Simple Shortcuts Keyboard

Lots of people could save hours, just by making their daily computer tasks automatic or easier.

One of the ways to be more productive is by using shortcuts.

Let's make a shortcut keyboard out from a USB num pad.

What's needed:

• USB num pad or a keyboard
• Label paper
• A free program called "HID Macros"

"HID Macros" is used for this project, because it can identify different USB keyboards.

Because of that function, we can use a USB Num pad and convert it to a shortcut keyboard.

Keyboards will not interfere with each other. In other words, if you set a shortcut to Num pad's key Nr4, your computer keyboard's key Nr4 will not run the shortcut. I will works a a normal button.

• Measure the size of keys and make the labels you want.
• Print out the labels and cut them out.
• Stick the labels to the keys.

• Plug in your USB num pad
• Download a free program called "Hid Macros"
• Run it and create a new macro
• Click on "Scan" button
• Press a key that you want to assign to the shortcut
• Select "Run Application"
• Find the program you want to open (Notepad) and click on "Open"
• Click on "Save configuration" and then on " Compile All" to load the script.

Now when you'll press number 4 on your shortcut keyboard, Notepad will open.

If you will press number 4 on you computer's keyboard, it will not open "Notepad", it will work as a normal key.

In this example I chose to run "Notepad".

Check out "Hid Macros" help file or the web page for other script examples.

You can send keyboard commands or even mouse clicks.

The only thing I am not sure about is the label paper. It does the job, but with the time it could wear off.

Any ideas on how to make the labels coffee spill proof? OK, it's not a good idea to spill the coffee on any keyboard, but you get the point. Labels need some extra protection. Nail vanish?