By programming the Sweet 16 Macro Pad Black from 1upkeyboards with QMK and AutoHotkey, I get dedicated keys for PowerToys and acting on selected files within File Explorer (open with VSCode and Inkscape, use the 7-zip console executable to extract and archive, and use ImageMagick to convert files to PNG).
The SVG you see here has been formatted to a size that will fit underneath the keycaps should you print it out (see the Printables directory).
| Open w/ VSCode | Extract Files | Archive Files | Mouse Highlighter |
|---|---|---|---|
| F13 | F14 | F15 | Windows + Shift + H |
| 7zip command | 7zip command |
| Color Picker | Screen Ruler | Always On Top | Mouse Pointer Crosshairs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Windows + Shift + C | Windows + Shift + M | Windows + Ctrl + T | Windows + Alt + P |
| Snipping Tool | Export to PNG | Open w/Inkscape | Window Switcher |
|---|---|---|---|
| Windows + Shift + S | F17 | F18 | Ctrl + Alt + Tab |
| Magick command | Inkscape.exe [file] |
| Volume Down | Volume Up | Task Manager | Fancy Zones |
|---|---|---|---|
| KC_VOLD | KC_VOLU | Ctrl + Shift + ESC | Windows + Shift + ` |
With QMK MSYS locally or QMK Configurator online, use the keymap.json to generate the HEX file that's to be flashed the macropad.
Once you have a HEX file, you can flash the macropad via QMK Toolbox.
qmk compile command has many parameters, but if you use the qmk config command, as I have with the defaults set as seen below, it'll spit out the HEX file in the qmk_firmware directory by just running qmk compile without specifying parameters. Be sure to delete the existing HEX file if you make any changes within the keymap files as there seems to be some caching.
qmk config compile.keyboard=1upkeyboards/sweet16/v1qmk config compile.keymap=1upkeyboards/sweet16/v1/keymaps/ivan- Be sure to create your own keymaps directory as I have
Within your keymaps directory for the 1upkeyboards/sweet16, qmk json2c keymap.json -o keymap.c to convert keymap.json to keymap.c. Now you can run qmk compile against that keymap.c file.
Once you have the HEX file, use QMK Toolbox with the macropad connected and hit the Reset switch on the macropad.
- The output of the window will show you that it's flashing the microcontroller as it should.
- If you get "access denied" messages, keep hitting the reset button or replug the micro USB port and continue hitting reset. It's super annoying, but whatever.
Visit the QMK Docs for more context and well documented instructions on this process.
Initially, I found a really useful script to detect what items in an active File Explorer window are currently selected, but it was using AutoHotKey v1. I used AHK-v2-script-converter to port it to v2 and cleaned up the code. I included the original v1 script for historical sake.
Be sure to examine the script and update any program paths to fit your machine.
There is some neat stuff in there about Windows' COM objects too ;)
