How do you guys map keyboard commands to yoke/joystick buttons?
For instance, I would like to map CTRL-N which is used to bring up the Navigraph in-game panel. In the same way, I would like to map the keyboard shortcut chosen for GSX Pro (CTRL-F12 per default) to a button on my yoke.
I know SPAD.neXt can do this but I was thinking if there is some other small utility which can help with this.
Any ideas?
For any of the commands visible in the game control options you can map them to whatever you wish to so long as your controller is also shown in the game control options.
Well, the problem is neither of the examples I mentioned are available in MSFS. Hence my question.
Iām well aware you can map any command available in MSFS to buttons on your controls.
What type of controller are you using?
I have an old Saitek X-52, but it comes with software that lets you assign a button to any key-press you would like it to be.
If itās not a bindable command in the default command list in MSFS, you canāt bind it to a button, keyboard command, or anything else without some 3rd party tool like Spad, Mobiflight, etc..
As I stated, I can program any button to be any keyboard press Iād like.
Say I pull my ātriggerā button. I can have the trigger mapped to Cntrl/Shift/A. Then in MSFS, simply map Ctrl/Shift/A in Keyboard Controls to whatever function Iād like.
Tnatās because that command is a bindable event in MSFS. If you look for it in the key bindings, you can assign it.
I canāt say for sure if the Navigraph panel is or not as I havenāt checked, but I suspect not since itās not a default command, but rather something added by Navigraph.
If Navigraph accepts keybinds, then there is no issue.
Since you can program the buttons to be any key presses you want them to be.
You can even quantize them if needed. Most normally itās not.
It would help to know what hardware the OP is using and if he has the software to program his buttons.
Well, depending on the controller, itās true that you could assign Ctrl+N to a button. If it comes with a programming utility as the X-56 does, sure. As long as the sim is in focus, that would work.
He may have to have the sim in focus, but Iām not sure. Iāve had conflicts with other apps, because I had the same key presses mapped to two different programs running at the same time.
I 've had MPC-HC playing a movie on one monitor while flying the sim on my primary monitor, then when I would hit a certain button on my stick, MPC-HC would freak out. It was a simple fix of remapping the commands.
If you program keystrokes (essentially a macro) to a button via an external utility like a joystickās programming software, itāll only be sent to whatever app is in focus. So letās say he had some other app open where Ctrl+N creates a new document and that was in focus when he pressed his button, it would create a new document there vs opening the Navigraph toolbar panel in the sim. If the sim was in focus, then no problem.
So itās a workaround, but an awkward one. Whereas using something like Spad, it doesnāt matter what app is in focus, the command gets sent to the sim directly every time. Thatās the preferable option.
But youāre right. Your solution is definitely possible, depending on what controller he has and what programming options are available.
If the apps you want to control have their own shortcuts, use joy2key.
Its free and works perfectly.
Iām only suggesting to the OP how to turn a button press into a key command.
Thanks, will check this out since it could very well be what Iām looking for.
My controller is the Brunner CLS-E yoke and it doesnāt come with software allowing me to āconvertā keyboard commands to button presses.
Let us know the results after trying it.
Not being familiar with the Brunner yoke, it is very expensive (Google).
Are you saying that it does not have a Profile under the Controllers Options?
What heās saying is the command he wants to bind isnāt available as an in-sim binding in the command list in the sim.
Thanks, I understand now.
Boy I worded that poorly. lol Glad you understood anyway.
Actually, I didnāt understand at all. lol
But was just being polite and figured the issue was too technically deep for me to understand.
Like, what would a person want to do with a button that is not defined in the profile?
I have no idea.
See, too deep for me.