One of the most commonly asked questions about SharpKeys is “can I remap a shift-key to another key” – something that wants to move only a modified part of a key… like leave 5 where it is but remap %. Since SharpKeys simply exposes the built-in remapping technology of Windows, and Windows only remaps whole keys, this is something that is impossible with SharpKeys.
However, DownloadSquad has found AutoHotKey. This remaps keys on an application by application basis and does a whole lotta stuff… it’s also open source and free, and according to DownloadSquad, rather Geek-centric.
Might be an alternative if whole key remapping doesn’t help ya out.
I discovered the other day that Visual Studio.NET 2003 comes with project wizards to help build installation packages for your applications: you can create MSI packages right from the IDE. I’ve made two new installs to handle SharpKeys 1.1 and SharpMT 2.2; it looks like the SharpKeys install is about 600KB smaller and SharpMT is about 500KB smaller. Hey, whatever makes for faster downloads, right? Read on for some specifics with this… Continue reading SharpMT and SharpKeys: New Install Type→
SharpKeys is a Registry hack that is used to make certain keys on a keyboard act like other keys. For example, if you accidentally hit Caps Lock often, you could use this utility to map Caps Lock to a Shift key or even turn it off completely. The official release includes support for up to 104 mappings, an extensive list of available keys, and a “Type Key” option to help when managing mappings. As it relies on internal support within Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP, or Windows Server 2003, you must be running one of these OS’s for this Registry hack to work. Continue reading SharpKeys 1.1 – Official Release→
If you’ve installed SharpKeys 1.1 Beta 1, please uninstall this version and use Beta 2. Beta 2 includes the new keys that were added to the original Beta 1 release and it has removed the pre-compilation enhancements that have proven to be problematic with the code base. Please uninstall Beta 1 and use Beta 2 in its place.
SharpKeys is a Registry hack that is used to make certain keys on a keyboard act like other keys. For example, if you accidentally hit Caps Lock often, you could use this utility to map Caps Lock to a Shift key or even turn it off completely. The official release includes support for up to 104 mappings, an extensive list of available keys, and a “Type Key” option to help when managing mappings. As it relies on internal support within Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP, or Windows Server 2003, you must be running one of these OS’s for this Registry hack to work. Continue reading SharpKeys 1.0→
Two more enhancements for this release, even though this was supposed to be feature complete already. One is major; one not so much… Ah, the familiar feeling that is feature creep once again in my life! Continue reading SharpKeys 1.0 – Beta 4/Release Candidate 2→
Two “enhancements” for this release, but nothing too major. Consequently, this is Release Candidate 1.
For those of you that are new to my site and my software projects, I treat my projects like “real” applications. When I get a new set of features that I want to work on, I start coding them. When an application gets to be somewhat stable, I make it available to the public – mostly for feedback and testing – for a couple of quick beta cycles. From there, once the application becomes stable and “feature complete” I kick it out the door as “released” and consider it to be done. Of course, some time after that, the cycle usually begins again with a new set of features. Continue reading SharpKeys 1.0 – Beta 3/Release Candidate 1→
Wow: 1500 downloads in two days. Nothing at all what I expected and I’m loving it! To people giving me feedback via email and comments – thanks! I’m doing what I can with it; not all of it can be used for a couple of reasons, but some of it is here in Beta 2. What’s new and what’s next? Continue reading SharpKeys 1.0 – Beta 2→
Given “part II” of this Keyboard Remapping bit, it became obvious to me that I would be spending more and more time hacking the Registry, just to remap keys, especially with my ThinkPad. Even though IBM gave me an application to change keys, and Microsoft gave me IntelliType utilities, both meant that drivers would have to be loaded, and that sorta irked me for some reasons… call it a throw back to the days of TSR programs, but I get “itchy feet” when I have to leave unnecessary drivers loaded. Continue reading Keyboard Remapping: Part III – SharpKeys→
A while ago, I discovered a blurb about how keyboard remapping would allow me to disable the Caps Lock on my keyboard, without having to use a special keyboard driver, provided I was using Windows XP or Windows 2000. On my desktop I usually have a Microsoft keyboard, so I can use their driver, but on my notebook(s) I didn’t had that option – in fact, with keyboard remapping, I was able to make the Caps Lock key act like a Shift key, which seemed even better. Now that I have an IBM ThinkPad – which does not ship with a hardware based Windows or Application key – I’ve had to take this remapping stuff to the next level. Continue reading Keyboard Remapping: Part II→
I used to be the type of person that always always hit the CAPS LOCK button on a PC keyboard… when I used a straight/standard XT/AT keyboard, I would physically pop off the damned key so it was a non-issue. When I switched to the split-natural style keyboard, the problem seemed to go away (ta to Microsoft for that) if only because it became a key that was “out of the way”. So for the last seven or eight years, I’ve been able to keep my keyboard intact without worry. Even on my original Sony Vaio (N505VE) I didn’t seem to have a problem, if only because it was a smaller keyboard, I just kept missing it. Times change. What I discovered is a method of keyboard remapping that is pretty much absolute. Continue reading dOWN WITH caps lock WITH kEYBOARD rEMAPPING!→