On many non-US keyboard layouts typing those keys means pushing your right elbow forward and use some ALT or ALTGR key combination. That's lame. Not that anybody cares, but it's unhealthy too. After a day of creating functions, arrays etc. your shoulders ache (which also is a great excuse to demand a massage, so this tool might not be optimal for everyone).
This is an attempt to align with the usual (right-handed) hands positions:
Left hand is on keyboard, right hand holds the mouse.
It's opinionated; Especially the sharp brackets (< >) are only implemented because my
personal keyboard lacks them. But this is Autohotkey; Just create your own mappings if you like.
There's no installer. Where we're going we aint gonna need no installers.
It does not write to the registry, but it unpacks its icons into the folder where
DevKey.exe is stored.
- Download
DevKey.exefrom the latest release (https://github.com/rumpelrausch/devkey/releases). - Run it (it appears as taskbar icon)
- [optional] Create a shortcut to the executable within the "magic" folder
shell:startup.
Holding any of these keys for a short period triggers the replacement key.
Releasing the key earlier emits the original key.
| key | emits |
|---|---|
q |
{ |
w |
} |
a |
[ |
s |
] |
y |
< |
z |
< |
x |
> |
i |
| |
As a side effect, the auto repeat function is disabled on those keys.
These replacements are applied always without any delay:
| key | emits | reason |
|---|---|---|
PrintScreen |
CTRL-HOME |
On a small keyboard it's so conveniently positioned. |
Shift-PrintScreen |
PrintScreen |
Every so often you just need PrintScreen. |
DevKey sits in your taskbar. You might want to modify the taskbar settings to always show the DevKey icon.
The taskbar icon resembles a keyboard, coloured either green (enabled) or red (disabled). Right-clicking the icon shows a mini menu to disable/enable or quit DevKey.
There's also a help option. Using it is considered uncool.
DevKey is written as an Autohotkey script. Autohotkey is only available for the Windows OS, so DevKey will only work on that ecosystem.
If you use a local installation of Autohotkey you will also be able to run DevKey from its source script, DevKey.ahk. Feel free to tweak it; Autohotkey is a wonderful playground.
Autohotkey comes with its own compiler which can be invoked as such:
COMPILER_PATH\Ahk2Exe.exe /in DevKey.ahk /out DevKey.exe /icon keyboard-on.icoYou might get addicted to DevKey in the same manner as to the mousewheel:
It may feel awkward to use a computer without it.
When working at a collegues' keyboard your reputation might decrease for a while as you emit a number of qs instead of a starting block. The only chance to regain reputation will be to accept your own nerdiness publicly. Best practise: Infect others with DevKey.
You have been warned.