Inspiration
I was thinking about 3D printing a set of stenotype keys for my mechanical keyboard, then this idea sparked.
What it does
It's a true stenotype for programmers. You can press down several keys at a time (up to the hardware limit of your keyboard) to activate a macro. For example, pressing down IMP at the same time outputs "import". You can also record macros on the go, just use the REC key and chord down your desired combination. It comes handy when you are typing fast, because the order of holding down the keys does not matter. Given the concurrence of multiple keystrokes (restricted by your keyboard hardware), you can have infinite combinations of macros on your hand!
How I built it
My computer went weird through the hackathon, leaving me not much time to build this thing. I thought through it for a few hours, and started coding right away. Finished it in less than 2 hours.
Challenges I ran into
None.
Accomplishments that I'm proud of
This project, if successfully implemented in more prominent tools for everyday use, will be the first and only utilization of N-key rollover pattern of the keyboard in the realm of typing, beside Plover, a steno tool that uses Gregg Shorthand, which does not have a great popularity and behaves weirdly in codes.
What I learned
Minor details and caveats in JS that I did not notice in previous experience.
What's next for Tacticode
It is going to be an important part of a crazy IDE project I've be planning for years. It's an IDE not like any other, and more ambitious features like this one will appear. More details to come!
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