For Keyboard Manufacturers
Develop keyboard with extended functionality? Already marketing
keyboards? Add significant value to your products - include Hot
Keyboard software.
Generally there are two ways we work with hardware manufacturers:
1. Hot Keyboard is a primary software for handling keyboard shortcuts.
Advantages:
- Keyboard gets additional features you can describe to buyers
- No need to develop own software
- Flexible licensing policy
- Ability to add custom functionality
2. Hot Keyboard is a bonus software. Advantages:
- Special FREE version of Hot Keyboard to include without written permission.
- Publisher package to minimize your time expenses by including Hot
Keyboard with keyboards. The package includes icons, screen shots,
descriptions, press releases and more.
Supported Keyboards
Currently Hot Keyboard supports the following keyboard models:
- Compaq 341162-006
- Future Keyboard 911V
- Genius Comfy KB-21e Scroll
- Logitech Internet Navigator SE
- Logitech Y-ST-39
- Micro Innovations KB650i
- Microsoft RT9450
- Ortek MCK-800
- PC Concepts SK-6200
- Roverbook Navigator B415L keyboard
- Sven 800
Test your keyboard
If your particular keyboard model is not in the list,
you can customize Hot Keyboard yourself to work with it!
Interested? Do the following steps:
- Download Hot Keyboard Layout Tool from
here
(when you are asked whether to open file or save it to disk,
answer "Save")
- Run it. You'll see the following dialog:

- Set the input focus to the first edit box ("Enter your keyboard menu...")
and enter the name of your keyboard manufacturer and keyboard model,
e.g. "Logitech Internet Navigator SE"
- Set the input focus to the next available edit box ("Set input focus
here"). You can do this by pressing the "Tab" key or with your mouse.
- Look at your keyboard and find an extended key, press it. The hardware
code associated with this key appears in the next field. If Hot
Keyboard already knows this key, the key programming description
appears next to the hardware key code (looks like "VK_MEDIA_NEXT_TRACK")
and the standard key description will be offered. If it satisfies you,
you should not add this key to the list, just skip steps 6 - 8.
- If the key you have pressed is not known to Hot Keyboard yet (i.e.
no programming description appeared, just the key code -
"0x0112" for example, or the key name given by Hot Keyboard does not
satisfy you), you should describe this key. Set the input
focus to the next input field ("If the key is not a..."). Warning!
You should set the input focus with your mouse only, since
when the input focus is in the "Set input focus here" field,
you cannot move it with the Tab key.
- Write the key description as you wish it to be displayed in Hot Keyboard
(in the hotkey input fields, quick reference card, etc) or choose a
standard one from the list.
- Press the "Click this button..." button to add key code and description
to the list. If it is the first key, the keyboard model is added to the
list too.
- Find another extended key and repeat steps 4 - 9 again.
- Press the "Save list to file" button and save the list to a file.
This is Hot Keyboard layout file and you can use it in
Hot Keyboard to work with your keyboard model. Please look
the Options dialog in
Hot Keyboard documentation.
- Send the list you've created to the Hot Keyboard development team.
You can do this via web-form (recommended)
or via e-mail. In the former
case fill the form below (you can copy list to the clipboard with
the "Copy list to clipboard" button and then paste it into the form),
in the latter case press the "or by e-mail" button to open your
default mailing program.
Hot Keyboard Layout tool allows you to name all the extended keys that
can be recognized by Hot Keyboard. Unfortunately since Hot Keyboard is not
a device driver, it cannot always recognize all the extended keys that your
keyboard has. If it is so, you can try the following tricks:
- Try to connect your keyboard to the PS/2 plughole instead of USB
if possible.
- Try to uninstall keyboard driver that comes with your keyboard.
This may help in some cases.
Please note, that you can use Hot Keyboard Layout tool not only to name
extended keys, but also to rename the standard ones. In this case do not
skip steps 6 - 8 from the list above for a standard key that you
want to rename.
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