"Spare" (unused) keys to use for information transfer

[David.P]

Hi forum,

I already use certain keyboard keys to transfer information from the IGesture Pad to Windows applications, especially to Autohotkey, in order to trigger certain Windows actions by certain gestures. For example, I use the IGesture Pad to send "Pause" or "PrintScreen" keys when I carry out certain gestures on the pad, in order to trigger certain gesture audio feedback sounds in Windows, via Autohotkey.

At the moment however, I sort of run out of spare keys (that are not really used in Windows) in order to trigger even more actions.

I tried F13, F14 and F15, which are all available in the Fingerworks Gesture Editor as possible actions on a gesture, and which are not physically available on my keyboard.



However it seems that Windows doesn't recognize these keys for some reason (tested with the Autohotkey Spy which can show all physical and virtual keystrokes that are happening on the system).

Therefore, if anyone has ideas for more keys that are a) usually not used in Windows, and that b) are available as possible actions in theFingerworks Gesture Editor, I'd be happy to know.

Cheers
David.P
--
more:
ScrollLock: works, is recognized by AHK
BaseBoost, Record, MacPowerDown: not recognized by AHK
Some of the media control keys like Stop_Media, Next/Previous etc. seem to work also for information transfer to Autohotkey, and don't seem to introduce unwanted side effects

[ivanw]

Hi David, if you run out of keys, you can work with key sequences.

I mean you map some available keystroke in AutoHotkey that would not trigger anything on its own but would tell it to Input() the next one for a "special" treatment ... with a timeout if necessary ... and some SoundBeep, 90, 100 or SoundPlay, Guepard.mp3 for feedbacks about the handling

If you're not afraid by piles of exploratory code, I have 29542 AutoHotkey lines to share

[David.P]

Hi Ivan and thanks for the reply.

If I get you right, I think that this is a great idea which should make the team of Fingerworks hardware and Autohotkey infinitely extendable...

Kind of like, I make the I gesture Pad send a key sequence like "x3F&8" on a certain gesture, and my Autohotkey script contains a section like this:

Code: Select all

x3F&8::
SoundPlay, Guepard.wav
DoSomeCoolStuff
return

Is that the approach you are referring to?

[ivanw]

Exactly, I'm sure you can manage from there! My AutoHotkey experience let me do things I would't have expected. Some online on AutoHotkey forums: HID Profiler - Wheel, Joystik, HOTAS

[David.P]

Sorry Ivan that I did not come back to you earlier

Somehow I seem to have missed the forum notification...

While I have not yet implemented this approach, I surely will do so because the current hotkeys that I am using (like PrintScreen and Pause) keep having side effects at times.

Thank you
David