Remapping keys combinations with Steelseries Apex doesn't work

[flep]

Hi there

I just got an Steelseries APEX 350 and for my frustration I discovered that they don't have native support for F13-F24 keys on their own software.

So I'm trying to use AutoHotkey to make for example CTRL+F1 to send F13, and so on.

But for some reason it's not working, It either send only CTRL or CTRL + F13.

What I tested so far:

This sends Ctrl + F13

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Ctrl & F1::F13

This sends only Ctrl

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Ctrl & F1::
Send {F13}
return

This work on some softwares but others detect only Ctrl

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Ctrl & F1::
KeyWait, Ctrl
Send {F13}
return

Is this an issue whit this keyboard? Is there any work around?

Thanks

[evilC]

What exactly is your goal? Are you trying to get the SteelSeries software to Send F13 in response to a button press, which AHK then sees?

The software probably *does* support F13, in the same way that the Logitech LGS software supports F13.
With LGS, if you want to get the keyboard to send F13, then you need to use AHK to fake F13 when binding.

eg:

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F12::
	Sleep 2000
	Send {F13}
	return

Go into the bind screen in the SS software, hit F12, then *within 2 seconds* click or whatever it is you need to do in the SS software to initiate the binding. It will see AHK send F13, then it should be available to bind.
See here: https://autohotkey.com/boards/viewtopic.php?t=40286

[flep]

What exactly is your goal? Are you trying to get the SteelSeries software to Send F13 in response to a button press, which AHK then sees?

The software probably *does* support F13, in the same way that the Logitech LGS software supports F13.
With LGS, if you want to get the keyboard to send F13, then you need to use AHK to fake F13 when binding.

eg:

Code: Select all

F12::
	Sleep 2000
	Send {F13}
	return

Go into the bind screen in the SS software, hit F12, then *within 2 seconds* click or whatever it is you need to do in the SS software to initiate the binding. It will see AHK send F13, then it should be available to bind.
See here: https://autohotkey.com/boards/viewtopic.php?t=40286

Hi man, thanks for responde.

No, that doesn't work with the SS Engine, it doesn't accept sending an F13-F24 to it via AHK, it just stays empty and doesn't detect anything, and we can't manually add it as the macros created from it are not on an editable file.

So what I'm trying to do is the other way around.

I set my M1-12 keys (Apex 350 has 12 extra keys above the F1-12) to send RCtrl+F1-F12 (this is on SS macro editor of course). Then I'm trying to make AutoHotkey "convert" this to F13-F24, as some softwares don't allow key combinations as shortcuts.

But for some reason also doesn't work, with the scripts I tried above. It seems that SS keyboard keeps sending CTRL even until I release it, not sure what's going on.

PS: I have a LGS mouse and yeah, I can use AHK to send F13, like you did on your post, and softwares recognize it, but not SS Macro editor, so that's why I'm trying to intercept a keystroke from the keyboard and then convert to F13-24

[evilC]

AFAIK F13 is technically CTRL+F1

Did you try making sure the key got held for a certain amount of time? That might force it to recognize the key

Code: Select all

SetKeyDelay, 0, 50

F12::
	Sleep 2000
	Send {F13}
	return

I don't see the use in using AHK to convert CTRL+F1 to F13? If other apps do not respond to F13, what use will that be?
Surely you just need it as a "Transport Key" so that buttons on your keyboard can trigger AHK code?

[flep]

AFAIK F13 is technically CTRL+F1

Did you try making sure the key got held for a certain amount of time? That might force it to recognize the key

Code: Select all

SetKeyDelay, 0, 50

F12::
	Sleep 2000
	Send {F13}
	return

I don't see the use in using AHK to convert CTRL+F1 to F13? If other apps do not respond to F13, what use will that be?
Surely you just need it as a "Transport Key" so that buttons on your keyboard can trigger AHK code?

I may try to explain better, maybe i'm explaining it the wrong way.

- SteelSeries APEX keyboard have many extra keys so we can create macros for them using the SS Engine software
- The SS engine, which handles all the keyboard functions, doesn't recognize the F13-F24 keys, I already researched about this, that's why sending an F13 to the SS Engine keyboard macro editor doesn't work. If I use the same exact code you suggested to make F12 send a F5 for example, it works, to F12 send and F13, it stays empty as nothing was pressed. Logitech has a different engine and while it doesn't lists F13-F24, it recognizes it if sent to it like you did.
- Softwares recognize F13-F24, but some softwares I use do not accept keystrokes, only one key as shortcut, and some games also accept only 2 keys, not 3.
- So on the SS Engine macro keys I'm for example sending from M1 RControl + F1, and then trying to use AHK to convert this to F13, which didn't worked with neither codes I tried above.

Is it more clear?

Thanks!

[flep]

After more tests it seems that SS Engine is really causing issues here, so I posted on the official SteelSeries reddit asking for clarifications / reporting the issues. (Unless someone thinks there's a way to circum this with AutoHotkey scripts)

By the way, F13 is NOT Control + F1.
F13 to F24 keys have their own keycode for quite some time, it was some old keyboards / devices that had F13+ keys to send Control or Shift + F1 as the F13-24 codes didn't existed yet, stuff from the 90's.

[evilC]

By the way, if you check out AHI in my signature, it's a wrapper for the Interception keyboard/mouse filter driver.
If the keyboard sends scancodes to it's driver when these macro keys are pressed, then you *might* be able to intercept and mutate them before they hit the OS.
If AHI does not support what you want at the moment, but could feasibly be made to, I would be interested in trying and implement it.
The AHI source code is in C# tho, not AHK.

[flep]

By the way, if you check out AHI in my signature, it's a wrapper for the Interception keyboard/mouse filter driver.
If the keyboard sends scancodes to it's driver when these macro keys are pressed, then you *might* be able to intercept and mutate them before they hit the OS.
If AHI does not support what you want at the moment, but could feasibly be made to, I would be interested in trying and implement it.
The AHI source code is in C# tho, not AHK.

Yeah I saw you AHI but that seems way too much work for me at the moment to do all those steps and it may not even work, because I don't think the keyboard send any code to the OS for the M1-12 and MX1-10 keys.

I have SharpKeys, which has a "press key" detection, and it doesn't detect anything on those keys (but does detect an unknown code 00_100 from the multimedia keys, because the geniuses from SS engine don't use the standard media codes for some reason, maybe so people can't remap those keys).

So these extra macro keys are probably handled directly by the keyboard firmware.

[evilC]

Yes, it's entirely possible. I don't seem to be able to see unprogrammed buttons on my Logitech thru AHI
My Logitech does have two modes though - "Onboard" and "Application Specific". The latter does not work when the Logitech software is not running, which leads me to believe that it is done in software.
I suspect maybe that the Interception driver is either not forwarding on non-standard keys, or my wrapper isn't. Probably the latter. IIRC, I only forward on things with a scancode of <= 256 (Or rather <= 512 as +256 indicated extended mode (Right Alt etc))