keyboard shortcuts

Got an idea for something that SharpCap should do? Share it here.
Forum rules
'+1' posts are welcome in this area of the forums to indicate your support for a particular feature suggestion. Suggestions that get the most +1's will be seriously considered for inclusion in future versions of SharpCap.
mKoch
Posts: 28
Joined: Mon Sep 04, 2017 8:58 am

keyboard shortcuts

#1

Post by mKoch »

Hi,

when it's really cold outside, I need gloves. But with gloves I can't use the mouse. The idea is to use a cheap programmable USB keyboard, throw away the original keys and replace them by very big buttons, for example 5cm x 5cm, which can easily be pressed with gloves.
I need only a few keyboard shortcuts in SharpCap:
-- Start capture (and skip the configure capture menue)
-- Stop capture (this can be the same button as Start capture)
-- Toggle histogram on/off
-- Toggle Focus Assistant on/off
-- Toggle between full field of view and strong zoom-in for focusing
-- Gain + -
-- Exposure time + -

Thanks,
Michael
User avatar
admin
Site Admin
Posts: 13177
Joined: Sat Feb 11, 2017 3:52 pm
Location: Vale of the White Horse, UK
Contact:

Re: keyboard shortcuts

#2

Post by admin »

Hi,

a number of these shortcuts exist already, but they are usually not single keys - for example

Start Capture - Alt+S
Stop Capture - Escape
Quick Capture - Alt-Q
Histogram - Alt-T, H
Focus assistant - Alt-T, F, Enter

Not sure if your keyboard would be capable of creating this sort of sequence - if not there might be software available that can receive one key from the keyboard (ie F1) and in response send a sequence to the application.

I like the idea of exposure/gain up/down keys - plus and minus would make sense for exposure, not sure about a gain equivalent yet.

cheers,

Robin
mKoch
Posts: 28
Joined: Mon Sep 04, 2017 8:58 am

Re: keyboard shortcuts

#3

Post by mKoch »

Hi,

this USB keyboard can generate multiple character sequences:
http://www.cherry.de/PDF/EN_Keypad_G84-4700.pdf

Michael
mKoch
Posts: 28
Joined: Mon Sep 04, 2017 8:58 am

Re: keyboard shortcuts

#4

Post by mKoch »

Start Capture - Alt+S ok
Stop Capture - Escape not working!
Quick Capture - Alt-Q ok
Histogram - Alt-T, H not working!
Focus assistant - Alt-T, F, Enter not working!

I'm testing with version 3.0.4076.0

Michael
mKoch
Posts: 28
Joined: Mon Sep 04, 2017 8:58 am

Re: keyboard shortcuts

#5

Post by mKoch »

Hi,

the easiest solution would be to use a cheap numeric USB keyboard like this:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/FANTECH ... 20692.html

Remove the original keys, use only the electronics, solder the electronics to big illuminated pushbuttons like this:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1PCS-LE ... 21264.html

But these cheap keyboards are not programmable. Would it be possible that you assign the most important functions to those keys that are on the numeric block?

Exposure time + -
Gain * /
Quick capture and Stop capture: Enter
Toggle histogram 1
Toggle Focus assistant 2
Toggle between full field and strong zoom: 3

Michael
User avatar
admin
Site Admin
Posts: 13177
Joined: Sat Feb 11, 2017 3:52 pm
Location: Vale of the White Horse, UK
Contact:

Re: keyboard shortcuts

#6

Post by admin »

Hi,

not sure what keys will make sense in detail yet (numeric key pad keys are not so logical for laptop users who don't have a key pad...).

However, you can remap your keys to whatever SharpCap uses with this software - https://autohotkey.com/

cheers,

Robin
mKoch
Posts: 28
Joined: Mon Sep 04, 2017 8:58 am

Re: keyboard shortcuts

#7

Post by mKoch »

Hi,

from my point of view it doesn't care which buttons you use. I can assign all sequences to the programmable cherry keyboard.
But only two of the shortcuts that you mentioned are actually working, Alt-Q and Alt-S.
Escape, Alt-T H and Alt-T F were not working when I tested them.

Michael
User avatar
admin
Site Admin
Posts: 13177
Joined: Sat Feb 11, 2017 3:52 pm
Location: Vale of the White Horse, UK
Contact:

Re: keyboard shortcuts

#8

Post by admin »

Hi,

you need to test 3.1, not 3.0 - I fixed a number of cases where the keyboard event wasn't getting to the right part of the code for 3.1

cheers,

Robin
mKoch
Posts: 28
Joined: Mon Sep 04, 2017 8:58 am

Re: keyboard shortcuts

#9

Post by mKoch »

ok, with 3.1 it's all working. Please include in the next version also keyboard shortcuts for gain + - and exposure + - and for changing the zoom factor

Thanks,
Michael
mKoch
Posts: 28
Joined: Mon Sep 04, 2017 8:58 am

Re: keyboard shortcuts

#10

Post by mKoch »

Robin,

do you have an example of an autohotkey script for SharpCap? If I want a hotkey that's only active in SharpCap, what I must write right of #IfWinActive ?

Thanks,
Michael
Post Reply