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Do you use a macro keyboard for shortcuts? If so, what for and what size? (programming.dev)
submitted 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) by to c/programming@programming.dev
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Macro keyboards are mini programmable USB keyboards that can be pressed to trigger shortcuts, a sequence of keypresses etc. They can have several layers so switching to a different one will trigger different keypresses from the same key, so e.g. different IDEs can be represented.

I've just bought one with a view to setting up shortcuts for debugging. Each IDE has its own unique keys for navigating through the code, so I figure it'll be nice to just press one key to start debugging and one key to step into instead of a combination of ctrl+whatever etc

Do you use one? If so, what do you use it for and what size do you use? Is it too big / too small?

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[–] 2 points 2 years ago

I have a large selection, but I rarely use them for anything other than media keys and teams call functions. Other stuff like windows management in sway are all done on higher layers on my (40%) keyboard.

My preference is for something with at least one knob as knobs are my preference for things like scrolling, volume control, and zoom.

If you can find latching switches, these are great for triggering layers so you can get more out of your pad. You can obviously do latching layer changes without such switches in QMK, but you really need to trigger leds to help you remember which layer you on otherwise.

Pad I use the most is a CapsUnlocked CU7 that I got just before they imploded as I love the weight of the knob.

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