How to set my 2nd keyboard as macros

[namvo222]

Hello I got 2 keyboards, and I'm planning on using the 2nd one as macro''s and have the other one be my main keyboard, does anyone know how to set the keyboard as the main one, and set macros to the 2nd keyboard?

 

[robert600]

you ask a very interesting question! - if i understand it correctly.

Are you asking if there is a way to connect 2 keyboards to the same computer and configure things such that pressing (for example) the 'a' key on one keyboard would result in the computer doing something totally different from what it would do when you press the 'a' key on the other keyboard? I have no idea of the answer to that question but ... I can think of about a million uses for such an arrangement! What OS are you using ... Windows?

 

[namvo222]

you ask a very interesting question! - if i understand it correctly.

Are you asking if there is a way to connect 2 keyboards to the same computer and configure things such that pressing (for example) the 'a' key on one keyboard would result in the computer doing something totally different from what it would do when you press the 'a' key on the other keyboard? I have no idea of the answer to that question but ... I can think of about a million uses for such an arrangement! What OS are you using ... Windows?

Yeah and I'm using windows 10 64 bit.

I mainly wanted the 2nd keyboard as a macro keyboard where I can use it for multiple things like editing or for games while the main keyboard is used as the main typing and gaming keyboard.

 

[robert600]

I'm not exactly sure what a macro keyboard is?

here's how i'm thinking about your question:

you know how if you add a 2nd monitor ... you can either 'duplicate' the desktop of the 1st monitor to the 2nd monitor or ... you can 'extend' the desktop of the 1st monitor onto the 2nd monitor... Yes?

Adding a 2nd keyboard however (by default) results in 'duplicating' the keyboard so that pressing the 'a' key on one keyboard is exactly the same as pressing it on the other .... to me, your question is asking if there is a way to extend the keyboard of the 1st keyboard onto the 2nd keyboard. By doing that, pressing the 'a' key on one keyboard is different from pressing the 'a' on the other keyboard. If there where a way to do that (extending rather than duplicating) ... than a macro could be assigned to the 'a' key of the 2nd keyboard. Then pressing the 'a' on the primary keyboard would result in the normal expected response of an 'a' key (writing a on a screen etc.) BUT ... pressing the 'a' key on the 2nd keyboard would run the macro you've assigned to it. That to me is a very interesting question!

A similar question that I would ask .... could say a Russian usb keyboard be connected to my laptop and have things set up so that I could type english on my laptop's built in keyboard and Russian on the usb keyboard? i mean without going into the 'languages settings' every time I wanted to switch from one keyboard to the other.

My first 'guess' at an answer would be .... quite easy in LINUX ... in Windows maybe not.

 

[namvo222]

I'm not exactly sure what a macro keyboard is?

here's how i'm thinking about your question:

you know how if you add a 2nd monitor ... you can either 'duplicate' the desktop of the 1st monitor to the 2nd monitor or ... you can 'extend' the desktop of the 1st monitor onto the 2nd monitor... Yes?

Adding a 2nd keyboard however (by default) results in 'duplicating' the keyboard so that pressing the 'a' key on one keyboard is exactly the same as pressing it on the other .... to me, your question is asking if there is a way to extend the keyboard of the 1st keyboard onto the 2nd keyboard. By doing that, pressing the 'a' key on one keyboard is different from pressing the 'a' on the other keyboard. If there where a way to do that (extending rather than duplicating) ... than a macro could be assigned to the 'a' key of the 2nd keyboard. Then pressing the 'a' on the primary keyboard would result in the normal expected response of an 'a' key (writing a on a screen etc.) BUT ... pressing the 'a' key on the 2nd keyboard would run the macro you've assigned to it. That to me is a very interesting question!

A similar question that I would ask .... could say a Russian usb keyboard be connected to my laptop and have things set up so that I could type english on my laptop's built in keyboard and Russian on the usb keyboard? i mean without going into the 'languages settings' every time I wanted to switch from one keyboard to the other.

My first 'guess' at an answer would be .... quite easy in LINUX ... in Windows maybe not.

I think you got the general gist of it. I mainly wanted the 2nd keyboard as an extension of a keyboard where I can have buttons set up to be used as macros(multiple commands in 1 button) which I can used for multiple uses.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Arn8ExQ2Gjg

Here is a perfect example of that, but he uses advanced program which I'm not capable of even replicating without a few days or weeks or practice.

 

[robert600]

yes .... that video is exactly along the lines of what i was thinking of!!!!! !!!!!!

The key to this is convincing windows that the 2 keyboards are separate devices!!!! After that .... assigning macros to the keys of the 2nd keyboard would be quite trivial (i'm not sure he did his in the easiest way)

 

[robert600]

I may get a chance to play around with Luamacros tonight - i will let you know how i make out.

 

[namvo222]

I may get a chance to play around with Luamacros tonight - i will let you know how i make out.

Thanks for the help so far

 

[robert600]

ok . I've been fooling around with LuaMacros. it's pretty cool. Both of my keyboards are independent of each other. mapping 2 key commands seem quite straight forward but I'm not having much luck with 3 key commands. What I mean is i can tell to do a control-a but i can't tell it do a control-alt-a .... if you now what i mean. Combining groups of 2 key commands and 1 key commands is no problem.
As an example .... I've mapped the U key on the usb keyboard to select all text in the document (when in word, or notepad for instance) and change the case of the text. So basically the usb U key is sending a 'control-a' signal followed by a shift-F3 signal. the U key on the 'native' keyboard just enters a U in the document as usual. So ... it works like a charm even if it is kinda useless lol.
I can think of a lot more interesting things to do with my media player but I thought I would start with something simple. So far so good!

 

[namvo222]

ok . I've been fooling around with LuaMacros. it's pretty cool. Both of my keyboards are independent of each other. mapping 2 key commands seem quite straight forward but I'm not having much luck with 3 key commands. What I mean is i can tell to do a control-a but i can't tell it do a control-alt-a .... if you now what i mean. Combining groups of 2 key commands and 1 key commands is no problem.
As an example .... I've mapped the U key on the usb keyboard to select all text in the document (when in word, or notepad for instance) and change the case of the text. So basically the usb U key is sending a 'control-a' signal followed by a shift-F3 signal. the U key on the 'native' keyboard just enters a U in the document as usual. So ... it works like a charm even if it is kinda useless lol.
I can think of a lot more interesting things to do with my media player but I thought I would start with something simple. So far so good!

Thanks so far robert any conclusions yet and what are examples of coding do we have to do for it?

 

[robert600]

Near as I can tell ... it appears to be written in a very obscure language (delphi maybe) and it only supports a small subset of the functions. I've been fooling around trying to get the keys to do more complicated things but with very limited success. For instance, the only programs i can get to open are the ones found in the windows folder ... notepad ... calculator... write pad etc. I can not get it to open Word, Excel, etc.

Anyway .... like I posted earlier, any 2 key commands, or 1 key commands (they can be consecutive ... as shown by selecting the whole document and changing it to upper or lower case) or strings of text can be assigned to a key. So, for instance, I have the 'e' key on the usb board set to insert my email address whereever the cursor is of whatever program I'm using. That's kinda handy cause i hate typing it out all the time.

The only useful examples I've seen are - to open programs (but again ... only ones in the 'window' folder ... and to assign a key a string of text. but like I mentioned those multi-key commands are quite easy to map to a single key.

so ... what is you want to do with the 2nd keyboard? ... multikey commands mapped to one key? ... maybe you could provide me of an example of what you are hoping to get one key on the 2nd keyboard to do?

 

[namvo222]

Near as I can tell ... it appears to be written in a very obscure language (delphi maybe) and it only supports a small subset of the functions. I've been fooling around trying to get the keys to do more complicated things but with very limited success. For instance, the only programs i can get to open are the ones found in the windows folder ... notepad ... calculator... write pad etc. I can not get it to open Word, Excel, etc.

Anyway .... like I posted earlier, any 2 key commands, or 1 key commands (they can be consecutive ... as shown by selecting the whole document and changing it to upper or lower case) or strings of text can be assigned to a key. So, for instance, I have the 'e' key on the usb board set to insert my email address whereever the cursor is of whatever program I'm using. That's kinda handy cause i hate typing it out all the time.

The only useful examples I've seen are - to open programs (but again ... only ones in the 'window' folder ... and to assign a key a string of text. but like I mentioned those multi-key commands are quite easy to map to a single key.

so ... what is you want to do with the 2nd keyboard? ... multikey commands mapped to one key? ... maybe you could provide me of an example of what you are hoping to get one key on the 2nd keyboard to do?

An example would maybe be a macro for cs go where I want to buy multiple items on that round. I would like it to Press "1", "2" , "5" , "ESC", "4" 5" kinda get tedious due to me having to buy multiple nades, guns, and armor kits. Another example I would do is "FN" "F12 or basically any of the Fx keys" so that I don't have to press multiple buttons to look through videos.

 

[namvo222]

Near as I can tell ... it appears to be written in a very obscure language (delphi maybe) and it only supports a small subset of the functions. I've been fooling around trying to get the keys to do more complicated things but with very limited success. For instance, the only programs i can get to open are the ones found in the windows folder ... notepad ... calculator... write pad etc. I can not get it to open Word, Excel, etc.

Anyway .... like I posted earlier, any 2 key commands, or 1 key commands (they can be consecutive ... as shown by selecting the whole document and changing it to upper or lower case) or strings of text can be assigned to a key. So, for instance, I have the 'e' key on the usb board set to insert my email address whereever the cursor is of whatever program I'm using. That's kinda handy cause i hate typing it out all the time.

The only useful examples I've seen are - to open programs (but again ... only ones in the 'window' folder ... and to assign a key a string of text. but like I mentioned those multi-key commands are quite easy to map to a single key.

so ... what is you want to do with the 2nd keyboard? ... multikey commands mapped to one key? ... maybe you could provide me of an example of what you are hoping to get one key on the 2nd keyboard to do?

By the way, are you having fun with this little project? It's really quite interesting once you get it down pat!

 

[robert600]

By the way, are you having fun with this little project? It's really quite interesting once you get it down pat!

Yes ... i was there was better documentation for it though - i'm sure a lot more could be done with than i am doing now.
right now i am writing some code for my home theater pc. i use a projector so my theater is dark. the pc is some distance from where i sit so i have a kinda builtin usb keyboard on the side table where i sit. i like to use 'potplayer' as a media player and it has many, many short-cut keys. the problem is many of the ones i use are require 2 keys to be pressed. that's difficult because it's dark and because I don't want lean over to use both hands...it's much better for me to be able to reach out and hit one key. A good example is the show/hide subtitles ... it is alt+h in potplayer. i use it a lot because my girlfriend is french and often has trouble 'hearing' the english. I've found if i put the subtitles on ...she's not constantly asking me what so and so said ... so ... i can sit back and enjoy the movie lol. Anyway now i have mapped the usb h key to output alt+h. Press 'h' once and the subtitles appear ... hit it again and they dissappear ... perfect! There's a bunch of usefull 2 key hotkeys like that in potplayer and i'm turning them all into one key commands. A very nice part is when i go over to the pc ...it's keyboard still functions as normal - kinda cool.
i'm thinking about what you want to do ... it sounds like the 2nd thing you want to do is very similar to what i am doing with potplayer

 

[robert600]

ok ... the home theater usb keyboard worked fantastic. All the keys I programmed worked perfect. I did forget one important thing though .... any of the keys on the usb laptop that are not programmed ... do not do anything if you press them. I forgot that ha ha. So, for instance, in potplayer if you press the spacebar ... the movie pauses ... hit it again and it plays. But since my program didn't specify anything about spacebar - hitting it didn't do anything! lol. It's an easy fix though... just need to assign the spacebar key to send spacebar. There are about 7 or so of these single key commands I use so adding them to my program should be simple. I'll try it tonight on Guardians of the Galaxy 2.