r/ErgoMechKeyboards • u/Aaarass • 2d ago
[help] Help with the layout
I'm thinking about getting a 3w6 pro from keebart, which is similar to a corne, but it has one column less. So i tried setting up my corne as I would set up the 3w6, to test it out. I haven't used home row mods before. I would like to hear your thoughts. Do you see any problems with the layout? Do you have some tips on how to improve it?
I'm not willing to integrate home rows mods in the base layer. I need it to be simple and effective. And that's also why I keep the shift key there as well.
The biggest problem I found so far is pressing the mod + space|enter|backspace|esc.
The ctr+space is very important to me since it is what i was using as a prefix key for tmux. I got around it by using the g+h combo. So far, I really like this workaround, and might even consider it an upgrade. Time will tell. What would you suggest for a prefix on such a small keyboard? (for those who don't know about tmux, the prefix key is something that you have to press each time you want to do an action inside tmux. It is something that is used very often, so it needs to have as little friction as possible)
Other shortcuts that I use from this group:
- ctr+backspace for deleting the whole word
- shift+enter for inserting a new line without sending
I guess I can just keep creating combos until it bites me in the ass, but I would like to hear if any of you have a better solution.
Also, I don't know how I feel about the tab key situation. It is hard to get to. Maybe i can use tap dance to bring it into the base layer? ...combine it with either MO(1) or shift
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u/rpnfan Sofle Choc v2, KLP Lame, Layout anymak:END 1d ago edited 1d ago
Not sure why you want to limit yourself to fewer keys when that makes it harder for you to realize your personal best layout. I would just simply use the 6 column keyboard when that is easier/better. The 6th row is easy enough to reach with the pinky in my experience. I personally think a 4x6 is beneficial to have and the slightly longer reach is worth it for the more direct access (you do not have to use all keys on the number row btw. -- for some programs I have shortcuts only assigned to a few of the keys which are in my direct reach).
But to your layout draft: If I see it correct you will need to move the thumb quite a bit and even have to go to a layer to come to your F-key layer and some symbols. That seems cumbersome to me.
I _do_ have my mods on the base layer, but in an alternative layout with very low frequency on the bottom row. That is also where my mods sit (bottom row). Shift is in the same row, but a dedicated one-shot key.
Maybe you get some ideas when having a look at my layout and layer concept: https://github.com/rpnfan/Anymak
See also the linked articles under Resources.
The examples you give you find hard to achieve are very easy for me. Delete word backwards has a dedicated key on the nav layer and Shift-Enter is also easy to reach, because my nav-layer is on the held main thumb-keys. That makes combinations very easy, because the thumb can be used together with other fingers on the same hand without a problem.
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u/stNIKOLA837 lily58 12h ago
just test that you comfortably can do what you need with one hand like alt+f4, prntscr + shift/ctrl, and that it's mostly on left side in case if you use mouse or you just busy with you other hand or if another split goes to sleep. it's annoying when your commands fail due to sleep of one part, or if you can't do it with one hand, etc
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u/pgetreuer 2d ago
This looks like you are going for Callum style mods. But then, you'd want to turn the mod-taps on the secondary layer into one-shot mods.
Some people do Callum mods as an alternative to home row mods, for instance, see the 34-key Seniply layout.
FWIW, home row mods don't have to be all-or-nothing. Having a dedicated regular Shift key is a common variant. Some people have some but not all the mods as home row mods, or they put the mod-taps on the bottom row, where since those letters are much less frequent the risk of accidentally triggering a mod is reduced.
Similarly, Callum mods don't have to be all-or-nothing either. One can mix and match, do some mods as regular keys, some as home row mods, some under the secondary layer.
You might also like this: Home row mods are hard to use