Keyboard extension

Hi.

Some month ago I bought a keyboard with a function button.

Product: Luminous III
Manufacturere: Sharkoon in Germany

Please look at: http://www.sharkoon.com/enghtml/input.htm#key3

When I press the new function button "Fn" together with F11 the keyboard
is locked so nobody can use it until i unlock it with the same keys.

Using the media player i can increase and decrease volume using FN and
F9 / F10.

What i now like to do is writing a new driver / an extension so i can
decide what to do when a shortcut like the two obove is pressed.

The reason why i want to do this is, that there's no existing driver i
know i can use.

I read some articles in the MSDN but i need some examples.

Thanks for informations

Kai Gillmann

Robert
Sun May 29 11:30:08 CDT 2005

Kai Gillmann wrote:

> When I press the new function button "Fn" together with F11 the keyboard
> is locked so nobody can use it until i unlock it with the same keys.

The Fn key may be completely local to the keyboard so you may be out of
luck even with a driver.

> Using the media player i can increase and decrease volume using FN and
> F9 / F10.

This is a hint that the Fn key is really local to the keyboard. It
simulates the media keys here.

BTW the keyboard sucks. Blue is a bad color for contrast and light from
below is far from being ergonomic. A simple LED light from above would
work much better, but avoid USB lights because they are against the USB
spec.

Kai
Sun May 29 13:58:53 CDT 2005

Robert Marquardt schrieb:
> Kai Gillmann wrote:
>
>> When I press the new function button "Fn" together with F11 the
>> keyboard is locked so nobody can use it until i unlock it with the
>> same keys.
>
>
> The Fn key may be completely local to the keyboard so you may be out of
> luck even with a driver.
>
>
>> Using the media player i can increase and decrease volume using FN and
>> F9 / F10.
>
>
> This is a hint that the Fn key is really local to the keyboard. It
> simulates the media keys here.

The Support-Team told me, i could catch the KeyCode of this Key. I tried
this using C# but it didn't work.

> BTW the keyboard sucks. Blue is a bad color for contrast and light from
> below is far from being ergonomic. A simple LED light from above would
> work much better, but avoid USB lights because they are against the USB
> spec.

You found out the reason why i bought the keyboard :)
I like programming late in the evening. The light is bright enough to
see the border of the keys. If you are familiar with the keyboard its
really good.

-

If the Fn-Key is "programmable" by creating a driver i would be grateful
if someone could help me!

Thx for help

Kai Gillmann

Doron
Sun May 29 18:39:08 CDT 2005

like Robert said, the Fn key is not reported to the OS. it has no idea what
to do with it. rather, it is used by the keyboard's firmware to change
behavior. I also doubt that the lock sequence (whether you are setting it
or unlocking it) is sent to the OS either, the firmware eats up the
keystrokes.

To see the keyboard reports the Fn key, set a low level keyboard hook. It
will be called if it is reported.

d

--
Please do not send e-mail directly to this alias. this alias is for
newsgroup purposes only.
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.


"Kai Gillmann" <kaigillmann@gmxpro.net> wrote in message
news:%23iF62BIZFHA.1088@TK2MSFTNGP14.phx.gbl...
> Robert Marquardt schrieb:
>> Kai Gillmann wrote:
>>
>>> When I press the new function button "Fn" together with F11 the keyboard
>>> is locked so nobody can use it until i unlock it with the same keys.
>>
>>
>> The Fn key may be completely local to the keyboard so you may be out of
>> luck even with a driver.
> >
>>
>>> Using the media player i can increase and decrease volume using FN and
>>> F9 / F10.
>>
>>
>> This is a hint that the Fn key is really local to the keyboard. It
>> simulates the media keys here.
>
> The Support-Team told me, i could catch the KeyCode of this Key. I tried
> this using C# but it didn't work.
>
>> BTW the keyboard sucks. Blue is a bad color for contrast and light from
>> below is far from being ergonomic. A simple LED light from above would
>> work much better, but avoid USB lights because they are against the USB
>> spec.
>
> You found out the reason why i bought the keyboard :)
> I like programming late in the evening. The light is bright enough to see
> the border of the keys. If you are familiar with the keyboard its really
> good.
>
> -
>
> If the Fn-Key is "programmable" by creating a driver i would be grateful
> if someone could help me!
>
> Thx for help
>
> Kai Gillmann

Kai
Sun May 29 21:39:09 CDT 2005

Doron Holan [MS] schrieb:
> like Robert said, the Fn key is not reported to the OS. it has no idea what
> to do with it. rather, it is used by the keyboard's firmware to change
> behavior. I also doubt that the lock sequence (whether you are setting it
> or unlocking it) is sent to the OS either, the firmware eats up the
> keystrokes.
>
> To see the keyboard reports the Fn key, set a low level keyboard hook. It
> will be called if it is reported.
>
> d
>

Hi.

It seems that i have to accept this :)

But how does the OS works with the multimedia keys like Volume, ... ?

Kai

Doron
Mon May 30 11:16:08 CDT 2005

those keys (vol +/-, web, play/pause/stop/media/back/forward) are reported
to the OS w/standardized scancodes. They are understood by the OS and
pumped through the message queues as WM_APPCOMMAND.

d

--
Please do not send e-mail directly to this alias. this alias is for
newsgroup purposes only.
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.


"Kai Gillmann" <kaigillmann@gmxpro.net> wrote in message
news:uz2ADDMZFHA.796@TK2MSFTNGP10.phx.gbl...
> Doron Holan [MS] schrieb:
>> like Robert said, the Fn key is not reported to the OS. it has no idea
>> what to do with it. rather, it is used by the keyboard's firmware to
>> change behavior. I also doubt that the lock sequence (whether you are
>> setting it or unlocking it) is sent to the OS either, the firmware eats
>> up the keystrokes.
>>
>> To see the keyboard reports the Fn key, set a low level keyboard hook.
>> It will be called if it is reported.
>>
>> d
>>
>
> Hi.
>
> It seems that i have to accept this :)
>
> But how does the OS works with the multimedia keys like Volume, ... ?
>
> Kai