Clavier+

Why such a strange name?
Author
License
Manual setup
Manual uninstall
Usage
Text format
Print the shortcuts list
Configuration file
Known issues

Clavier+ Website

Why such a strange name?

Clavier simply is the French word for keyboard. Note the incredible originality of this name, and the creativity deployed to find it!

Author

Guillaume Ryder
Website: http://utilfr42.free.fr
E-mail: gryder@club-internet.fr

German translation
Dietmar Vogel
Website: http://www.verdrahtet.net
E-mail: info@verdrahtet.net

License

Clavier+ is under the GPL license. This gives you the right to use, copy, distribute the software, for any use (personal or commercial), all that without paying anything.

There is no warranty for this program, I’m not responsible of any damage due to its use.

Downloads
Software with setup program: http://utilfr42.free.fr/dn/ClavierSetup.exe
Software without setup program: http://utilfr42.free.fr/dn/Clavier.zip
Source code: http://utilfr42.free.fr/dn/ClavierSrc.zip

Manual setup

To install Clavier+ without setup program:

  1. Copy the files where you want.
  2. Launch Clavier.exe.
  3. If you want the shortcuts to be always active, launch Clavier.exe again to display the configuration dialog box, then check the Launch Clavier+ at Windows startup checkbox.

Manual uninstall

  1. In Clavier+ configuration, uncheck the Launch Clavier+ at Windows startup checkbox, if necessary.
  2. Quit Clavier+ by clicking the button having this name.
  3. Delete all Clavier+ files.

Usage

Clavier allows to create keyboard shortcuts using almost any keys, including the Windows key (around the Space key). When Clavier+ is running, click the keyboard icon near the clock, in the bottom-right corner of the screen. The top area contains the shortcuts list. Clavier+ is bundled with a set of predefined shortcuts.

To create a new shortcut, click the Add (in the shape of a +), type the shortcut in the white area, and click the OK button.

You can restrict the shortcut recognition to some conditions. If all conditions are verified, the action associated to the shortcut is executed. If at least one condition is not verified, Clavier+ ignores the shortcut and the original action of the shortcut is executed (the one defined by Windows or the active program). The available conditions are relative to the toggle keys: Caps Lock, Num Lock, and Scroll Lock. Theses three conditions are linked to the C, N and S letters of the Cond. column in the shortcuts list. You can specify a startup directory; leave the field empty to let Clavier+ use the directory of the program.

Then setup the shortcut action in the bottom area. If the shortcuts must write some text and execute other keyboard shortcuts, check the Write box and write your text in the white area. Each time the shortcut is done, the text will be written.

If the shortcut must launch a program, check the Execute a command line, and click the Browse button (three dots) or write the program path manually. The Execute drop-down list allows choosing the size of the program window when it will be launched.

You can give a description to your keyboard shortcut in the Description area, for example if you plan to print the list of your shortcuts later.

To modify the shortcut keystroke, double-click the shortcut in the list, or click the Modify button (in the shape of a stencil).

Click the OK button to validate your changes and use the shortcuts, or Quit to save the changes and exit Clavier+.

By clicking Clavier+ icon with the right mouse button, you display the shortcuts list in a popup menu.

Text format

In the Write textbox, you can specify Clavier+ to execute some other shortcuts. To do this, you only have to write the shortcut name between brackets. For example:
[Ctrl + O]

To know the name of a special shortcut, you must use the name indicated in the shortcut adding dialog box. For example, to know the name of the numpad star key, click the + button then type the star key: its name appears. Write it exactly, between brackets, in the Write textbox. Take care to keep the special symbols like dots and parenthesis un the shortcut name.

If you need to write the [ symbol, you need to escape it with a backslash. For example:
This is a bracket: \[

Similarly, to write a backslash character, you need to write it twice: Here is one backslash: \\

Clavier+ sends all shortcuts to the same window. If a shortcut opens a new window (for example [Ctrl + O]), you need to ask Clavier+ to send the shortcuts to the new active window. To do this, insert an empty shortcut name: []. Clavier+ will wait for 100 milliseconds and focus to the new active window. Example:
[Ctrl + O][][][]MyFile.txt

To execute a program in the middle of a text typing, write command line between double brackets:
[Ctrl+C][[notepad.exe]][][Ctrl+V]
This shortcut copies to the clipboard the text currently selected, launches notepad, then pastes the copied text in it. The [] tag is crucial; it orders Clavier+ to paste to the new active window, i.e. notepad.

Print the shortcuts list

In the main window of Clavier+, click on Copy list button. This puts the list of all keyboard shortcuts in the clipboard: you can past it in the word processor of your choice to print it. If you use Word, you can present it as an array: launch Word, copy the list with Ctrl+V, select it with Ctrl+A, and click the Insert array button.

Configuration file

The Clavier.ini file contains all parameters. Clavier+ doesn’t put anything in the registry, except if you use the Launch Clavier+ at Windows startup option.

If you need to add many shortcuts at once, here is the configuration file format

First shortcut data
-        (Almost empty line: only a dash)
Second shortcut data
-
...

The shortcut data are in the following format:

Shortcut=keystroke
Code=keystroke code (internally used by Clavier+)
Description=description text
Text=text to type when the shortcut is done
>Other line to type
>Another line
...
Command=program to launch when the shortcut is done
Directory=startup directory
Window=window mode of the program to launch
CapsLock=condition
NumLock=condition
ScrollLock=condition

Note the necessity to type a > character at the beginning of additional lines for the Text= field.

Text in a side, and Command and Window in the other side are mutually exclusive: a shortcut can’t write a text and execute a program at the same time.

The keystroke name use the same format than the Clavier+ list.
Example: Win + Shift + A

The Directory option specifies the startup directory of the command. If none is given, Clavier+ uses the directory of the executable itself.

The Window field can contain the following values: Normal, Minimized, Maximized.

CapsLock, NumLock and ScrollLock parameters, when specified, add an activation condition to the shortcut. Accepted values are None (default value), Yes and No.

Known issues

Some special keys can’t be used:

Print Screen
Pause

The special keys refresh browser, increase volume, etc. are partially supported. Shortcuts using them can be created, and it is possible to modify their original behavior. However the action of these keys is executed when they are pressed in the Add dialog box. Moreover, as Windows does not provide a generic method to get the name of theses special keys, they are named by a number (for example: #183).

Windows standard shortcuts cannot be modified. Here are some of them:

Ctrl + Alt + DELdisplay task manager
F12reserved to the debugger
Alt + TABactivate the next task
Alt + Shift + TABactivate the previous task
Win + Bactivate the focus in the traybar
Win + Dreduce all windows; do it twice to restore the previous state
Win + Elaunch the explorer
Win + Fshow the Find files window
Win + Ctrl + Fshow the Find computers
Win + Lfast user switching (Windows XP)
Win + Mreduce all windows
Win + Shift + Mcancel the effect of Win + M
Win + Rshow Start/Execute window
Win + Ulaunch the utilities manager
Win + F1launch Windows help
Win + Tabactivate the next taskbar button
Win + Shift + Tabactivate the previous taskbar
Win + Pauseshow the System applet of the configuration panel