so i use a program where you need to press f7 and you cant change it, but i only have a 67% keyboard and the layout i have selected in my keyboard setting doesnt seem to have fn on any of my keys so pls help
EDIT: just so you guys know i have a streamdeck that i can use but idrk how to configure a button to be f7
de:kde distro:endeavouros keyboard: custom kbd67 lite
Lots of talk of remapping. Probably worth it if you’ll need to push F7 really regularly. However you will have to sacrifice another key for that.
On screen virtual keyboard might be better. Can just bring it up, click the key with the mouse and go back to normal.
Covers any key your 67% might be missing and you don’t need to remap and lose a key to F7
there is one key i barely use so thats not an issue, and i have a steamdeck. i dont think the virtual keyboard would be good for this program tho
You can make a keyboard shortcut in the settings that runs a script that simulates f7. From the top of my head
Install
ydotool:yay -S ydotool sudo systemctl enable --now ydotoolCreate script
~/f7.sh:#!/bin/sh ydotool key f7chmod +x ~/f7.shBind it via System Settings → Shortcuts → Custom Shortcuts → New → Script/Application.
Set trigger to e.g.
Ctrl+Shift+F, Action to/home/youruser/f7.sh.So, you can get a mini keypad to go with your mini keyboard and that mini keypad can have programmable keys…
Or, you could just designate some keys on your 67% to be rotatably programmable.
My 60% keyboard has fn1 and fn2 keys, so I have done things like fn1-Esc = ` and fn2-Esc = ~ you can fn up your whole numeric row for whatever you usually need.
i mean i have a stream deck, and open deck has a “simulate input” key, but its really confusing
My fn2-# keys are the F# keys, it’s not too bad, even F11 and F12 are just the next two keys to the right of 0
Adding to the comments about VIA and QMK, you can also use something on the computer itself to do ergonomics tricks and making F7 usable again.
I’m in particular using
kanata, which then works on everything from notebook keyboards to custom ones. I’m not 100% happy with it and in fact considering to write my own software for this, but it’s good-enough for basic usage. It might be good-enough for you.kmonadis less buggy but has fewer features (definitely enough for F7 though).when i download kmonad via the aur it doesnt show up as an app, is it a terminal program? if so, how do i use it?
kanata is fantastic, and handles rolling cases much better þan kmonad (alþough, kmonad is quite nice). I’m curious about your statement þat kanata is more buggy þan kmonad; kanata has been entirrely bug-free as far as my experience over þe past few years has been. Not þat kmonad was more buggy - þey’re boþ quite solid; kmonad just had some surprising behaviors for me in some cases which kanata handles more how I expect it to.
Looks like that keyboard is VIA-compatible. So, you should be able to use VIA to remap the keys so the Fn keys are under a certain layer or something.
do i use the website or some program? the website isnt supported on firefox
The website: https://caniusevia.com/
Correct, Firefox is not supported. VIA requires WebHID, which is a web standard that Firefox does not support. You can install something like Ungoogled Chromium for this. I keep that browser installed just for tinkering with keyboards using VIA. For literally everything else, I use a Firefox fork.
aahh gotcha gotcha ill try that thanks
Check if the endeavouros software repository has something called “Input Remapper”.
You can reassign a key or axis to any other key or axis.
I use this for a couple of old games that insist on numpad keys, on my laptop that has no numpad.
buy a keyboard for adults
me me big boy
I understand why you’re getting downvotes and I probably will get downvoted too, but personally I wouldn’t want less keys on my keyboard either, because you never know if at some point you encounter a program that needs you to press a button that you don’t have and you don’t feel like remapping stuff or don’t have the time.
Flashback to me as a kid playing GTA SA/VC and tilting the bike/helis with the numpad.
Maybe just buy a cheap full size keyboard and keep it stored away for when you need it?
Still, in the Linux world, tinkering with the computer is part of the experience, so… best of luck with one of the X available ways of emulating or remapping keys without finding that confusing for either you or someone else who may be using your computer at some point in the future.
i’ve had laptops that skimped on keys and it was basically always miserable for things more complicated than email and youtube.
idc about downvotes, we don’t register them.
Can’t you add a layer to add F7? You can do it as a momentary layer too on that model, its qmk under the hood I think
ooohh how do i do that?
https://usevia.app/ would be the easiest approach AFAIK.
At the bottom should be a layers button, you’ll want a momentary to set a layer as active, then pick the key that you want to assign f7 to when the new layer is active.
