US Keyboard Mapping

Permabanned
Joined
22 Oct 2018
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2,451
I was looking in to the idea of using an US-INTL keyboard on my PC. Now initially I looked at the Microsoft software to create a new DLL to add a £ to the keyboard nad move a few keys around. But you know it occurred to me that perhaps there is a much easier method. The only physical difference with the US-INTL keyboard is that the \| key to the right of the shift key. It's missing! It's on the UK keyboard but not on a US-INTL one. So if I tell windows that it should use UK mapping of US-INTL then all that happens is I lose \ and |, but the rest of the keys will be mapped the same as a UK keyboard.
Has anyone ever tried this?
 
Soldato
Joined
16 Dec 2005
Posts
14,443
Location
Manchester
The problem here is that the ISO layout (UK) has an extra key as compared to the US layout. The US layout has \| where hash normally is, so when using a UK layout in Windows, this is the new hash key and bye-bye backslash.

I don't recall off the top of my head, but you should be able to find the missing symbols by using Alt+<insert key I can't remember>.

The MS software is really easy to use so I wouldn't consider it a poor choice. When you load it up, it will show you where everything is, so you might be able to track down your missing symbols. The simplest option (in a technical sense) is to just set your Windows keyboard layout to US and get used to the layout. I got over this hurdle years ago when I started using a MacBook for work. I can switch between UK and Apple-Flavoured USA layout without issue now.

As an aside, if you are planning on a mechanical keyboard, if you get one that runs the QMK firmware, you can pretty much customise the layout however you want. This is how I have set up my board. I have a weird mish-mash of mostly UK layout but still wanting symbols found in USA layout (this is due to the board being compact and missing a few keys).
 
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