For easier initial use, this keymap follows the layout of more standard keyboards where possible. It is a starting point for you to tweak over time to suit your preferences better. You can easily customize it with the QMK configurator.
Some of its key features are:
| ` | Q | W | E | R | T |---------------------------| Y | U | I | O | P | BKSPC |
| TAB | A | S | D | F | G |---------------------------| H | J | K | L | ; | ENTER |
| SHIFT | Z | X | C | V | B | ESC |---------------|CAPS | N | M | , | . | / | SHIFT |
--------------|CTRL |-----| GUI | ALT | Sym |SHIFT|---| Nav |SPACE| ALT | GUI |-----| ' |--------------
The base layer provides a very standard key layout with five differences:
The default layout is QWERTY with alternatives of Dvorak and Colemak-DH, and the alt/option and the win/command key locations are swappable for windows or mac.
Dvorak
| ` | ' | , | . | P | Y |---------------------------| F | G | C | R | L | BKSPC |
| TAB | A | O | E | U | I |---------------------------| D | H | T | N | S | ENTER |
| SHIFT | ; | Q | J | K | X | ESC |---------------|CAPS | B | M | W | V | Z | SHIFT |
--------------|CTRL |-----| GUI | ALT | Sym |SHIFT|---| Nav |SPACE| ALT | GUI |-----| / |--------------
Colemak-DH
| ` | Q | W | F | P | B |---------------------------| J | L | U | Y | ; | BKSPC |
| TAB | A | R | S | T | G |---------------------------| M | N | E | I | O | ENTER |
| SHIFT | Z | X | C | D | V | ESC |---------------|CAPS | K | H | , | . | / | SHIFT |
--------------|CTRL |-----| GUI | ALT | Sym |SHIFT|---| Nav |SPACE| ALT | GUI |-----| ' |--------------
| HOME | ! | @ | # | $ | % |---------------------------| ^ | & | * | ( | ) | DEL |
| END | GUI | ALT |CTRL |SHIFT| INS |---------------------------| [ | ] | - | = | \ | ENTER |
| SHIFT | |VOL- |MUTE |VOL+ |PLAY |OSM ALT |------------|MENU | { | } | _ | + | | | SHIFT |
--------------|CTRL |-----| GUI | ALT | *** |SHIFT|---| Adj |SPACE| ALT | GUI |-----|CTRL |--------------
Holding down the SYM key accesses the symbol layer:
| CUT | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |---------------------------| 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 0 | BSPC |
| COPY |LEFT |DOWN | UP |RIGHT|PASTE|---------------------------|PG_UP|SHIFT|CTRL | ALT | GUI | PG_DN |
| SHIFT | F1 | F2 | F3 | F4 | F5 |UNDO |---------------|REDO | F6 | F7 | F8 | F9 | F10 | SHIFT |
--------------|CTRL |-----| GUI | ALT | Adj |SHIFT|---| *** |SPACE| ALT | GUI |-----|CTRL |--------------
Holding down the Nav/Edit key accesses the navigation, editing, number and function layer:
| |QWERT|DVORK|COLMK|AG_SWAP|CTR_SWAP|----------------------| | F11 | F12 |PR_SCR| | |
| | | | |AG_NORM|CTR_NORM|----------------------|MOD+ |BRI+ |HUE+ |SAT+ | | |
| | GUI | ALT |CTRL |SHIFT| | |--------------|RGBTOG|MOD- |BRI- |HUE- |SAT- | | BOOT |
--------------| |-----| | | *** | |---| *** | | | |-----| |--------------
Simultaneously holding down the Sym and Nav/Edit keys enables keys to adjust keyboard settings:
If you are coming from a traditional keyboard, with a large set of physical keys, learning to use a column staggered (ergo) and layer-based keyboard, which uses layers instead of finger reaches to access numbers, symbols and functions, will be an adjustment for your muscle memory and your mental keyboard map. This default layout tries to simplify that adjustment by keeping things in the expected spots when possible.
Yet this layout is only a decent compromise and is not optimal for each user. The online configurator makes it easy to tweak this layout to your needs. You can add additional layers or completely switch around what these do.
A good metaphor is to think of your keymap as a bonsai tree that you tweak slightly over time in response to ideas of how it might serve you better.
Some changes you might consider making:
Here are some other keymaps for inspiration and ideas:
The online configurator provides a straightforward visual way
to work with a simple layout and uses a .json keymap format.
So this default keymap.json
was created with the online configurator.
If you wish, you can edit the keymap.json
directly in a text editor, compile it and flash it.
Or, you can use the graphical configurator to edit the keymap. To do that:
qmk_firmware/keyboards/hillside/48/keymaps/default/keymap.json
You can combine a .json based keymap with more advanced features specified in .c files with a bit more complexity. For example, see pierrec83's Kyria map.
The QMK configurator's .json download has only one key per line, so it is hard to visualize the keymap if editing manually. If you want, the Hillside git repo has a pretty-printing script for the keymap.json file.
As with anything downloaded from the internet, you should take some steps to assure yourself that the script will not harm your computer nor steal your data. The script is short, so reading it should at least convince you it is rearranging and printing the keymap provided, not reading your banking data. See the Hillside wiki for the script.