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jbarr21 / zmk-nodefree-config

Convenience macros simplifying ZMK's keymap configuration

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zmk-nodefree-config

ZMK lets user customize their keyboard layout by providing a Devicetree file (.keymap). The specific syntax requirements of the Devicetree file format can, however, make this process a bit daunting for new users.

This repository provides simple convenience macros that simplify the configuration for many common use cases. It results in a "node-free" user configuration with a more streamlined syntax. Check out example.keymap to see it in action.

See changelog for latest changes.

Overview

The following convenience macros are provided:

  1. ZMK_BEHAVIOR creates behaviors such as hold-taps, tap-dances or ZMK macros [doc]
  2. ZMK_LAYER adds layers to the keymap [doc]
  3. ZMK_COMBO defines combos [doc]
  4. ZMK_CONDITIONAL_LAYER sets up "tri-layer" conditions [doc]
  5. ZMK_UNICODE_SINGLE and ZMK_UNICODE_PAIR create unicode characters [doc]
  6. international_chars provides character definitions for some non-English languages [doc]
  7. keypos_def provides human-readable key position shortcuts for some popular keyboards that simplify the configuration of combos and positional hold-taps [doc]

Quickstart

  1. Copy this repository into the root folder of your zmk-config (or add as submodule1). The folder structure should look as follows: 
     zmk-config
  ├── config
  │    ├── your.keyboard.conf
  │    ├── your_keyboard.keymap
  │    └── ...
  ├── zmk-nodefree-config
  │    ├── helper.h
  │    ├── ...
  2. Source helper.h near the top of your .keymap file: 
    #include "../zmk-nodefree-config/helper.h"
  3. Customize your keyboard's .keymap file. See example.keymap or my personal zmk-config for a complete configuration, and read the documentation below for details.

Configuration details

ZMK_BEHAVIOR

ZMK_BEHAVIOR can be used to create any of the following ZMK behaviors: caps-word, hold-tap, key-repeat, macro, mod-morph, sticky-key, tap-dance or tri-state.

Syntax: ZMK_BEHAVIOR(name, type, specification)

  • name: a unique string chosen by the user (e.g., my_behavior). The new behavior can be added to the keymap using &name (e.g., &my_behavior).
  • type: the behavior to be created. It must be one of the following: caps_word, hold_tap, key_repeat, macro, mod_morph, sticky_key, tap_dance or tri_state. Note that multiword behaviors are separated by underscores (_).
  • specification: the custom behavior code. It should contain the body of the corresponding ZMK behavior configuration without the label, #binding-cells and compatible properties and without the surrounding node-specification.

Example 1: Creating a custom "homerow mod" tap-hold behavior

ZMK_BEHAVIOR(hrm, hold_tap,
    flavor = "balanced";
    tapping-term-ms = <280>;
    quick-tap-ms = <125>;
    global-quick-tap;
    bindings = <&kp>, <&kp>;
)

This creates a custom "homerow mod" that can be added to the keymap using &hrm. For example, &hrm LSHIFT T creates a key that yields T on tap and LSHIFT on hold.

Example 2: Creating a custom tap-dance key

ZMK_BEHAVIOR(ss_cw, tap_dance,
    tapping-term-ms = <200>;
    bindings = <&sk LSHFT>, <&caps_word>;
)

This behavior yields sticky-shift on tap and caps-word on double tap. It can be added to the keymap using &ss_cw.

Example 3: Creating a custom "win-sleep" macro

ZMK_BEHAVIOR(win_sleep, macro,
    wait-ms = <100>;
    tap-ms = <5>;
    bindings = <&kp LG(X) &kp U &kp S>;
)

This creates a "Windows sleep macro" that can be added to the keymap using &win_sleep.

ZMK_LAYER

ZMK_LAYER adds new keymap layers to the configuration.

Syntax: ZMK_LAYER(name, layout)

  • name: a unique identifier string chosen by the user (it will be displayed on keyboards with appropriately configured displays)
  • layout: the layout specification using the same syntax as the bindings property of the ZMK keymap configuration

Multiple layers can be added with repeated calls of ZMK_LAYER. They will be ordered in the same order in which they are created, with the first-specified layer being the "lowest" one (see here for details).

Example usage

ZMK_KEYMAP(default_layer,
     // ╭─────────────┬─────────────┬─────────────┬─────────────┬─────────────╮   ╭─────────────┬─────────────┬─────────────┬─────────────┬─────────────╮
          &kp Q         &kp W         &kp F         &kp P         &kp B             &kp J         &kp L         &kp U         &kp Y         &kp SQT
     // ├─────────────┼─────────────┼─────────────┼─────────────┼─────────────┤   ├─────────────┼─────────────┼─────────────┼─────────────┼─────────────┤
          &hrm LGUI A   &hrm LALT R   &hrm LCTRL S  &hrm LSHFT T  &kp G             &kp M         &hrm RSHFT N  &hrm LCTRL E  &hrm LALT I   &hrm LGUI O
     // ├─────────────┼─────────────┼─────────────┼─────────────┼─────────────┤   ├─────────────┼─────────────┼─────────────┼─────────────┼─────────────┤
          &kp Z         &kp X         &kp C         &kp D         &kp V             &kp K         &kp H         &kp COMMA     &kp DOT       &kp SEMI
     // ╰─────────────┼─────────────┼─────────────┼─────────────┼─────────────┤   ├─────────────┼─────────────┼─────────────┼─────────────┼─────────────┤
                                      &kp ESC       &lt NAV SPACE &kp TAB           &kp RET       &ss_cw        &bs_del_num
     //                             ╰─────────────┴──── ────────┴─────────────╯   ╰─────────────┴─────────────┴─────────────╯
)

ZMK_COMBO

ZMK_COMBO defines new combos.

Syntax: ZMK_COMBO(name, bindings, keypos, layers)

  • name: a unique identifier string chosen by the user (usually there is not reason to reference this elsewhere)
  • binding: the binding triggered by the combo (this can be any stock or previously defined behavior)
  • keypos: a list of 2 or more key positions that trigger the combo (e.g., 12 13). Note that the mapping from key positions to keys depends on your keyboard. To facilitate the combo setup and increase portability, one can use key-position helpers instead. See below on how to use them.
  • layers: a list of layers for which the combo is active (e.g., 0 1 for the first two layers). If set to ALL the combo is active on all layers.

By default, the timeout for combos created with ZMK_COMBO is 30ms. If COMBO_TERM is reset prior to calling ZMK_COMBO, the new value of COMBO_TERM is used instead. Alternatively, one can use ZMK_COMBO_ADV which allows to specify the combo-timeout directly as 5th argument.

Note: with older ZMK versions, using different combo-timeouts would result in keys getting stuck. If this is an issue, try updating to the latest ZMK version.

Example: copy and paste combos

#undef COMBO_TERM
#define COMBO_TERM 50
ZMK_COMBO(copy,  &kp LC(C), 12 13, ALL)
ZMK_COMBO(paste, &kp LC(V), 13 14, ALL)

This sets the combo timeout to 50ms, and then creates two combos which both are active on all layers. The first combo is triggered when the 12th and 13th keys are pressed jointly within the COMBO_TERM, sending Ctrl + C. The second combo is triggered when the 13th and 14th keys are pressed jointly, sending Ctrl + V.

ZMK_CONDITIONAL_LAYER

This sets up tri-layer conditions.

Syntax: ZMK_CONDITIONAL_LAYER(if_layers, then_layers)

  • if_layers: a list of layers which trigger the then_layer if simultaneously active
  • then_layer: the layer which is activated when the if-condition is met. Due to ZMK's layering model, it should generally have a higher number than the if_layers

For instance, this triggers "layer 3" if layers "1" and "2" are simultaneously active.

ZMK_CONDITIONAL_LAYER(1 2, 3)

Mind that ZMK's layer numbering starts at 0. One can use layer definitions, as demonstrated in example.keymap, to simplify life.

ZMK_UNICODE

There are two macros that create new unicode characters that can be added to the keymap. ZMK_UNICODE_SINGLE creates single unicode characters such as €, and ZMK_UNICODE_PAIR creates pairs of shifted/unshifted unicode characters that are useful for specifying international characters such as ä/Ä or δ/Δ.

Syntax: ZMK_UNICODE_SINGLE(name, L0, L1, L2, L3)

  • name: a unique string chosen by the user (e.g., my_char). The unicode character can be added to the keymap using &name (e.g., &my_char)
  • L0 to L3: a 4-digit sequence defining the unicode string using standard ZMK key codes

Syntax: ZMK_UNICODE_PAIR(name, L0, L1, L2, L3, U0, U1, U2, U3)

  • name: a unique string chosen by the user (e.g., my_char). The unicode character can be added to the keymap using &name (e.g., &my_char)
  • L0 to L3: a 4-digit sequence defining the unshifted unicode string
  • U0 to U3: a 4-digit sequence defining the shifted unicode string (which is send when holding Shift while pressing &name)

Note: 5-digit unicode characters are currently not supported (but would be easy to add if there is interest).

Example 1: Euro sign (€)

ZMK_UNICODE_SINGLE(euro_sign, N2, N0, A, C)

This creates a Euro character that can be added to the keymap using &euro_sign.

Example 2: German umlauts (ä/Ä, ö/Ö, ü/Ü)

//                name     unshifted         shifted
ZMK_UNICODE_PAIR( de_ae,   N0, N0,  E, N4,   N0, N0,  C, N4 )
ZMK_UNICODE_PAIR( de_oe,   N0, N0,  F, N6,   N0, N0,  D, N6 )
ZMK_UNICODE_PAIR( de_ue,   N0, N0,  F,  C,   N0, N0,  D,  C )

The creates "umlaut" pairs that can be added to the keymap using &de_ae, &de_oe and &de_ue.

Dependencies for unicode

  • ZMK_UNICODE_PAIR requires a current ZMK after PR #1412 was merged into main. If you are building with Github Actions using the default west.yml you are all set.

  • The input of unicode characters differs across operating systems. By default, ZMK_UNICODE is configured for Windows (using WinCompose). To set it up for another OS, set the variable HOST_OS before sourcing helper.h.

    For Linux use:

    #define HOST_OS 1  // set to 1 for Linux, default is 0 (Windows)
#include helper.h

    For macOS/Windows-Alt-Codes use:

    #define HOST_OS 2  // set to 2 for macOS/Windows-Alt-Codes, default is 0 (Windows)
#include helper.h

    This will send unicode characters using the OS's default input channels. For non-default input channels or for other operating systems, one can instead set the variables OS_UNICODE_LEAD and OS_UNICODE_TRAIL to the character sequences that initialize/terminate the unicode input.2

  • On Windows and macOS there are additional requirements for unicode input to work. On Windows, one must install WinCompose for full support (or use Win-Alt-Codes for limited support in select software). On macOS one must enable unicode input in the system preferences.

International characters

There are pre-defined definitions for international characters for a few languages --- currently Danish, German, Greek and Swedish (contributions are welcome)3. These can be loaded by sourcing the corresponding files; e.g.:

#include "../zmk-nodefree-config/international_chars/danish.dtsi"
#include "../zmk-nodefree-config/international_chars/german.dtsi"
#include "../zmk-nodefree-config/international_chars/greek.dtsi"
#include "../zmk-nodefree-config/international_chars/swedish.dtsi"

Once sourced, international characters can be added to the keymap using, e.g., &de_ae, &dk_ae, &el_alpha or &sv_ao (each language has its own prefix; see the language files for a complete list of available characters).

Dependencies: These definitions make use of unicode in the background, see the unicode section above for prerequisites.

Note: Windows-Alt-Codes use different keycode sequences than the usual unicode sequences, requiring different definitions. Currently, they are pre-defined for German:

#include "../zmk-nodefree-config/international_chars/german_alt.dtsi"

Key-position helpers

Certain configuration options such as combos and positional hold-taps are based on the physical position of keys on the keyboard. This can be cumbersome and reduces portability of configuration files across keyboards with different layouts.

To increase portability and ease of use, this repo provides optional key-position helpers for some popular keyboard layouts (48-key boards such as Planck, 42-key boards such as Corne, 36-key boards and 34-key boards).

These key-position helpers provide a map from the physical key positions to human-readable shortcuts. All shortcuts are of the following form:

  • L/R for Left/Right hand
  • T/M/B/H for Top/Middle/Bottom and tHumb row.
  • 0/1/2/3/4 for the finger position starting from the inside (0 is the inner index-finger column, 1 is the home position of the index finger, ..., 4 is the home position of the pinkie)

For instance, the shortcuts layout for a 36-key board looks as follows:

╭─────────────────────┬─────────────────────╮
│ LT4 LT3 LT2 LT1 LT0 │ RT0 RT1 RT2 RT3 RT4 │
│ LM4 LM3 LM2 LM1 LM0 │ RM0 RM1 RM2 RM3 RM4 │
│ LB4 LB3 LB2 LB1 LB0 │ RB0 RB1 RB2 RB3 RB4 │
╰───────╮ LH2 LH1 LH0 │ RH0 RH1 RH2 ╭───────╯
        ╰─────────────┴─────────────╯

Schematics for all supported keyboards can be found in the corresponding definition files in the keypos_def folder.

To use these key-position helpers, source the definition file for your keyboard into your .keymap file. E.g., for a 36-key board, use:

#include "../zmk-nodefree-config/keypos_def/keypos_36keys.h"

Example 1: Defining combos using key-position helpers

ZMK_COMBO(copy,  &kp LC(C), LB2 LB3, ALL)
ZMK_COMBO(paste, &kp LC(V), LB1 LB2, ALL)

This defines a "copy"-combo for the middle + ring finger on the left bottom row, and a "paste"-combo for the index + middle finger on the left bottom row. Both combos are active on all layers.

Example 2: Home-row mods with positional hold-taps

Here we use ZMK's positional hold-tap feature to make home-row mods only trigger with "opposite hand" keys. Using key-position helpers makes this straightforward:

#define KEYS_L LT0 LT1 LT2 LT3 LT4 LM0 LM1 LM2 LM3 LM4 LB0 LB1 LB2 LB3 LB4  // left-hand keys
#define KEYS_R RT0 RT1 RT2 RT3 RT4 RM0 RM1 RM2 RM3 RM4 RB0 RB1 RB2 RB3 RB4  // right-hand keys
#define THUMBS LH2 LH1 LH0 RH0 RH1 RH2                                      // thumb keys

ZMK_BEHAVIOR(hml, hold_tap,  // left-hand HRMs
    flavor = "balanced";
    tapping-term-ms = <280>;
    quick-tap-ms = <125>;
    global-quick-tap;
    bindings = <&kp>, <&kp>;
    hold-trigger-key-positions = <KEYS_R THUMBS>;
)

ZMK_BEHAVIOR(hmr, hold_tap,  // right-hand HRMs
    flavor = "balanced";
    tapping-term-ms = <280>;
    quick-tap-ms = <125>;
    global-quick-tap;
    bindings = <&kp>, <&kp>;
    hold-trigger-key-positions = <KEYS_L THUMBS>;
)

Changelog

  • 12/18/2022: Use layer name as display label
  • 11/16/2022: Danish chars (added by @zonique2k)
  • 11/09/2022: Support for tri-state behavior (aka "swapper"), requires PR #1366
  • 10/16/2022: Remove dependency on PR #1412 as it is now merged into main
  • 10/08/2022: Remove depreciated masked-mods option from unicode helper
  • 9/11/2022: Support for Windows-Alt-Codes
  • 8/05/2022: New macro ZMK_COMBO_ADV for "advanced" combo setups. Compared to ZMK_COMBO, it takes a TIMEOUT argument and can be customized via COMBO_HOOK. See my personal combo setup for examples.
  • 7/31/2022: Switch unicode dependency from PR #1114 to PR #1412

Footnotes

  1. If building with Github Actions, using submodules requires replacing .github/workflows/build.yml in the local zmk-config with

    on: [push, pull_request, workflow_dispatch]

jobs:
  build:
    uses: urob/zmk/.github/workflows/build-user-config.yml@build-with-submodules
    ↩

  2. The default for Windows is OS_UNICODE_LEAD set to tap Right Alt followed by U and OS_UNICODE_TRAIL set to tap Return. The default for Linux is OS_UNICODE_LEAD set to tap Shift + Ctrl + U and OS_UNICODE_TRAIL set to tap Space. The default for macOS is OS_UNICODE_LEAD set to hold Left Alt and OS_UNICODE_TRAIL set to release Left Alt. ↩

  3. Swedish language support was added by discord user "captainwoot". Danish language support was added by @zonique2k. ↩

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Convenience macros simplifying ZMK's keymap configuration

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