{"id":6929,"date":"2021-06-07T11:30:33","date_gmt":"2021-06-07T11:30:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/max-drake.cc\/?p=6929"},"modified":"2021-06-07T14:07:33","modified_gmt":"2021-06-07T14:07:33","slug":"mapping-multiple-keyboard-for-macros-to-pc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/max-drake.cc\/?p=6929","title":{"rendered":"Mapping multiple Keyboards for macros to PC"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>I wrote an article on mapping a 2nd keyboard for macros, I&#8217;m using EvilC&#8217;s AHK method for doing so. See <strong><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/max-drake.cc\/2021\/06\/02\/mapping-a-2nd-keyboard-for-macros-usb-bluetooth\/\" target=\"_blank\">Mapping a 2nd Keyboard for macros (USB &amp; bluetooth)<\/a><\/strong>. This is using mainly AutoHotKey do do all the heavy lifting. You also need to code in all the maco&#8217;s into a script which you need to run to use. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Alternatives<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">LuaMacro&#8217;s and AHK<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>I decided to go exploring on YouTube for other methods of doing the same thing and came across 2 people doing the same thing. This was the first vid:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"DIY 87-Key Macro Keyboard - Because he has too many keyboard shortcuts!\" width=\"678\" height=\"381\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Arn8ExQ2Gjg?start=2&#038;feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" class=\"lazyload\" data-load-mode=\"1\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Which was exactly what I was looking at, then I came across this video that makes the mapping far easier: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"Easy OBS\/SLOBS Macro Keyboard - like a Stream Deck on a budget!\" width=\"678\" height=\"381\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/RcCWamCdycI?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" class=\"lazyload\" data-load-mode=\"1\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The video had a link to <strong><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.aylad.com\/downloads\/ez-macro-keyboard-with-luamacros\/\" target=\"_blank\">EZ Macro Keyboard with LuaMacros <\/a><\/strong> with download to the code. I may try using that instead as its easy to remap a key. Although its used for AHK &amp; OBS I can use the mapping for BIM. The appeal of this process is that you create macro&#8217;s, find you don&#8217;t use them and then create new ones that you do, so having a quick way to interchange macro&#8217;s is good, especially if its to a key for one you don&#8217;t use often. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Following on from this is a great video called The Art of the Bodge: How I Made The Emoji Keyboard :<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"The Art of the Bodge: How I Made The Emoji Keyboard\" width=\"678\" height=\"381\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/lIFE7h3m40U?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" class=\"lazyload\" data-load-mode=\"1\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>I love the BODGE phrase, the modern HACK does not do it for me. Although it has other connotations about poor quality , it does also speak of adaptability and its what I was brought up with. I think the above video is brilliant and love what Tom Scott&#8217;s emoji setup. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I&#8217;m looking to install this method on a 2nd PC (from 2nd video above). What I like about this is the GUI will let you re-asign keys on the fly, so you don&#8217;t have to head back to the code to do a key re-mapping. This will make it more usable and adaptable as you go. I&#8217;ll need to put the documentation in an easy place to re-reference how to access it, otherwise it becomes too difficult and you don&#8217;t update things. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Keyboard splitter<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>This one is just an honorable mention, but I like the idea of it, it allows 2 keyboards on a single pc so 2 people can play a 2 player video game with independent keyboards and controls. Unfortunately its hard coded so it doesn&#8217;t look as if you can go in and choose other keys to re-map. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"Touhou How To : Multiplayer with 2 keyboards on same PC\" width=\"678\" height=\"381\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/_hvoFs_amT8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" class=\"lazyload\" data-load-mode=\"1\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The<strong><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.softpedia.com\/publisher\/Ivan-Yankov-102327.html\" target=\"_blank\"> link to the keyboard splitter download<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">End comment<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p> I&#8217;m trying to see if I can evelop some keyboard macro&#8217;s for BIM. I&#8217;m not sure if I&#8217;ll use them much. There are 2 issues here, 1\/ Creating productive macro&#8217;s for BIM, and 2\/ The method of accessing them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Years ago, in good old 386 days I used a digitizer tablet with CAD. Scripted macro commands (in Lisp in Acad) were way faster than typing in commands. So I did fin that I got used to using the digitizer as a PC peripheral. It was different, program specific but it helped productivity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I&#8217;m finding going back to AUTOHOTKEY that I&#8217;m thinking of handy solutions to minor irritants using macor&#8217;s to speed up what I want to do. My issue now, after feeling comfortable about making macro&#8217;s, is accessing them. A big problem is the number of maco&#8217;s you need to create to make them effective, so you need to memorise accessing individual macro&#8217;s say A, B, C , D &#8230;&#8230; you have to remember what macro you want and what method to access them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I&#8217;ve been trying as ways to access macro&#8217;s:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>1\/ virtual menues, eg Pie Menu to pop up a menu on screen and select the Macro I want to use, <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>2\/Pop Up AHK Command Picker, that pops a list of macros and you select the one you want to execute<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>3\/ Another method is Text Expander, 2 or 3 obscure key combo&#8217;s that would then run a command, like ZP (spacebar)(not common adjacent letters in a word)  so that could be assigned to a macro, but you need to remember the combo&#8217;s and sometimes the hand stretch to reach keys canbe innefficent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>4\/ A multi-tap to a key combination, eg Ctrl+1, Ctrl+1 (2 taps on the 1 key), Ctrl+1(3 taps on the 1 key), Ctrl+1(4 taps on the 1 key). So you memorise less key xcombinations but have multiple maco&#8217;s on the same key. I&#8217;m using this for date strings in different formats &amp; for different e-mail signetures. I&#8217;m not sure how it&#8217;ll be with different BIM macro&#8217;s if they are all different, are they two or 3 taps to reach the specific macro and will it cause something else to happen if the wrong number of taps? ( This makes me think of remapping function kes to cad snaps bound to a key in ascci, where you put mutually exclusive combinations to the same keys, so if you pressed a key only one appropriate snap would work, like END and CENTRE, when used on a line, ony END snap would work.) <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p> These methods put too much in the way of intuatively accessing a command. Over time I&#8217;m sure I could get used to them sufficiently for them to become comfortable, but at present, the methods don&#8217;t quite work for me, thus exploring using a 2nd keyboard to access the macros. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Having a 2nd keyboard plugged in means only one key will trigger a macro, although you do need a primer\/legend to make sure you can easily remember the key\/macro that you want to access. Whether I get used to this method of input I&#8217;m nsure of. I&#8217;ve just started using a gaming mouse and still have not figured out how to use the extra buttons on them yet. I&#8217;m wondering whether I can chage the habit of only using 2 buttons on the mouse, but I&#8217;m perservering at the moment, but have the same concerns about a 2nd keyboard andwhether I can change my habits to find this imput process useful. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I wrote an article on mapping a 2nd keyboard for macros, I&#8217;m using EvilC&#8217;s AHK method for doing so. See Mapping a 2nd Keyboard for macros (USB &amp; bluetooth). This is using mainly AutoHotKey do do all the heavy lifting. You also need to code in all the maco&#8217;s into a script which you need [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6931,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[466,204,42],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6929","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-autohotkey","category-automation","category-productivity"],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/max-drake.cc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/2021-06-08-09_27_54-The-Art-of-the-Bodge_-How-I-Made-The-Emoji-Keyboard-YouTube-\u2014-Mozilla-Firefox-600x400.jpg","featured_image_src_square":"https:\/\/max-drake.cc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/2021-06-08-09_27_54-The-Art-of-the-Bodge_-How-I-Made-The-Emoji-Keyboard-YouTube-\u2014-Mozilla-Firefox-600x600.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"Max Drake","author_link":"https:\/\/max-drake.cc\/?author=1"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/max-drake.cc\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6929","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/max-drake.cc\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/max-drake.cc\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/max-drake.cc\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/max-drake.cc\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6929"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/max-drake.cc\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6929\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/max-drake.cc\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6931"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/max-drake.cc\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6929"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/max-drake.cc\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6929"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/max-drake.cc\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6929"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}