skylark-qmk/users/drashna/readme.md

Overview

This is my personal userspace file. Most of my code exists here, as it's heavily shared.

Custom userspace handlers

Specifically QMK works by using customized handlers for everything. This allows for multiple levels of customization.

matrix_scan calls matrix_scan_quantum, which alls matrix_scan_kb, which calls matrix_scan_user. process_record calls a bunch of stuff, but eventually calls process_record_kb which calls process_record_user The same goes for matrix_init, layer_state_set, led_set, and a few other functions.

All (most) _user functions are handled here instead. To allow keyboard specific configuration, I've created _keymap functions that can be called by the keymap.c files instead.

This allows for keyboard specific configuration while maintaining the ability to customize the board.

My Ergodox EZ Keymap is a good example of this, as it uses the LEDs as modifier indicators.

Keyboard Layout Templates

This borrows from @jola5's "Not quite neo" code. This allows me to maintain blocks of keymaps in the userspace, so that I can modify the userspace, and this is reflected in all of the keyboards that use it, at once.

This makes adding tap/hold mods, or other special keycodes or functions to all keyboards super easy, as it's done to all of them at once.

The caveat here is that the keymap needs a processor/wrapper, as it doesn't like the substitutions. However, this is as simple as just pushing it through a define. For instance:

#define LAYOUT_ergodox_wrapper(...) LAYOUT_ergodox(__VA_ARGS__)

Once that's been done and you've switched the keymaps to use the "wrapper", it will read the substitution blocks just fine.

Credit goes to @jola5 for first implementing this awesome idea.

Custom Keycodes

Keycodes are defined in the drashna.h file and need to be included in the keymap.c files, so that they can be used there.

A bunch of macros are present and are only included on boards that are not the Ergodox EZ or Orthodox, as they are not needed for those boards.

Included is a custom macro for compiling my keyboards. This includes the bootloader target (:teensy, :avrdude, or :dfu), and keeps RGBLIGHT, AUDIO and/or FAUXCLICKY enabled, if it previously was (regardless of the rules file).

This also includes a modified RESET keycode as well, that sets the underglow to red.

Layer Indication

This uses the layer_state_set_* command to change the layer color, to indicate which layer it is on. This includes the default keymap, as well.

Since this is done via userspace, it is the same between all systems.

Additionally, there is a custom keycode to toggle layer indication. And all RGB keycodes disable layer indication by default, as well. This way, I can leave special effects doing when I want.

Also. I use rgblight_sethsv since it works with animation modes (that support it).

Diablo Layer

This layer has some special handling.

When Tap Dances are enabled, this layer has the ability to "spam" keypresses.

For instance, tapping the TD "1" twice causes the layer to hit "1" ever 1 second (appoximately). This is useful for auto-hotkeying skills (such as bone armor or devour).

Tappind once disables this, and switching layers temporarily disables this, until you switch back to the layer.

For critics that think this is cheating, search "diablo 3 num lock auto cast". This is just a simpler method, since I no longer own a normal (non QMK) numpad.

Secret Macros

With help from gitter and Colinta, this adds the ability to add hidden strings to be used for macros.

I have a number of long strings that I need to use that are semi-private. This uses the __has_include function to check for the file. If it exists, then it includes the custom text. Otherwise, it uses some default values.

If you would also like to take advantage of this feature, you'll first want to make sure your "secrets" file isn't included in the repo. Open .git/info/exclude and add secrets.h to that file, below the comments.

.git/info/exclude

# git ls-files --others --exclude-from=.git/info/exclude
# Lines that start with '#' are comments.
# For a project mostly in C, the following would be a good set of
# exclude patterns (uncomment them if you want to use them):
# *.[oa]
# *~
/users/drashna/secrets.h

Then you can create this file and add your macro strings to it:

secrets.h

static const char * const secrets[] = {
  "secret1",
  "secret2",
  "secret3",
  "secret4",
  "secret5"
};

Replacing the strings with the codes that you need.

In the <name>.c file, you will want to add this to the top:

#if (__has_include("secrets.h") && !defined(NO_SECRETS))
#include "secrets.h"
#else
// `PROGMEM const char secret[][x]` may work better, but it takes up more space in the firmware
// And I'm not familiar enough to know which is better or why...
static const char * const secrets[] = {
  "test1",
  "test2",
  "test3",
  "test4",
  "test5"
};
#endif

And then, in the process_record_user function, you'll want to add this block:

  case KC_SECRET_1 ... KC_SECRET_5:
    if (!record->event.pressed) {
      send_string_P(secret[keycode - KC_SECRET_1]);
    }
    return false;
    break;

And this requires KC_SECRET_1 through KC_SECRET_5 to be defined in your <name>.h file fo the new macros, as well.

Additionally, if you want to make sure that you can disable the function without messing with the file, you need to add this to your /users/<name>/rules.mk, so that it catches the flag:

ifeq ($(strip $(NO_SECRETS)), yes)
    OPT_DEFS += -DNO_SECRETS
endif

Then, if you run make keyboard:name NO_SECRETS=yes, it will default to the test strings in your <name>.c file, rather than reading from your file.

Userspace EEPROM config

This adds EEPROM support fo the userspace, so that certain values are configurable in such a way that persists when power is lost. Namely, just the clicky feature and the Overwatch macro option ("is_overwatch"). This is done by reading and saving the structure from EEPROM.

To implement this, first you need to specify the location:

#define EECONFIG_USERSPACE (uint8_t *)20

This tells us where in the EEPROM that the data structure is located, and this specifies that it's a byte (8 bits). However, to maximize it's usage, we want to specify a data structure here, so that we can use multiple settings. To do that:

typedef union {
  uint8_t raw;
  struct {
    bool     clicky_enable  :1;
    bool     is_overwatch   :1;
  };
} userspace_config_t;

Then, in your C file, you want to add: userspace_config_t userspace_config;, and in your matrix_init_* function, you want to add userspace_config.raw = eeprom_read_byte(EECONFIG_USERSPACE);

From there, you'd want to use the data structure (such as userspace_config.is_overwatch) when you want to check this value.

And if you want to update it, update directly and then use eeprom_update_byte(EECONFIG_USERSPACE, userspace_config.raw); to write the value back to the EEPROM.

Pro Micro Hacking

Well, you can get the QMK DFU bootloader working on the ProMicro. But you need to change fuses.

What worked to get into the firmware properly was:

Low: 0x5E High: 0x99 Extended: 0xF3 Lock: 0xFF

But some of the columns and rows didn't work, like the pin mapping was wrong. Even when setting the bootloader settings.

This is here for future reference. And the default fuse settings I believe were:

Low: 0xFF High: 0xD8 Extended: 0xC3 Lock: 0x3F