The Keyboard Maps

Biblos Keyboard Maps represent an advanced word processing tool designed to greatly enhance keyboard functionality. This tool enables the creation of customized maps that facilitate typing in any language, the generation of specific character sequences, and the programming of the keyboard's behavior itself.

The Maps are equipped with a sophisticated writing processor, allowing users to program each key or key combination using a language based on conditional expressions. This language analyzes the writing context, performs specific actions, and inserts the desired characters.

Biblos Keyboard Maps offer users the ability to:

1. Type in a wide range of languages, including those with non-Latin alphabets.

2. Configure complex character sequences for specific needs, such as programming code or typing special symbols.

3. Automate keyboard behavior to enhance typing efficiency and speed.

4. Customize key combinations to adapt to individual preferences and specific user needs.

The accessible and user-friendly interface of Biblos makes the creation and management of keyboard maps accessible even to those without advanced programming knowledge. With Biblos, it's possible to optimize the typing experience, making it more seamless and adaptable to different contexts, both professional and personal.

The available Keyboard Maps are organized in a list within a management window. They can be exported and imported for sharing with other users. When needed, a Keyboard Map can be activated or deactivated, even through the use of hotkeys. The activation or deactivation operation can be performed both from the map management and from the main menu of the document window.

An advanced feature of Biblos is the ability to simultaneously activate multiple keyboard maps. Unlike operating system keyboards, which can only be activated one at a time, in Biblos, you can activate as many as desired simultaneously. If there are keys used in common by multiple keyboard maps, action priority will be given to the one contained in the map with the lowest priority, which is queried before the others.

A Biblos keyboard map is a set of keys that, when pressed, insert a sequence of characters into the document or activate a menu command. The usable keys can be single, such as normal letters or function keys, or combinations of control keys (SHIFT, CTRL, ALT) and simple keys. You can also use a special mode that allows you to program so-called “dead keys”, which are keys that influence the typing behavior of hotkeys. The use of dead keys is widespread in countries whose language uses a high number of letters with diacritical marks.

Unlike traditional keyboard maps, where each key corresponds to a single character, with Biblos, each key in a map can type a string of characters. For example, you can program the “a” key to type the word “anchor” and the “b” key to type the word “boat”, and so on. Additionally, in the main document window, you can program the keyboard to execute a menu command. This allows you to create a map with keys that, when pressed in “sequence”, execute a command, a feature particularly useful for individuals with motor difficulties who find it challenging to press key combinations.

To activate or deactivate a Keyboard Map, simply open the “Tools/Keyboards” menu and select the desired map. The “Keyboards” menu displays the first ten available maps. If Biblos has more maps available, you can open the customization window to change the order of the maps so that the first ten are the ones used most frequently. Additionally, from the customization window, you can activate or deactivate them.

During text typing, you may need to temporarily deactivate active maps to restore normal keyboard behavior. In this case, simply press Ctrl+Space. This key combination acts as a toggle, allowing you to activate and deactivate Keyboard Maps in real time without changing their actual activation status. The toggle is accompanied by a sound notification, low when deactivated, high when activated.