kb01/zmk
1
0
Fork 0
Code Issues Pull requests Projects Releases Packages Wiki Activity Actions

fixup! feat(blog): Add zmk-tools and zmk-locale-generator post

Browse source
This commit is contained in:
Cem Aksoylar 2024-01-01 19:45:32 -08:00
parent d00d5d0736
commit 55db3d4c0c
1 changed files with 5 additions and 5 deletions
Show stats Download patch file Download diff file Expand all files Collapse all files

10
docs/blog/2024-01-01-zmk-tools.md
View file

@ -2,11 +2,11 @@
## ZMK Tools
[ZMK Tools](https://github.com/joelspadin/zmk-tools) is an extension for [Visual Studio Code](https://code.visualstudio.com) that helps with editing a ZMK user config repo or a fork of ZMK. I originally created it to add some code completion in `.keymap` files, but then I realized that with the web version of VS Code, I could also let you set up a user config repo and build firmware, much like the user setup script, except without downloading a single thing.
[ZMK Tools](https://github.com/joelspadin/zmk-tools) is an extension for [Visual Studio Code](https://code.visualstudio.com) that helps with editing a ZMK user config repo or a fork of ZMK. I originally created it to add some code completion in `.keymap` files, but then I realized that with the web version of VS Code, I could also let you set up a user config repo and build firmware, much like the [user setup script](/docs/user-setup#user-config-setup-script), except without downloading a single thing.
### User Config Setup in Browser
Here is how you can use ZMK Tools to get started writing a ZMK keymap entirely within your browser. More detailed instructions can be found on the [ZMK Tools README](https://github.com/joelspadin/zmk-tools/blob/main/README.md).
Here is how you can use ZMK Tools to get started with writing a ZMK keymap entirely within your browser. More detailed instructions can be found on the [ZMK Tools README](https://github.com/joelspadin/zmk-tools/blob/main/README.md).
1. Open the [ZMK config template repo](https://github.com/zmkfirmware/unified-zmk-config-template) on GitHub.
2. Click the **Use this template** button and follow the instructions to create your own repo.
@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ GitHub will start building the new firmware. To check the results:
1. Use your browser's back button to go back to your repo's GitHub page.
2. Click the **Actions** tab at the top of the page.
3. Click the latest build (it should show the commit message you entered earlier). If it's still in progress, wait for it to finish.
4. If the build was successful, go to the **Artifacts** section and click **firwmare** to download the firmware. If it failed, check the error and go back to github.dev to fix it.
4. If the build was successful, go to the **Artifacts** section and click **firmware** to download the firmware. If it failed, check the error and go back to github.dev to fix it.
### Keymap Code Completion
@ -95,7 +95,7 @@ ZMK Tools will discover all the boards/shields from both ZMK and your user confi
## ZMK Locale Generator
ZMK's key codes follow the [HID specification](https://www.usb.org/hid), and many key codes indicate the _position_ of a key on US keyboard layout, not the key's function. If your OS is set to a different keyboard locale, then the character each key types won't necessarily line up with the key code name. For example, on a German "QWERTZ" layout, `&kp Y` will type <kbd>Z</kbd> and `&kp Z` will type <kbd>Y</kbd>, so you have to write your layout as if it were QWERTY instead. Other layouts can be even more confusing!
ZMK's key codes follow the [HID specification](https://www.usb.org/hid), and many key codes indicate the _position_ of a key on US keyboard layout, not the key's function. If your operating system is set to a different keyboard locale, then the character each key types won't necessarily line up with the key code name. For example, on a German "QWERTZ" layout, `&kp Y` will type <kbd>Z</kbd> and `&kp Z` will type <kbd>Y</kbd>, so you have to write your layout as if it were QWERTY instead. Other layouts can be even more confusing!
[ZMK Locale Generator](https://github.com/joelspadin/zmk-locale-generator) is another tool I made to help with this. It reads [CLDR keyboard layouts](https://cldr.unicode.org/index/charts/keyboards) and generates `#define`s to alias key codes to names that make sense in other locales. To use it, first go to the [latest release](https://github.com/joelspadin/zmk-locale-generator/releases/latest) and download the header that matches the locale you use. Next, copy it into the same folder as your keymap and `#include` it:
@ -134,7 +134,7 @@ I don't have a very large collection of keyboards though, so the data is pretty
## About Me
I got a degree in electrical engineering but promptly became a software engineer instead. I still like tinkering with electronics though, so I discovered ZMK when I was making wireless macropad with a nice!nano, and I became a regular contributor after that. I use mostly larger keyboards with standard layouts and rarely use anything more complicated that momentary layers, so I've mostly focused on improving core features and tooling.
I got a degree in electrical engineering but promptly became a software engineer instead. I still like tinkering with electronics though, so I discovered ZMK when I was making wireless macropad with a nice!nano, and I became a regular contributor after that. I use mostly larger keyboards with standard layouts and rarely use anything more complicated than momentary layers, so I've mostly focused on improving core features and tooling.
The keyboards I regularly use are a Ducky One 2 TKL that I leave at work, a Freebird TKL[^1], a custom [wireless numpad](https://github.com/joelspadin/NumBLE), and a Yamaha CP4.