AutoHotkey Community

I'm using a Tipro matrix keyboard for shortcuts. But it never really worked when using combinations of ALT, CTRL and Shift. So I thought I would ditch the internal keyboard memory (leaving the keys unassigned) and use AHK instead. But is it possible to do that at all? I guess I would need to detect the scancodes or whatever. I already took a look at AKHID and Other HID Info
but when pressing a key nothing is shown. Did I go the wrong route maybe?

You didn't specify the Tipro model, but if it is a programmable matrix keyboard I think you are using it wrong.
As I understand it, the purpose of these keyboards is to compress several keystrokes into a single push.
Trying to add control, shift or alt is kinda silly.

Hey Leef,

it's a MID 96 (96 keys). I use it to trigger hotkeys in my music sequencer and of course these also consist of ALT, CTRL and SHIFT.
The problem is, If I want to make use of the keyboard I have to assign
something to the keys so that my sequencer can recognize it (unless I find a way to trigger the scancodes and assign my commands directly in AHK).
This means, I need to add like 96 different keys to make the device usable in Windows. At the moment I'm using a hotstring "F13 + 001, 002, etc... for each key. But this causes issues.


Cheers,

Stevie

Here is a link to a prior post, with a key history script
http://www.autohotkey.com/forum/viewtop ... 399#352399
It isn't much, just a wrapper around existing commands.

You can use this script to see if the matrix puts out 'scan codes'
My guess is that this is doubtful, but it is worth a try.


I am not familiar with 'music sequencer' other than having heard the term.
Can you give a quick definition?

I'm interested in making some suggestions & script ideas, but need a little more background.

Would you go into some detail about the "issues" involved with F13 + 001 etc? I'm referring to >>But this causes issues.

Also, how do you program the matrix? I looked for info, but came up short. Perhaps Tipro have PDF that explains this, but I couldn't find it.

Can you describe what you might want to do with 96 buttons?
What would would a column or row contain?
Would the keys dynamically 'change function' ?

I work with electronics so I can theorize or understand how the matrix works.
But what I don't understand is its purpose.

For comparison, the closest analogy I have is the newer fast-food cash registers.
The cash tenders translate what you verbally request into button-presses of available menu items.

Hey Leef,

thanks for your reply.



Yes, I already tried that manually with no effect




Yeah sure, a music sequencer is pretty much the same as a video editing software. You have a timeline with a lot of events (these can be audio clips or MIDI data).

This video shows the basics and also the part with key commands and macros where I need the Tipro for:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGhqBVrfQF8



Tell me if the info above is sufficient for you.



Well, what I do is, I assign to every of the 96 keys the F13 + 001... hotstring. This info is written into the internal memory of the keyboard.
Then, in my AHK script, I assign the actual key command that will trigger
a function in Cubase.

Here's a snippet of my code:



As you can see, I also double assigned the keys. Every key has a second function that can be switched via the "choose layer" key. Not all are assigned, though.

The problem is now, that the last digit of the number usually "gets thru" and is interpreted by Cubase instead of the actual hotkey. So when I send F13+001, which should add a MIDI track, sometimes
ALT+CTRL+SHIFT+M is triggered, and sometimes the "1" of 001 leaks thru. It's a pretty unpredictable behavior and I also tried to circumvent it by adding several delay parameters. But nothing really helped, since this is all burned into the keyboard's memory.




There is a program called "Change Me" that will take care of that.


And here is the full guide as PDF:
http://www.tipro.si/download/FREE_UM_5_6.pdf



It will mostly be hotkeys that trigger cubase functions. Some might also be AHK macros which involve MouseMove (for functions that cannot be assigned to key commands) or even popup up menus that will show several functions to chose from.

That's how it looks at the moment:




No, some keys will have two layers, but that's it.



You hit the nail! That's it. behind every key is a complex task that consist of a single shortcut, macro, mouse movement or popup menu.
A fast-food cash for composers so to say

I hope I could give you an understandable insight. If not, feel free to ask!

Hi Stevie,
Thanks for the info, I have a better grasp.
My head is about to explode for all the info, but I have a better grasp.

>>As you can see, I also double assigned the keys. Every key has a second function that can be switched via the "choose layer" key.

The 'switching' done in the matrix keyboard with the "Multiple layer key", right?

You mean this, right?
I see you are using string length and time limit. I don't know what delay you have have set for the time between keys.
But according to the manual and the 'T3' in your script, your script should wirk fine, but it doesn't.



Have you considered using an EndKey ?

Also, I suggest trying this as a diagnostic. The idea is to see how long it takes the keyboard to send the string of keypresses.

LOL, sorry. I wanted to give you the best overview.





Yes, it's the key at the bottom left where it says "switch layer".




Not quite! The matrix has 96 keys. So it starts again at 97 (= 1).
001 and 097 are the same key.



Yeah



Ahh! I will set a higher value and test it.



I didn't know this was possible



Ok! Will report back. Thanks for your help. Much appreciated!

Unfortunately the interbyte delay applies only to PS2, but mine is connected via USB

>>As you can see, I also double assigned the keys.
>>Every key has a second function that can be switched via the "choose layer" key.
>>Not all are assigned, though.


You do realize that pressing key 097 will result in the same action as 002?

No I didn't

Okay, I commented out the "097:".
Now I assigned CTRL+A to 001 (usually "select all") and I noticed an alternating behavior here. When first pressing the 001 in notepad,
I can see the written "001", when pressing it a second time, the text is selected and so on... It's always repeating itself. I don't get it...

That's why I asked... I am trying my best to 'cover your back'



My apologies, I don't comprehend.
There is an option "V" in 'input' to make the received characters visible.
But I can't imagine how this option would be toggled off & on.

Can you post your current script and a synopsis of what you have programmed into the matrix (assuming you made any changes) ?

thanks





Sorry, let me explain. I assigned CTRL+A to the first key (001)
and executed the modified script. This should result in "select all". The video shows what happened. Keep in mind, I solely pressed key 001 (with a pause of one second in between):



This is the generated logfile of the keystrokes above:





That's what I'm using at the moment:

I could somehow fix it by adding a 100ms delay after pressing F13.
I did this with Change Me. Apparently the Tipro sends keys way too fast
and this causes AHK to misbehave and re-interpret key strokes.
However a 100ms delay is pretty long. But 1s and 100ms are the only available values (imagine, how crazy is that!).

Your video was "clear as a bell", thank you.

1. Change the matrix so it was 'normal' speed, do delays, no faster.
2. change one line of your script

3. try the new script, with the same methods you used for the video.

(I believe you will be posting results with a smiley face)