Help configuring a keyboard for Emacs

Help configuring a keyboard for Emacs

[Juan Herrera]

Hello, I'm new to Emacs and I have trouble using its keybindings. I
have a regular keyboard and the Control key is far away from the rest
of the keys so it's difficult to press the keyboard shortcuts easily.

How do you configure and press keys on your keyboard? Could you
explain which fingers (also left or right hand) you use to press
things like C-f, C-M-a, etc.? Do you use a standard keyboard or
something special?

Thanks.

Re: Help configuring a keyboard for Emacs

[Óscar Fuentes]

Juan Herrera <juan.herrero.diaz@gmail.com> writes:

> Hello, I'm new to Emacs and I have trouble using its keybindings. I
> have a regular keyboard and the Control key is far away from the rest
> of the keys so it's difficult to press the keyboard shortcuts easily.
>
> How do you configure and press keys on your keyboard? Could you
> explain which fingers (also left or right hand) you use to press
> things like C-f, C-M-a, etc.? Do you use a standard keyboard or
> something special?

I use a Kinesis Advantage keyboard with quite a few of key remappings,
but most people use normal keyboards. Among those one common improvement
is to switch Control and Caps Lock.

Re: Help configuring a keyboard for Emacs

[Stefan Monnier]

> I use a Kinesis Advantage keyboard with quite a few of key remappings,
> but most people use normal keyboards. Among those one common improvement
> is to switch Control and Caps Lock.

FWIW, I don't "switch" them, I just make caps-lock into a control key,
since I just don't have any need for caps-lock anyway.

[ Instead of remapping the lower-left key labeled "control" to
  caps-lock, I remap it to the "hyper" modifier which I dedicate to my
  window-manager bindings.  ]


        Stefan

Re: Help configuring a keyboard for Emacs

[Leo Butler]

Stefan Monnier <monnier@iro.umontreal.ca> writes:

>> I use a Kinesis Advantage keyboard with quite a few of key remappings,
>> but most people use normal keyboards. Among those one common improvement
>> is to switch Control and Caps Lock.
>
> FWIW, I don't "switch" them, I just make caps-lock into a control key,
> since I just don't have any need for caps-lock anyway.
>
> [ Instead of remapping the lower-left key labeled "control" to
>   caps-lock, I remap it to the "hyper" modifier which I dedicate to my
>   window-manager bindings.  ]

In addition, I would like to suggest using sticky keys, too. That way,
you can type C-c C-u M-e as C c C u M e (i.e. press each key in
sequence, rather than needing to hold down the modifier key while
pressing the the modified key).

If you need help implementing these adaptations, tell us which operating
system you are using.

Leo

Re: Help configuring a keyboard for Emacs

[Robert Thorpe]

Juan Herrera <juan.herrero.diaz@gmail.com> writes:

> Hello, I'm new to Emacs and I have trouble using its keybindings. I
> have a regular keyboard and the Control key is far away from the rest
> of the keys so it's difficult to press the keyboard shortcuts easily.
>
> How do you configure and press keys on your keyboard? Could you
> explain which fingers (also left or right hand) you use to press
> things like C-f, C-M-a, etc.? Do you use a standard keyboard or
> something special?

* Modifiers with the other hand.

It is often easiest to press the main key and the modifier key with
different hands.  For example, it can be easiest to press C-w by
pressing ctrl with your right hand.

* Using ESC and C-[ instead of Alt.

Remember That escape is also meta.  If you use alt then you have to
press hold it down.  On the other hand, ESC is a prefix.  So, you can do
C-M-a by pressing ESC then C-a.  Also, C-[ does the same as ESC (with
standard keybindings).  That means you can to C-M-a by pressing C-[ C-a,
of course you can hold down ctrl doing that.  This is how I press the
combinations that require ctrl and meta myself.

* Remapping Caps-Lock.

I don't do this, but lots of people do.  You can swap caps-lock and
ctrl.  Or, you can just make caps-lock another ctrl.  (I've also heard
of people remapping tab to ctrl and remapping caps-lock to alt).

* Pressing ctrl with the palm.

I do this.  You can press ctrl using the part of your palm next to the
4th finger.  At least it's possible on desktop keyboards.  Some people
find this difficult.

BR,
Robert Thorpe

Re: Help configuring a keyboard for Emacs

[Eric S Fraga]

On Wednesday, 13 Jan 2021 at 20:06, Leo Butler wrote:
> In addition, I would like to suggest using sticky keys, too. 

+1

Another alternative is to remap keys like the windows and menu keys to
something else, e.g. F20 and F21 (what I do), and then assign specific
key maps to those keys.  This allows you to press, say, the windows key,
let go, and then press another key.  Similar effect to sticky keys but
for any key you might wish to use.

-- 
Eric S Fraga via Emacs 28.0.50 & org 9.4.4 on Debian bullseye/sid

Re: Help configuring a keyboard for Emacs

[Francis Belliveau]

Juan,

Robert had some good information.
However, in general one needs to develop what I have heard called "The Emacs Claw".

My keyboard only has a control key on the left and that is how the original keyboards (before DOS) were designed.
Therefore, the C-x C-s sequence is done with the pinky holding the control key and my index finger handling the 'x' and 's'.  Same for C-x C-f.
I tend to move lines and characters using my right hand on the arrow keys, but sometimes I use my right hand to complete C-p and C-u is always done with both hands.

Also, like Robert said, knowing the ASCII control mappings also helps a bit as I very often use C-[ C-\ in place of C-M-\, just because I find it more convenient than holding control with my left pinky and meta with the finger next to it.

Think of not moving your hands too far from the typist's home position.  If you have two control keys, the control key is actuated in a manner similar to the shift key.  They are usually not that far from shift.

My meta key is directly next to my control key so that works easy enough also.  I also have a lot of custom mappings with a C-z prefix and I tend not to use the C-c prefix very much.

Good luck getting it all worked out for yourself.
Fran


> On Jan 13, 2021, at 15:48, Juan Herrera <juan.herrero.diaz@gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Hello, I'm new to Emacs and I have trouble using its keybindings. I
> have a regular keyboard and the Control key is far away from the rest
> of the keys so it's difficult to press the keyboard shortcuts easily.
> 
> How do you configure and press keys on your keyboard? Could you
> explain which fingers (also left or right hand) you use to press
> things like C-f, C-M-a, etc.? Do you use a standard keyboard or
> something special?
> 
> Thanks.
> 

Re: Help configuring a keyboard for Emacs

[Leo Butler]

Francis Belliveau <f.belliveau@comcast.net> writes:

> Juan,
>
> Robert had some good information.
> However, in general one needs to develop what I have heard called "The Emacs Claw".

Sticky keys completely removes the need for such keyboard contortions.

Leo

Re: Help configuring a keyboard for Emacs

[Robert Thorpe]

Leo Butler <leo.butler@umanitoba.ca> writes:

> Francis Belliveau <f.belliveau@comcast.net> writes:
>
>> Juan,
>>
>> Robert had some good information.
>> However, in general one needs to develop what I have heard called "The Emacs Claw".
>
> Sticky keys completely removes the need for such keyboard contortions.

I have never got on with sticky keys.  But it's a reasonable idea.

There's also "God-mode" which makes Emacs rather like Vi.  It becomes
modal with the ESC key switching between insert and command modes.  The
difference between that an Vi emuluation is that it uses Emacs
default keybindings.  I don't use this, but it's another possibility.

One thing I forgot to mention is view-mode.  That's a built-in,
read-only mode and I find it very useful for reading all sorts of files.
It applies keybindings similar to info, so space and del do scrolling.
I have a keybinding defined for switching view-mode on and off.

I sometimes read things like code in view-mode first, then switch it off
when I need to edit.

BR,
Robert Thorpe

Re: Help configuring a keyboard for Emacs

[Ken Goldman]

On 1/13/2021 3:48 PM, Juan Herrera wrote:
> Hello, I'm new to Emacs and I have trouble using its keybindings. I
> have a regular keyboard and the Control key is far away from the rest
> of the keys so it's difficult to press the keyboard shortcuts easily.
> 
> How do you configure and press keys on your keyboard? Could you
> explain which fingers (also left or right hand) you use to press
> things like C-f, C-M-a, etc.? Do you use a standard keyboard or
> something special?

Pick your 12 favorite commands and map them to Fn keys.