Direct Edi Ng" Of Layout Files - Kinesis KB600 User Manual

Important precautions when direct editing
Direct editing requires special care to avoid corrupting the text files. The layout files are "factory conditioned"
to prevent problems but if you delete or paste a new file, or re-format the v-drive (which automatically creates
new layout files), you will need to "condition" the layout files before direct editing. It is also important to
always use the "eject" option of your operating system's file manager, design for removable drives which is
how the v-drive is characterized. Normally "eject" is available if you right click on the drive. After the system
says "okay to remove drive," use progm + F1 to close the v-drive.
If you get a "drive busy" message when you try to eject, wait and check the v-drive files are closed and
navigate out of v-drive folders, then try again.
Layouts and layout text files
As described in earlier sections of this Manual, each individual layout has its custom configurations (i.e.,
remaps and macros) stored in its own unique ".txt" file which is saved to the keyboard's onboard memory,
called the v-drive. When a user toggles between layouts, the keyboard calls up the appropriate .txt file and
loads the file to establish the new active keyboard layout. Each of these individual .txt layout files can be
accessed from the v-drive from inside of the "active" folder (see Sections 7.4 & 7.5).
Contents of a layout text file
Within each layout file are discrete lines of text corresponding to each individual key remap and/or macro that
has been programmed to that specific layout. When you use an onboard shortcut to record a macro, remap a
key, or toggle to the alternate Thumb Key Modes (PC or Mac), the keyboard writes a line of code for each of
these custom actions to the corresponding layout file and saves it for future reference. Power uses can
access layout files to edit/delete code written by the keyboard, or write new code from scratch. For simplicity,
each .txt file only displays changes to the respective default layout, either QWERTY or Dvorak. If no changes
have been made with respect to the default layout, then that .txt file will be empty. Note: Relative to Windows
Mode, PC Mode features two automatically remapped keys and Mac Mode features eight such keys.
Macros and Remaps are encoded slightly differently in the layout file (see below), but the basic syntax used
to show all custom programming actions in a layout file follows this basic structure. The ">" symbol is always
used to separate the physical location from the electronic action. In other words:
"Physical key location/trigger(s)" > "Electronic key actions/outputs."
Example: To remaps the Caps Lock key to perform left ctrl:
[caps]>[lctrl]
Physical key locations defined by "Location Tokens"
There are 168 physical key locations which can be custom programmed to trigger a macro or output a
different key action (two discrete layers, each with 84 full and half-size keys).
Note: Only the Program Key and the Keypad Key cannot be custom programmed.
Each of these 168 locations have been given a unique "Location Token" for custom programming. Location
Tokens vary depending on whether you are programming in QWERTY or Dvorak, meaning that Dvorak
typists can now program in "native" Dvorak, rather than having to translate key locations from QWERTY. The
same Location Token is used, but it refers to a different position on the keyboard. In most cases, the Location
Token is simply the basic, unshifted action for that key. However, certain key locations must be defined by
Kinesis using a multi-character token. Note: The prefix "kp-" is added to the token for duplicate keypad layer
locations. Location tokens are static and don't change based on custom key remaps. See Appendix 13.1 for a
map of the Location Tokens for QWERTY and Dvorak.
Electronic key actions defined by "Action Tokens"
The Advantage2 supports all of the basic keyboard actions with which you are familiar (e.g., letters, numbers,
editing keys, modifiers, etc.) as well as several actions that you may not be familiar with (e.g., multimedia
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