Naming the layers

General
1

Hi, is there a way to (re-)name the layers, and have I missed some documentation on this?

With thanks

1 Like
2

No, you have to remember that Fn2 is your symbol layer (for example).

1 Like
3

OK. Not really important anyway. Thank you for the quick response.

4

BTW, you can use any layer for everything. The mouse layer could be used for your symbols and the Mod layer could be used for macroā€™s. Sure it makes sense to put your stuff into layers, where the name fits. There is one distinction. The Shift-layer will not be displayed in the top LED, while the fn layers (all of them) will show up there as ā€˜fnā€™ and the mouse layer will be shown as ā€˜mouseā€™.

So there is no restriction what you really put into a layer. But the Shift, Ctrlā€¦ layers are there for overriding the default action of the related layers (held keys).

5

I wish you could rename layers, but no, itā€™s (currently) not possible.

6

Since you mention it, I am fascinated and as yet unclear what the distinction is between the ā€˜shiftā€™ layer for example and the standard fn layers. So how would the ā€˜Shiftā€™ and ā€˜Controlā€™ layers be used then? In what way would they override the default actions, and of what? The defaul actions that occur when eg control is usually pressed? How is this an ā€˜overrideā€™ as opposed to just another layer?

7

I guess the difference is basically that unchanged Base layer keys will pass-through while activating the Shift/Control layers, as opposed to how a FN/MOD/MOUSE layer will change the entire layer.

For example, if you activate a FN/MOD/MOUSE layer, any blank (unmapped) key wonā€™t do anything. Conversely, any key you remap on the Shift/Control layers will be remapped like any other layer, but only the remapped keys will be affected when using the Shift/Control keys. All other unchanged keys will pass-through normal (non-Shift/Control layer) functions while using the Shift/Control key.

8

Thatā€™s really clear, thank you. How does anyone know this? I have not found the documentation.

9

Very last entry of the entire reference-manual :wink:

Modifier Layers

Hereā€™s an earlier thread on Modifier Layers where some examples are mentioned:
How Modifier Layers Work

10

We better clarify layer semantics in Agent because people consistently wonder about them.

image
image1014Ɨ170 9.23 KB

Notice the added ā€œ?ā€ icon. What should its tooltip contain? My proposal:

  • The Base layer is active by default and canā€™t be deleted.
  • Mod, Mouse, Fn, Fn2, Fn3, Fn4, Fn5 are regular layers that their layer switch actions can activate.
  • Shift, Control, Alt, Super are modifier layers that the related modifier keys can activate.

Looks good, guys? Iā€™m summoning @maexxx because heā€™s been helpful in phrasing. Everyone else is welcome to suggest.

11

@mlac I heard the summon; I have to think about it a bit.

1 Like
12

Iā€™m intrigued by what seem like endless possibilities to configure the layers. However, not being a programmer by background, reading the github documentation is tantalizingā€¦ I understand some of it but not most. It is one of those situations where someone might ask ā€œWhat do you want to do?ā€ and I would say ā€œI donā€™t know, until I know what it is possible to doā€. Is it possible that someone will feel the urge to produce a tutorial that does not assume prior knowledge, with examples to try etc? Or a course on a Udemy etc?

13

It might be worth adding example commands to the reference manual. We could collapse the examples by default so they do not occupy space.

14

If you think the tooltip is fine, we can implement it as it is.

15

You have been granted a wish :wink:

  • The Base layer is active by default (when no other layers are active). This layer can never be deleted.
  • Mod, Mouse, Fn, Fn2, Fn3, Fn4, Fn5 are layers activated by layer switch actions, often bound to keys such as Mouse, Mod, or Fn. When such a layer is active, keys produce what is defined on that layer.
  • Shift, Control, Alt, Super are modifier layers activated by related modifier keys. These layers override the normal action from the base layer. (e.g. Shift+a normally produces an uppercase A, but can be overridden by defining a different action on the Shift layer.) Keys left unconfigured on a modifier layer revert to their regular base layer + modifier action.

Feel free to take/modify/mangle my proposal.

3 Likes
16

Thank you so much! :slight_smile: Just created Add layer explanation tooltip Ā· Issue #2315 Ā· UltimateHackingKeyboard/agent Ā· GitHub

1 Like