227 lines
7 KiB
Markdown
227 lines
7 KiB
Markdown
---
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title: Macro Behavior
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sidebar_label: Macros
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---
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## Summary
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The macro behavior allows configuring a list of other behaviors to invoke
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when the macro is pressed and/or released.
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## Macro Definition
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Each macro you want to use in your keymap gets defined first, then bound in your keymap.
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A macro definition looks like:
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```
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/ {
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macros {
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zed_em_kay: zed_em_kay {
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label = "ZM_zed_em_kay";
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compatible = "zmk,behavior-macro";
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#binding-cells = <0>;
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bindings
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= <¯o_press &kp LSHFT>
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, <¯o_tap &kp Z &kp M &kp K>
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, <¯o_release &kp LSHFT>
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;
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};
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};
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};
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```
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:::note
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The text before the colon (`:`) in the declaration of the macro node is the "node label", and is the text
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used to reference the macro in your keymap
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:::
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The macro can then be bound in your keymap by referencing it by the label `&zed_em_kay`, e.g.:
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```
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raise_layer {
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bindings = <&zed_em_kay>;
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};
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```
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### Bindings
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Like [hold-taps](/docs/behaviors/hold-tap), macros are created by composing other behaviors, and any of those behaviors can
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be added to the `bindings` list, e.g.:
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```
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bindings
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= <&to 1>
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, <&bl BL_ON>
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, <&kp Z &kp M &kp K &kp EXCLAMATION>
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;
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```
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## Macro Controls
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There are a set of special macro controls that can be included in the `bindings` list to modify the
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way the macro is processed.
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### Binding Activation Mode
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Bindings in a macro are activated differently, depending on the current "activation mode" of the macro.
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Available modes:
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- Tap - The default mode; when in this mode, the macro will press, then release, each behavior in the `bindings` list. This mode is useful for
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basic keycode output to hosts, i.e. when activating a `&kp` behavior.
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- Press - In this mode, the macro will only trigger a press on each behavior in the `bindings` list. This is useful for holding down modifiers for some duration of a macro, e.g. `&kp LALT`.
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- Release - In this mode, the macro will only trigger a release on each behavior in the `bindings` list. This is useful for releasing modifiers previously pressed earlier in the macro processing, e.g. `&kp LALT`.
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To modify the activation mode, macro controls can be added at any point in the `bindings` list.
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- `¯o_tap`
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- `¯o_press`
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- `¯o_release`
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A concrete example, used to hold a modifier, tap multiple keys, then release the modifier, would look like:
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```
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bindings
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= <¯o_press &kp LSHFT>
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, <¯o_tap &kp Z &kp M &kp K>
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, <¯o_release &kp LSHFT>
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;
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```
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### Processing Continuation on Release
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The macro can be paused so that only part of the `bindings` list is processed when the macro is pressed, and the remainder is processed once
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the macro itself is released.
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To pause the macro until release, use `¯o_pause_for_release`. For example, this macro will press a modifier and activate a layer when the macro is pressed. Once the macro is released, it will release the modifier and deactivate the layer by releasing the `&mo`:
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```
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bindings
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= <¯o_press &mo 1 &kp LSHFT>
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, <¯o_pause_for_release>
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, <¯o_release &mo 1 &kp LSHFT>
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;
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```
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### Wait Time
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The wait time setting controls how long of a delay is introduced between behaviors in the `bindings` list. The initial wait time for a macro, 100ms by default, can
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be set by assigning a value to the `wait-ms` property of the macro, e.g. `wait-ms = <20>;`. If you want to update the wait time at any
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point in the macro bindings list, use `¯o_wait_time`, e.g. `¯o_wait_time 30`. A full example:
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```
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wait-ms = <10>;
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bindings
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= <&kp F &kp A &kp S &kp T>
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, <¯o_wait_time 500>
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, <&kp S &kp L &kp O &kp W>
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;
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```
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### Tap Time
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The tap time setting controls how long a tapped behavior is held in the `bindings` list. The initial tap time for a macro, 100ms by default, can
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be set by assigning a value to the `tap-ms` property of the macro, e.g. `tap-ms = <20>;`. If you want to update the tap time at any
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point in a macro bindings list, use `¯o_tap_time`, e.g. `¯o_tap_time 30`. A full example:
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```
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bindings
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= <¯o_tap_time 10>
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, <&kp S &kp H &kp O &kp R &kp T>
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, <¯o_tap_time 500>
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, <&kp L &kp O &kp N &kp G>
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;
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```
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## Common Patterns
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Below are some examples of how the macro behavior can be used for various useful functionality.
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### Layer Activation + More
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Macros make it easy to combine a [layer behavior](/docs/behaviors/layers), e.g. `&mo` with another behavior at the same time.
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Common examples are enabling one or more modifiers when the layer is active, or changing the RBG underglow color.
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To achieve this, a combination of a 0ms wait time and splitting the press and release between a `¯o_pause_for_release` is used:
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#### Layer + Modifier
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```
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wait-ms = <0>;
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bindings
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= <¯o_press &mo 1 &kp LSHFT>
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, <¯o_pause_for_release>
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, <¯o_release &mo 1 &kp LSHFT>;
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```
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#### Layer + Underglow Color
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To trigger a different underglow when the macro is pressed, and when it is released, we use the macro "press" activation mode whenever triggering the `&rgb_ug` behavior:
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```
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wait-ms = <0>;
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tap-ms = <0>;
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bindings
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= <¯o_press &mo 1>
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, <¯o_tap &rgb_ug RGB_COLOR_HSB(128,100,100)>
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, <¯o_pause_for_release>
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, <¯o_release &mo 1>
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, <¯o_tap &rgb_ug RGB_COLOR_HSB(300,100,50)>;
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```
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### Keycode Sequences
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The other common use case for macros is to sending sequences of keycodes to the connected host. Here, a wait and tap time of at least 30ms is recommended to
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avoid having HID notifications grouped at the BLE protocol level and then processed out of order:
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```
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wait-ms = <40>;
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tap-ms = <40>;
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bindings
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= <&kp Z &kp M &kp K>
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, <&kp SPACE>
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, <&kp R &kp O &kp C &kp K &kp S>
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;
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```
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### Unicode Sequences
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Many operating systems allow a special sequence to input unicode characters, e.g. [Windows alt codes](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/insert-ascii-or-unicode-latin-based-symbols-and-characters-d13f58d3-7bcb-44a7-a4d5-972ee12e50e0). You can use macros to automate inputting the sequences, e.g. below macro inserts `£` on Windows:
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```
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wait-ms = <40>;
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tap-ms = <40>;
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bindings
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= <¯o_press &kp LALT>
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, <¯o_tap &kp KP_N0 &kp KP_N1 &kp KP_N6 &kp KP_N3>
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, <¯o_release &kp LALT>
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;
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```
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## Convenience C Macro
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To avoid repetition or possible typos when declaring a macro, a convenience _C_ macro, named `ZMK_MACRO(name, props)` can be used to simplify things:
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```
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ZMK_MACRO(my_macro,
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wait-ms = <30>;
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tap-ms = <40>;
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bindings = <&kp Z &kp M &kp K>;
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)
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```
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This can be used instead of a complete macro definition. During the firmware build process, the example above would produce the complete macro definition below:
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```
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my_macro: my_macro {
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compatible = "zmk,behavior-macro";
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label = "ZM_my_macro";
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#binding-cells = <0>;
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wait-ms = <30>;
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tap-ms = <40>;
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bindings = <&kp Z &kp M &kp K>;
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};
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```
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Using the C macro is entirely optional, and is provided only as a convenience.
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