Xah Fly Keys Layout for Ultimate Hacking Keyboard (UHK)
This is my layout of Ultimate Hacking Keyboard V2 optimized for using with Emacs: Xah Fly Keys 📦.
Layout for Xah Fly Keys
Features:
- Home key (on left) for activating command mode.
- Backspace ⌫ on left thumb. (and is not a dual modifier, so that you can hold it to delete) also, Backspace ⌫ made a leader key in emacs init, same as space.
(define-key xah-fly-command-map (kbd "<backspace>") xah-fly-leader-key-map)
- Right-hand Space is dual Ctrl, for emacs C-u.
- Physical arrows keys. This makes isearch forward/backward easier.
- Two UHK mod key, one for each hand.
Old Layouts, Not Used
Features:
- Home key (on left) for activating command mode.
- Backspace ⌫ and Space are both leader keys. This allow either hand to invoke leader. But also, when held down, they activates Mod layer for arrows and other navigation via UHK.
- The number keys 1 2 and 7 8 are swapped. This is more efficient. 〔see Efficient Layout for Numbers〕
- physical arrows keys. This makes isearch forward/backward easier.
- Delete ⌦ is a leader key for major mode commands.
- The special button at bottom, are Mod, Fn. So they are available, and can be pressed twice to lock into a mode.
- Ctrl and Alt are not used much with Xah Fly Keys, they are left in their original position. Chording is avoided as much as possible.