dc.files.kbd

This is my Keyboard Layout, which I've spent a considerable amount of time refining. This project is part of my dotfiles, which can be found at http://github.com/dcunited001/dc.files. This project also includes my keybindings for zsh, vim, emacs and pretty much any other program. I put them all in one repo so they could be easily shared as a complete profile.

XKB custom keyboards are in xkeyboard. XKB is way cooler than xmodmap.

On OSX: you will need to install KeyRemap4MacBook, PCKeyboardHack, and NoEjectDelay. They are all free and have awesome default settings, regardless of whether you add my private.xml settings.

Digimon Layout

Note: these instructions are pre-macOS. For digimon layout, install
karabiner and link ~/.files/kbd/karabiner/complex_modifications/ for
partial support

For the digimon layout on OSX, you'll need to at least enable the Uber key to retain functionality of your Consumer keys. This means you'll need to update two keys in Seil(PC Key Remap) and enable a few custom settings in Karabiner(KeyRemap.)

Settings in Seil:

1. Change the action of your Capslock Key to Escape

2. Change your Right Command to Left Command and Escape to Right Command.

Settings in Karabiner:

3. Swap your symbols and digits

That's it. Without enabling any other Uber key settings, the digimon layout should work. The Uber key settings can interfere with other shortcuts, although all function key combinations remain accessible using the FN key. (e.g. for IntelliJ shortcuts)

Additionally, with further custom Karabiner configuration, you can map Shift+ConsumerKeys and Shift+Digits to new keys, like greek symbols or whatever you need.

Hyper Key

I've remapped Function to Hyper. It is actually set to 'All Modifiers', but this is about as close as you can get, as far as I know. It can still be interpreted in Emacs as Hyper.

Uber Key

For the 'Uber' Key to work, you will need to check my PCKeyboardHack Settings:

• Caps => Escape
• CMD-R => CMD-L
• Escape => CMD_R

Right now I'm using the Uber Key as an OS-Level shortcut key, which doesn't conflict in any way with Super(Command). Combined with QuickSilver, I have it set in OSX to switch between Apps and Spaces:

• Uber+! => iTerm
• Uber+@ => gMail (FluidApp)
• Uber+# => Twitter
• Uber+C => Chrome
• Uber+P => Google Voice (FluidApp)
• Uber+Left => Space Left
• Uber+Right => Space Right

This can save you tons of time. But more importantly, it saves you tons of short-term memory, versus Alt-Tabbing. It's about changing your workflow to better suit your brain.

Alt-Tabbing is great when you have 2 programs open. Any more than that and you have to be able to recall how deep in the 'tab-stack' that one app is. You can waste up to 10 seconds every time.

Not to mention, when you Alt-Tab, you are forced to resort to visual recognition to find that app, which needlessly wastes your brain's CPU cycles. When you have a hotkey set, you actually begin to use muscle memory instead.

To Install

• Install KeyRemap4MacBook, PCKeyboardHack, and NoEjectDelay.
• Restart your computer multiple times!
• Copy the contents of the KeyRemap4MacBook folder to "~/Library/Application Support/KeyRemap4MacBook"
• Now that my custom settings are available in KeyRemap4MacBook, choose the ones you like and enable them.

Note: some settings may clash with others. If you run into problems, give me a shout. And this is a work in progress, so it's not polished.

TODO

• Switch to a DVORAK layout. Hopefully soon, but I don't want to cross my fingers...
• Figure out what to do with Shift+Digits and Shift+Consumer.
• Move the Consumer Keys (play/pause/etc) from Uber+Consumer to Shift+Consumer?
• Swap ` and ~
• Find a better location for |
• Application-Specific/Language-Specific Keys?