Key Binds (reserved ones)

[Gazz292]

Just got round to trying to drive the EU07 in the full sim,  it handily remembered my key binds from the play test,  but this caused a problem,

I had set up all the train power and brake controls on the lower part of my number pad, as this makes it comfortable to use for me, and my laptops key pad has double height 'plus' and 'enter' keys,  and i set them to be 'power increase and decrease'

But when i tried driving just now, trying to move the power control lower using 'key pad enter'  was going crazy, turns out that now - keypad enter - is a 'reserved key, and i believe used to activate the chat box?
Even tho there i have the 'write in chat' key set to 'Q' for my system.

Anyone know what key binds are 'reserved' and if there's any way to change them?  there's nothing in the "C:\Users\AppData\LocalLow\SimKol\SimRail\Buttons.conf' file that i can see relating to 'reserved keys'    and i'd really like to get my key pad's enter key back as my 'power control decrease' button... as it's ideal with that key and the one above it being double height, so i find it by feel if that makes sense.

[Stele]

		KeyCode.Escape,
		KeyCode.Mouse0,
		KeyCode.Mouse1,
		KeyCode.Return,
		KeyCode.KeypadEnter

It might be recent change as even today there was argue between programers why both enters woudn't be interchangable.

[Gazz292]

ahah,  so is the thinking that someone might want to use the number / key pad enter to send a chat message... have to say, if i'm typing anything, even using the number pad to put numbers instead of the row of numbers below the F keys, i always the the main 'return' key.

[Gazz292]

Made a workaround.

2 lines of code in AutoHotKey....

#IfWinActive ahk_exe SimRail.exe ; AHK only active when in SimRail

NumpadEnter::NumpadDot ;map number pad enter to number pad dot

...allows me to to re-map the number pad enter key to the number pad dot key, which i bound as 'power decrease' in SimRail,

Now i no longer have the number pad enter key activating the chat window, and get to keep my double height enter and plus keys for power increase and decrease.

For anyone who's interested, the top line of code means that this re-map only works when i'm in SimRail, so if i ever did use the number pad enter key as a return key, i don't wonder why it's not working and typing dots instead,  last step was to add the hotkey script to the startup folder so it activates every time i start windows, as i found that if i forget to load the autohotkey before script starting SimRail, starting it needed Simrail re-starting to get the key to work (i also re-map my '\' key to left mouse button)

 

 

 

[Howky]

11 hours ago, Stele said:

		KeyCode.Escape,
		KeyCode.Mouse0,
		KeyCode.Mouse1,
		KeyCode.Return,
		KeyCode.KeypadEnter

It might be recent change as even today there was argue between programers why both enters woudn't be interchangable.

 

is it possible ? or will it be possible to define key shortcuts for other drivers in the future, e.g. double horn, automatic button control etc ?

currently there are no keyboard shortcuts

 

[Gazz292]

i too am hoping there will be more keybinds available.
and the ability to move a control the opposite direction using a modifier key (K for cab lights on, SHIFT + K for cab lights off)
I do recall from the playtest being told the keybinds part could do with re-writing, but there was no time to do that before early access launch, so i remain hopeful that things will change in the future,

 

i also worry that having a single global keybind scheme will get rather awkward as people start to make new content for SimRail and their trains have controls not found in Polish trains etc, 
we'd either end up with a 10 page long list of all controls for every train like Omsi did it, where you spend 10 minutes looking for the one that applies to the particular bus / train you need to set the keybind to,

or be like tsw, with a very limited set of keybinds, the more complex trains you are expected to operate the controls in the cab with the mouse 🤢

 

What would be better is to do it how railworks / tsc and some flight simulators do it, have a local keybind scheme that is stored with the train, so the relevent keybind file is loaded as the train is being loaded, allowing you to set the same key to multiple functions that are spread out through different trains,

i.e. the keys for 'shunt' aka the field weakening lever in the EU07, 2 keys are set for a control that only applies in that train, same with the cruise control up and down keys in the Elf,
I'd like to use the same keys to operate the shunt lever in the EU07 as the cruise control buttons in the Elf, but can't do that with the keybind tool in the control section of the sim (i know i can if i manually edit the 'Buttons.conf' file)

 

Of course when joystick control is released hopefully the situation will change, and the joystick levers and buttons can be set up to individual trains... so the lever used for brakes in the Traxx can also be used for the combined power and brake lever in the Elf and so on.

 

[Allah macht frei]

I was using Numpad Enter for Alerter / Czwiak and Q key for LZB reset, and after playtest i found out that key no more works. Num Enter was good for alerter reset , some trains have it on right handside or as pedal.  But more strange, I was amazed who would use it for chat activation 😄

[Gazz292]

yeah i thought that too... even when i am typing things and use the number pad to enter numbers, i automatically hit the enter key to the left of the keypad.

Only time i'll use the number pad enter key is when i'm using a calculator app.

 

 

Thankfully i found a workaround by changing the number pad enter key to send another key when it's pressed whilst SimRail is running, using 'AutoHotKey' which is free to download and use, 
just takes a little figuring out how to do more complex stuff with it as it's all code based,  but changing a key to output another is as simple as 'key1::key2'   the '::' is the code for remapping a key to another one.

 

But it would be nice to have the ability to bind one key to more than one command (for different trains that have controls not shared between them) the ability to use modifier keys to operate the control in reverse, and have the 2 enter keys seen as separate keys, maybe with a menu slider to have number pad enter keep the chat window active or not.