Windows XP Hacks [Electronic resources] نسخه متنی

Hack 98 Remap Your Keyboard

Create your own personalized, ultimate keyboard
by remapping its keys to the way you want them to work.

Personal keyboard preferences are
idiosyncratic; even a minor matter such as where the Alt or Ctrl keys
should be located can inspire fevered debate. So, if you have
personal preferences about where keys should be located, you can
remap your keyboard to your own tastes using the
TradeKeys
utility from PC Magazine. It lets you map any
key to any other key, including extended keys such as Right Ctrl,
Right Alt, and the Windows logo key.

I find the utility particularly useful when I use one of my two
laptops. Laptop keyboards are notoriously nonstandard, and I find the
layout of my Dell Inspiron particularly maddening. The Windows key,
for example, rather than being located on the lower-left part of the
keyboard, where Nature intended it to be, is instead hidden away on
the upper-right. Similarly, the Menu key, instead of being on the
lower-right where all good Menu keys should be found, is also tucked
away up on the right. So, I use TradeKeys to remap my Left Alt key to
be a Windows key, and my Right Ctrl key to be a Menu key. True, it
leaves me with only one Alt key and one Ctrl key, but
that's a small price to pay to get the Windows and
Menu keys in their proper places.

Remapping the keys is simple, as shown in Figure 12-7. After you run the program, choose the key you
want to change from the "Map from:"
area, and then choose the key you want it mapped to from the
"Map to:" area. For example, to
remap my Left Alt key to be a Windows key, I chose Left Alt in
"Map from:" and Left Window in
"Map to:" Then, I clicked on
"Map ". Keep on mapping
keys in this way until you're satisfied with your
new keyboard; then choose Save . . . . The new mapping will not take
effect until you log off and then log back on. On some systems,
you'll have to reboot.

Figure 12-7. Remapping keys with TradeKeys

You can also create different keyboard layouts and use each depending
on how you're using your computer. Some simple
games, for example, use letter keys to control motions and actions.
If you prefer using other keys, such as the larger Ctrl and Alt keys,
for those motions and actions, you can create one keyboard layout for
that game and another layout for your normal use. To create a new
keyboard layout, first map it, then choose Save. Give it a
descriptive name. Create multiple keyboard layouts that way. Then,
when you want to use one, call up TradeKeys, choose Load, and choose
the layout you want.

TradeKeys is free, but only if you pay an annual fee for access to
PC Magazine utilities. You'll
have to pay $19.97 for a year, or $14.97 for a year if
you're a PC Magazine
subscriber. Go to http://www.pcmag.com and click on Downloads
to download it and other "free"
utilities.