Thinkpads Forum

hi there,

does anyone know if exists any programs (moslty i assume independently from ibm/lenovo developed) which allows FN key to be mapped in combination with other keys?

the only thing i miss about toshiba satellite was that sweet utility called FN-esse. it allowed wonderful things, like fn-e was programmed to open outlook, fn-w winamp, fn-x a list of all players and so on.

was the only application from toshiba which deserves a

so if anyone has any idea of sg like that, if you ever come to zurich (i just discovered these funny ones, couldn;t help it)

ps: i tried using the fn-esse from toshiba but didnt work...

I don't think there is a way, unfortuanately. The Fn key doesn't seem to generate, at least from what I have seen, actual usable scancodes that Windows could use to remap it; I think it somehow manages to generate both the up and down code modifies at the same time and windows can't handle that. Most of its functionalilty in the Windows XP OS is handled by the HotKey driver and, in any OS, the hardwired functionality oif such combos like Fn+PgUp to toggle the power state of the ThinkLight should always work.

What I do is to use Windows Hotkey function:
If you want to launch, lets say, Firefox. You right-click on the shortcut to the program, select hotkey, I usually assign the right Alt key + F to launch the explorer. It works quite well

benottomex wrote:What I do is to use Windows Hotkey function:
If you want to launch, lets say, Firefox. You right-click on the shortcut to the program, select hotkey, I usually assign the right Alt key + F to launch the explorer. It works quite well

I also use this method to open some of my programs.

I am currently using FN+arrow keys to control my iTunes by using a program called iTunes Global Hot Key. It correctly maps the FN key combinations so that I can imitate the Play, Rewind, and Forward operations that supposedly work with WMP. So, my thoughts are that there exists programs that see the FN key combos correctly.

To sum up from what has been stated then:

There is no all encompassing tool like Fn-esse for Thinkpads, but there ARE work arounds.

All that means is someone needs to write the tool.

Alternately, you can pin program shortcuts to your Start Menu, then edit their names to have a "1" or "2" - or any letter or number, basically, as long as they're unique.

Then when you activate the Start Menu, hitting the letter/number assigned starts that app. Hit CTRL-ESC and your number, of hit WINKEY and your number.. and boom.

I did a little search and found this: http://www.ashbaughonline.com/2006/08/1 ... -ctrl-key/
Response #14 may be of some interest here. I use KeyTweak to remap one of the Alt keys to a Windows key, but it doesn't handle remapping of the Fn key . . . But check out response #14; it seems to hold some promise.

Interesting!

I have used shortcut keyboard shortcuts since Windows 3.1, though in a slightly different way. With the Win95 interface, the ability to put shortcuts on the Start Menu and have them active is outrageously handy. I have shortcuts for making new Outlook messages, appointments, and tasks ... shortcuts for connecting to remote systems ... etc., ad nauseam.

I still prefer teh Start | Run dialog, since I know many of the program names, .CPL names, .MSC names under \Windows. Recently I started using Launchy, which indexes all of the Start Menu (so you can type in any program shortcut title, and it will launch it), and also indexes any document or program folders you determine, effectively giving you a super-fast document search utility. I heartily recommend it.

davidspalding wrote:Recently I started using Launchy, which indexes all of the Start Menu (so you can type in any program shortcut title, and it will launch it), and also indexes any document or program folders you determine, effectively giving you a super-fast document search utility. I heartily recommend it.

Totally agree.
I've been using Launchy for 3 hours now, and I'm pretty amazed.
The only thing that is missing is a good clean minimal WinXp skin.

It would be great to be able to extend the use of the FN key. Especially since it is has a `better' placement than the ctrl on X series keyboards.

I did not like lauchy much, when I tried it out. I do like Nagasoft Direct Access, which I uses now. It is a bit heavy on memory, though.

-Rasmus

propellen wrote:... The only thing that is missing is a good clean minimal WinXp skin.

REALLY? I think there are tons of skins for it, more than I've had time to explore.

I use one called Mercury that I like.