AutoHotkey Community

[Micahs]

The latest version is up. I've added layer support and fixed some things.

Here is the structure for adding layers:

[wrybread]

Nice work, just a couple of questions.

First, I find that in its default configuration it doesn't pick up nearly all the key presses if someone presses the keys very rapidly. Adjusting clickUpdateRate in the config file fixes this... Is there an advantage to leaving this at 40? Or at anything above 0?

And is there a way to give the keyboard a transparent background? In other words, make it so it's not an even rectangle, but has edge keys "floating" on a transparent background?

And would it be possible to make the buttons be images instead of blocks? In other words, define the keyboard the same way we are now, but allow an image overlay over each key?

Or another approach might be to allow the user to create their own complete keyboard in, say, Photoshop, and capture keystrokes depending on where their clicks were registered? I'm thinking of kiosk designers and people for whom the aesthetics of the keyboard is extremely important...

Again, really nice work. As I get deeper into its configurations (the ini file and the xml layout) I really really like it.

[davez]

I also think you've got a great piece of software here.

Just an Idea I thought I would toss out.

You should be able to add totally customizable buttons for AHK.

Like a blank row of keys we can label and add function to with our hotkeys.

Thanks for a great product.

[Micahs]

Thanks for the interest!
Here is a screenshot of what the latest version can do. This is the "english-fancy" layout.

[wrybread]

Awesome!

Note that the link to the source is broken...

[Micahs]

The link is back up! Sorry - I left out a space in the name when I updated. I'll have to come up with something simpler.
_________________

[joakimk]

That is impressive!

I am working on a touch-screen interface keyboard for a "terminal application", in Java, and my idea was simply to map JButtons over each key, which append the desired character to the JTextArea.

Did you solve the problem of capturing simultaneous key combinations, like Shift + H, or Ctrl + Alt + W? The touch screen acts like a mouse, which, normally (AFAIK), can only capture single mouse events. In other words, if you click somewhere (using your finger on the screen) and hold, while moving a second finger around, the screen will not respond to the second finger until the first one is released. I guess this is why the "OnScreen Keyboard" XP application (osk.exe) has an inferior solution, where the Shift key acts like a one-time Caps Lock, capitalizing the next keystroke. I guess this implies that something like Ctrl + Alt + W requires three separate clicks in sequence?

Please let me know how you solved this! Perhaps I can port this function into my Linux/Java project, if I'm lucky.
Otherwise, maybe you have plans for a Linux version of your excellent keyboard app?

[Micahs]

Thanks for the kind words!
I solved the problem by creating a queue (I misspelled this in the code. )
When you click, for instance, Ctrl, "{Ctrl Down}" gets appended to the "stickyQueOpen" variable and "{Ctrl Up}" gets prepended to the "stickyQueClose" variable.
If you then click Alt, "{Alt down}" is appended to "stickyQueOpen" and "{Alt up}" is prepended to "stickyQueClose".
When you also click a non-modifier key like F1, this is sent:
"{Ctrl down}{Alt down}{F1}{Alt up}{Ctrl up}" and the queue is cleared.

If you click Ctrl or Alt, Etc a second time without clicking a non-modifier, the keys are removed from the Queue.

[tic]

I have just about finished my own onsceen keyboard, very similar to the wiis in appearance (if youve seen that) and I have made buttons in ahk that act like flash, but theres one thing i was hoping you could advise me on without me having to read your entire code..... how did you make the keyboard not steal focus? For example, if I go to rename a file, then when i am in the rename edit box, then i can still click on the keyboard and rename it. Thanks

It looks like to me that you have disabled the onscreen keyboard, and then are setting a timer to check if LButton is down and which control you are over at the time. Is this correct, or is there more to it?

[Micahs]

[tic]

Ay yes, I see what you mean now, with the *LButton at the bottom. The problem is that mine is a fullscreen keyboard like the wiis, and to open it, you must click on the system tray icon. Would there be a way to open the program from the system tray icon without the system tray stealing focus? so some way to do what you are already doing with *LButton but only when over the sys tray icon, or would it be necessary to make a small gui in the corner say that would open the keyboard?

My keyboard requires WM_MOUSEMOVE (0x200) to give it a flash like appearance. Is this possible with your method, as it would appear it would be if youre just remapping LButton and not disabling the window.

Thanks again Micahs.

[Micahs]

Try this. Left-Click on the icon and the gui will appear - without stealing focus.

[Micahs]

Or this. Same thing but with added WM_MOUSEMOVE stuff. Crude, I know, but it demonstrates the point: LeftClick remap will not interfere with MouseMove.

[tic]

thanks micahs. i realise now that i may not be able to use the method to stop it stealing focus as i have an edit box at the top of my gui that needs to let the user select text etc. unless you can also think of a way to do that.

[engunneer]