DreymaR's Big Bag of Keyboard Tricks - PKL/Windows Edition!
16-Sep-2015 10:10:51#76 Re: DreymaR's Big Bag of Keyboard Tricks - PKL/Windows Edition!
There's your problem then. The forum changes tabs to spaces. Look at the other entries, using an editor that shows whitespace (I use NotePad++). Then you'll get it right.
I tried the explicit remapping and it worked for me.
16-Sep-2015 19:43:37#77 Re: DreymaR's Big Bag of Keyboard Tricks - PKL/Windows Edition!
Well, actually I just discovered Shift + Caps does what I want. I don't care that my remapping attempts failed.
17-Sep-2015 05:12:14#78 Re: DreymaR's Big Bag of Keyboard Tricks - PKL/Windows Edition!
Actually, after using it some more I love the extend layer so much. Never using the Colemak backspace again.
24-Jan-2016 23:39:19#79 Re: DreymaR's Big Bag of Keyboard Tricks - PKL/Windows Edition!
I just started messing with this for the first time and I must mention one thing - as clear as you describe each of the mods, you don't really put much focus into explaining the requirements to getting this working. I'm sure going deep into this will supply me the answers on its own, but I think it would be great if the first post in the Linux and Windows bag-of-tricks threads had a basic step-by-step guide on how to get the ball rolling, that is get the MKLC software and throw the file in it, etc. I'm sure it's even more complex on Linux.
27-Jan-2016 12:17:43#80 Re: DreymaR's Big Bag of Keyboard Tricks - PKL/Windows Edition!
Very fair points, BullHorn – thanks for the feedback!
I'll think about making that basic guide for newcomers (unless someone else wants to do it?). It's sorely needed I think, and would in the long run make support easier.
27-Jan-2016 18:32:49#81 Re: DreymaR's Big Bag of Keyboard Tricks - PKL/Windows Edition!
It's a good idea, a few people have mentioned there should be a basic guide, so that newcomers could quickly understand the different mods, terminology etc. I had planned to try and create such a thing over the Christmas break, but never got around to it (as is usually the case). It would good to have a handy quick reference, and might even entice people to take up ideas such as Extend and Angle mods, perhaps if they are not necessarily Colemak users even!
29-Jan-2016 10:39:36#82 Re: DreymaR's Big Bag of Keyboard Tricks - PKL/Windows Edition!
29-Jan-2016 11:23:22#83 Re: DreymaR's Big Bag of Keyboard Tricks - PKL/Windows Edition!
don't get me wrong, super useful, but pedagogically wanting..
Its not so much the content, thats pretty good, just the fact its presented in a forum, its hard to find and doesn't instil confidence (all looks a bit temporary). It is all in the wrong order too though - the very first thing (as has already been noted) that you see should be a quickstart guide to getting it working. As it stands you have to wade through *a lot* of stuff before you get to that bit.
another option could be a new website?
but its all work and who has the time or cash to splash??
29-Jan-2016 12:40:27#84 Re: DreymaR's Big Bag of Keyboard Tricks - PKL/Windows Edition!
Yeah, I totally and absolutely hear you. Actually, Shai's playing ball. It's me who haven't found the time&energy to implement.
Also, I've got many other little keyboard things running. Lately, updates to the Cyrillic layouts and an Esperanto one. Some fixes for the XKB code, especially Extend. Thinking about PKL code improvements. And more work remains on my layout images!
04-Feb-2016 15:23:31#85 Re: DreymaR's Big Bag of Keyboard Tricks - PKL/Windows Edition!
DreymaR, I actually forked PKL and implemented some of your ideas and some other things.
I'm not sure what you mean when you say you want PKL to be more modular, but I made it possible to share some files between layouts. But that way the layouts are no longer contained in one folder and are not as easy to add, delete, and share between users. Maybe a separate program can be made to copy all needed files inside the layout's main folder before sharing and distributing.
If you want to try it, I uploaded it here: pklv-0.5.0.zip (Layouts and the pkl.ini file are not included) - see the readme file for the changes I made.
It's likely that there are bugs, because I didn't test it much, so if somebody finds a bug, let me know.
07-Feb-2016 15:48:32#86 Re: DreymaR's Big Bag of Keyboard Tricks - PKL/Windows Edition!
Ummm, too bad we didn't cooperate on that then. Sounds as if you went in a direction I wouldn't. But I'm sure there will be interesting lessons learned from this!
Did you work from the v0.3.85 source code? Is your source code included? And how do I use that link without signing up or anything?
08-Feb-2016 04:54:19#87 Re: DreymaR's Big Bag of Keyboard Tricks - PKL/Windows Edition!
You can just click the button Download This File, the source code is included. I used the 4-preview version. I got some program that extracts the source code from the .exe, then I added back the comments. Then I made it work with the new, Unicode version of AHK. I tried to do it a few years ago, but it didn't work, but now I went and fixed it just for fun. I don't even use Windows now, but it's nice to have PKL in case I need it in the future. The modifications I made are just examples - if you don't like something it can be changed.
08-Feb-2016 15:52:38#88 Re: DreymaR's Big Bag of Keyboard Tricks - PKL/Windows Edition!
Bloody hell, that's brilliant work. Are there many differences from 0.3.85 to 0.4b? I've tried to pester Farkas for the 0.4b source code but he's been MIA forever.
You really added back all the comments from Farkas' source?
You're a regular hero, you are. Now I'll really have to look into your stuff.
We or you could make a GitHub repo for this, so we and others can develop it together?
09-Feb-2016 20:05:19#89 Re: DreymaR's Big Bag of Keyboard Tricks - PKL/Windows Edition!
I also asked Máté for the 0.4 source. He told me to use the source code of the previous stable version, but I didn't want to lose any bug fixes and features that people may be using. I see that he was thinking about working on PKL again last year, but probably didn't happen. I should let him know about my version. There weren't that many differences between 0.3 and 0.4. I don't remember what the differences were exactly. You can put it on GitHub, that's fine with me. I don't plan on working on it again for a while.
14-Feb-2016 20:42:46#90 Re: DreymaR's Big Bag of Keyboard Tricks - PKL/Windows Edition!
Finally I was able to run generateImages.bat from the utilities folder of PKL 0.3. I didn't get the .png images, just an html page with tables that look like the helper images for the specified layout, but with some more work I would probably be able to get the image files as well. It needs a full-page screenshot of that page and then it should cut it into the images for the separate states. Of course this tool doesn't work with the features I added to my PKL (named dead keys and imported files).
It would be better to have a tool that doesn't use a browser though, then we could create a website where users can create the images for their custom layouts. Another option is to print the characters on the screen (with AutoHotkey's Gui, Add, Text command), without using images. It's not pretty, but at least you don't need to edit images every time you make changes to your layout. I may try to do this one day.
17-Feb-2016 15:00:32#91 Re: DreymaR's Big Bag of Keyboard Tricks - PKL/Windows Edition!
I think we need images, or it may get too slow? Otherwise, it'd be great to make the help images auto-update with the layout of course.
A script that makes my SVG images based on a layout definition is what I'd like to use.
But if possible/practical, the image only providing the background (key graphics) would be great. I'm planning to separate background and glyphs anyway, in the images.
18-Feb-2016 12:34:23#92 Re: DreymaR's Big Bag of Keyboard Tricks - PKL/Windows Edition!
You could turn the existing SVG into a template: replace all the letters eg. Q with a tag like %Q% (something distinctive that does not otherwise occur in the file). Then we write a simple script that replaces all those tags by the appropriate character, based on a layout mapfile that maps E to F etc.
24-Sep-2016 10:15:27#93 Re: DreymaR's Big Bag of Keyboard Tricks - PKL/Windows Edition!
Couple of suggjstions from someone usikg this for the first time.
Could you make the default INI the one you expect most people to use?
Also changing the keyboard help images to highlight the home keys would help people find the keys better.
26-Sep-2016 09:37:53#94 Re: DreymaR's Big Bag of Keyboard Tricks - PKL/Windows Edition!
I did try to make the default .INI the most noob-friendly. That is, ANSI keyboard and Tarmak layout(s). My thought is that some of the Tarmak users will be the ones in most need of a low-threshold alternative. It's not so noob-friendly that anyone else have to dive right in and edit files, but there's open-source for you. ;-) I tried to provide a few options at least.
Another thing on my wish list is modularity, so you can choose Angle/Wide ergo mods separately from layout for instance (and maybe Curl-DH too).
01-Feb-2017 02:13:42#95 Re: DreymaR's Big Bag of Keyboard Tricks - PKL/Windows Edition!
01-Feb-2017 10:55:54#96 Re: DreymaR's Big Bag of Keyboard Tricks - PKL/Windows Edition!
I'm afraid it'll have to wait until I figure out how to automate help images (and split text from background). I won't make help images for other layouts at the moment.
12-Jul-2017 12:45:58#97 Re: DreymaR's Big Bag of Keyboard Tricks - PKL/Windows Edition!
But looking in the layouts subdir I can't see anything with CAW in the filename?
what should I be setting the layout to in the pkl.ini file?
13-Jul-2017 17:07:03#98 Re: DreymaR's Big Bag of Keyboard Tricks - PKL/Windows Edition!
So sorry bph, I'm in Rome and haven't found the time to finish and publish the PKL files yet! Argh!
The simplest way to make your own new Curl(DH) mod is to take my old one and swap the scan codes for D–V and H–M in layout.ini. That'll do the trick. But if you want the Ctrl+V to work as it should, you'll also have to swap the D–V codes in the [extend] section of pkl.ini.
I'll get those files out, I promise...!
17-Jul-2017 12:43:52#99 Re: DreymaR's Big Bag of Keyboard Tricks - PKL/Windows Edition!
no problem - good to know i hadn't just misunderstood what was going on as per the linux big bag install attempt recently..
08-Aug-2017 13:47:18#100 Re: DreymaR's Big Bag of Keyboard Tricks - PKL/Windows Edition!
I finally got the updated files published, and on GitHub too!
So, bph: Please take a look now and see if it works for you. There's bound to be some minor bugs in there I feel, but hopefully it should be mostly good now.
Note that you have to rename a pkl_<something>.ini file to 'pkl.ini' to get started. Obviously, choose the one closest to your ergo mod and ANSI/ISO reality.
As always, testing and feedback is welcome.