An average keyboard has 100+ keys. A gaming keyboard might have more. Each key has a purpose; but more often than not the purpose of some keys escapes us. In all my years of computing, I haven’t used all the Function keys for what they were meant to be used for. In the disuse of keys lies an opportunity to turn them around and make them productive in some way.
( Image credit: John Scalzi )
Just to give you three examples upfront:
Of course, there are many more uses when it comes to mapping keyboard keys to specific actions. But let’s check out the little software that makes it all possible in a very simple manner.
SharpKeys (ver. 3.5) is a very tiny Windows freeware that allows you to remap or even reassign computer keyboard keys in the couple of different ways we saw above. It does so by adding an entry to your computer’s registry. SharpKeys runs on Windows 7/Vista/XP/2000.
To start mapping an old key to a new custom one, run SharpKeys and click on the Add button. The key mapping dialog opens up giving you a long list of key positions to pick from.
You can also click on Type Key and manually select the key you want by pressing it on the keyboard.
Next, click the Write to Registry button and a reboot for the changes to take effect notification will come up. After the reboot, your keys will stand remapped. You can go back to Edit or Delete the mapping altogether.
SharpKeys is a nifty way to quickly enhance the use of your keyboard and bring your productivity up to speed. You can remap keys and give them new functions or disable keys if you find them irritating. You can shift a key from the right to the left if you find that it gives you a speed boost. Tell us about your remapping job and if it served to add to your productivity.
Also See#keyboard #Software
Did You Know
Only 25% of people can text well without looking at their keyboards.
How To Change Mouse Button Functions Windows 10 1More in WindowsHow to Make a Video with Pictures and Music in Windows 10
When it comes to setting up a new operating system such as Windows 10, one of the first things many people do is to find out how to change the common right-handed settings to work for left-handed people. Microsoft hasn’t made it easy to find these settings. Most would assume this sort of personal setting would be within the Personalization category of Settings but they are in fact somewhere else and strangely splintered.
The first thing you need to do is open the Settings app. To do this, either swipe in from the right side of the screen on a touch-enabled device like a Surface Pro and press the Settings icon or click on the small Notifications icon in the Taskbar (which looks like a speech bubble with three horizontal lines within it) and click on the Settings icon there.
Rurouni kenshin: kyoto inferno (2014 sub indo part 1 8. Dec 18, 2014 This is the second movie in the trilogy. The last part, 'Rurouni Kenshin: The Legend Ends' comes out the end of January 2015. I hope they make the prequel.
Once Settings is open, click on Devices. From here, go into the Mouse & touchpad settings and take a look at the first option at the top of the page. This will allow you to select your main mouse button. Most people will want the left button selected if they’re right-handed or right button if they’re left-handed. Fairly quick and easy and likely a setting most won’t have to change more than once.
Windows 10 Mouse Settings
Another setting that can be adjusted to make a Windows 10 device more lefty-friendly is the stylus or pen settings. To tell Windows 10 which hand you’ll be writing with, simply go into the Pen settings (which are also within the Devices category in the Settings app) and choose which hand you’ll be using from the first pull-down menu.
Unfortunately there doesn’t seem to be a way to make Windows 10 more hand-customised beyond the mouse and pen settings. It would be great for right-handed users on touch devices if they could place the Shutdown and Sleep options on the right side of the screen. Likewise, the Action Center would be a lot more convenient for left-handed users if it could be placed on the left side of the screen.
If you’d like Microsoft to allow for more customizations within Windows 10, make sure to power up the Windows Feedback app (already pre-installed on all Windows 10 devices) and let them know in a suggestion. Also feel free to share your opinion with other lefties and righties down in the comments section on this page.
Further reading: Microsoft, Windows 10
The middle mouse button may see less use than its left and right brothers, but it definitely has its fans. Unfortunately, a lot of laptops only come with a trackpad and two buttons for left- and right-click. This means a lot of middle-click aficionados are left in the dark when using a laptop. Is there any way to enable middle-click touchpad functionality?
Fortunately, if you’re using Windows 10, there are a few ways you can enable a middle-click for your touchpad.
If You Have a Precision Touchpad
If your laptop has a precision touchpad, you can enable middle-click functionality within Windows 10. However, there’s a good chance you don’t know if your touchpad is precision or not! If you’re interested in finding out, or you already know it’s a precision touchpad, follow these steps.
First, click the Start button. You should see, on the left, a small cog symbol. Click this to open the settings.
In the window that pops up, click Devices.
On the left side, click Touchpad.
Divinity original sin item guide. If you have a precision touchpad, it should say “Your PC has a precision touchpad” at the top of the menu on the right:
If you see this message, this means your touchpad supports gestures. This is very helpful, as we’re going to use those gestures to create a middle-click function.
Scroll down the right screen until you see “Three-finger gestures.” You can set different swipes and gestures here, so make sure you familiarise yourself with the options available. For now, if you’re interested in the middle click touchpad functionality, find the box labelled “Taps” and change this to “Middle mouse button.”
Now you’ll be able to middle-click using the touchpad. To activate it, simply tap the touchpad with three fingers at the same time. The gestures will translate this as a middle click, so you can continue as normal!
If You Don’t Have a Precision Touchpad
Without a precision touchpad things get a little trickier. Because different makes of laptops use different touchpads and drivers, there’s a chance that your manufacturer has added some middle-click touchpad functionality; however, the method of activating this option will differ from laptop to laptop. If you want a place to start, press the Start button, type “Control Panel,” and click the entry that appears.
Click on the top-right to change the view to “Icons” view, if you haven’t already. Large or Small icons are fine. Look for a custom option that mentions your touchpad or talks about a Synaptics touchpad. If you can’t find one, you may have better luck checking the Mouse or Pen and Touch options and finding a way to set an option there. Again, look for a category or tab that mentions your touchpad and check them for any middle-click options.
How To Change Mouse Button Functions Windows 10 Windows 10Other Options
If you can’t find any options, there’s still help! Try searching for your laptop’s model online to find any documentation on how to enable middle-clicking. If that fails, you can use AutoHotKey to make your own middle-click function. We discussed AutoHotKey before, and there are ways people have managed to get middle-clicks working on their touchpad. For example, this premade script simulates a middle-click when you click a left and right mouse button together:
Some touchpads may not have a dedicated left and right button, so you might have to do some searching to find a script that works for you.
Making a Middle Mouse Button
To some, the middle mouse click is an important part of daily life, but most touchpads don’t have a middle mouse button at all. Now you know how to activate middle-click touchpad functionality in Windows 10 if you have a precision touchpad and how to work around this if you don’t.
How important is the middle mouse button to you? Let us know below!
The Complete Windows 10 Customization Guide
In this ebook we’ll be exploring the multitude of options to fully customize Windows 10. By the end of this ebook you’ll know how to make Windows 10 your own and become an expert Windows 10 user.
Windows only: Reader Zarek writes in with an excellent tip for switching between open windows using just the mouse—all it takes is a couple of lines of AutoHotkey code.
The script binds one of your extra mouse buttons combined with the mouse wheel to activate Alt-Tab or Shift-Alt-Tab, depending on which way you are scrolling the mouse. To set this up for yourself, you'll need to create a new AutoHotkey script or paste the following into your existing one to activate your 5th mouse button: Windows 10 issues with dell laptops 2016.
Turn Any Action Into a Keyboard Shortcut: A Beginner's Guide to AutoHotkey
We waste a ton of time every day clicking through menus and typing repetitive text. AutoHotkey is a …
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XButton2 & WheelDown::AltTab
If you would rather use the 4th button, you can substitute XButton1 in the code where you see XButton2. If your mouse doesn't have any extra buttons, Zarek still has you covered—this solution will activate Alt-Tab using the middle mouse button combined with the scroll wheel—although it's a little more difficult to use and (one commenter notes that it makes the middle mouse button not work correctly, so use this one with caution).
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Activate Alt-Tab Switching With Just Your Mouse
Windows only: Reader Zarek writes in with an excellent tip for switching between open windows using …
Configure Mouse Buttons Windows 10Read more Read
Update:yourbuddypal in the comments notes that you need a tilde at the beginning of the line, per this AutoHotkey forum post. Thanks!
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Activate Alt-Tab Switching With Just Your Mouse
Windows only: Reader Zarek writes in with an excellent tip for switching between open windows using …
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~MButton & WheelDown::AltTab
Where this tip becomes really useful is for readers using Windows 7—once you've activated the Alt-Tab dialog you can simply hold your mouse over any of the preview thumbnails to see the entire window through Aero Peek—very useful when you have too many applications running at once. Thanks, Zarek!
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For more AutoHotkey fun, read how to turn any action into a keyboard shortcut, or turn your capslock key into a dedicated minimize button. Got your own useful AutoHotkey trick for managing open windows? Care to share your scripting skills with the rest of the class? Dazzle us in the comments with your wisdom.
Turn Your Capslock Key Into a Dedicated Minimize Button
Dear Lifehacker,I read your article on turning any action into a keyboard shortcut using…
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