why i sometimes miss the numpad. but for the pound sign, Shift + Ctrl + Alt + 4 works fine for me. not sure if all input languages support that shortcut, though. i'm using US-International
Title: Re: To all fellow Europeans
Post by: SBJ on Mon, 06 June 2016, 08:53:12
I personally use EurKey (http://eurkey.steffen.bruentjen.eu/).
Title: Re: To all fellow Europeans
Post by: MrFex on Mon, 06 June 2016, 09:24:22
I opt for an AHK script:

Code: [Select]
#::£