Extended keyboard layers for easy navigation and functionality from a Colemak base layout. (Possibly can be applied to other base layouts, too).
This repository contains various configurations and tooling to create an extended keyboard setup for both Windows and Linux, and matching configurations for external keyboards like the Ultimate Hacking Keyboard as well as QMK and ZMK-based keyboards. The configurations start from a Colemak base layout, but the concepts behind the navigation and numpad layers also work with other base layouts.
Read more about the Background of this setup.
- a navigation layer (called maxtend) for cursor movement, text selection and cut/copy/paste
- a numpad layer (called numtab) for entering numbers in forms, sheets, calculators
- mouse support (on systems that support it) for clicking and scrolling
Full description of layers and functionality
Keycaps layout visualising layers and functions
The configuration is setup in three stages:
- base OS setup - giving a standard Colemak layout without extended functionality
- maxtend layer - giving extended functionality such as navigation, mouse scrolling etc.;
(achieved via AutoHotKey (Windows, deprecated), Kanata (Windows & Linux, recommended), keyd (Linux), or xkb (Linux, deprecated)) - external keyboard - giving extended functionality even if your host computer does not have
maxtendinstalled, and extends it further
(implemented for UHK, QMK, and ZMK)
These stages can work independently, but also combine on top of each other for best functionality.
Depending on your OS and preferred setup, find the configuration for each of the different tools in the corresponding subdirectories.
- For Windows:
- depending on your version of Windows:
- Windows 11: Switch your keyboard layout to Colemak. Go to
Settings->Time & language->Language & region, click...next to your language ->Language options, and underKeyboardsyou canAdd a keyboard. ChooseColemak. Yay, Microsoft has finally added Colemak to the standard layouts available! - Windows 10 or earlier: Install the Colemak keyboard layout from Windows - Colemak first. I recommend the version which maps CapsLock to Backspace.
- Windows 11: Switch your keyboard layout to Colemak. Go to
- Then, pick between the ahk configuration (and load via AutoHotKey), or try Kanata with the corresponding kanata configuration (recommended).
- depending on your version of Windows:
- For Linux:
- Switch your keyboard layout to Colemak (via keyboard settings of your distribution).
- Then, choose between either xkb (how to configure, deprecated) or keyd (using the keyd service), or try Kanata with the corresponding kanata configuration (recommended).
- For an external keyboard:
- Ultimate Hacking Keyboard: Check out a matching uhk configuration for the Ultimate Hacking Keyboard (an external programmable keyboard).
- QMK: Check out a configuration for a wired ErgoTravel keyboard using QMK on ProMicro controllers in the qmk folder.
- ZMK: Configuration for a wireless ErgoTravel keyboard (BLE) as well as an Eyelash Peripherals Corne using ZMK on nice!nano controllers in the zmk folder. Check out the README-ZMK for more information, or go directly to the ZMK builds for ErgoTravel and Eyelash Corne.
If you are unsure which option to install in step 2, try Kanata. Check out the Quick install instructions. It works both in Windows and Linux, is super powerful, and it is what I am now using. It also supports home-row mods quite well (in case you are interested in that).