Mac – How to disable context menu key from Windows Keyboard

keyboardmac

I bought a Logitech USB keyboard (model K120) to use with my MBP while it's on a stand.

I got some help swapping the mapping of the command and option keys to the Alt and Windows keys so the layout is more like a standard Mac keyboard.

The next problem is this key:

(The one under the shift key with the rectangle with 3 lines on it.)

Apparently this is a Windows Context menu key.

I'm an iOS/Mac OS developer, and I keep pressing that key by mistake. It puts some non-displayed character into my source files. It generates an error "invalid character in source file" that prevents my code from compiling. Since it's non-printing it is quite hard to find, and is a real pain.

I'd like to map it to NOTHING so it stops inserting invisible compile-breaking characters into my source files. Alternately, mapping it to the control key would be good, since the control key is in the same spot on the other side of the keyboard. (I'd then have 2 control keys on that side of the keyboard, but whatever.)

Best Answer

^{Provided you are not running macOS Sierra (which from a previous question, I know you are). Support for Sierra is promised to come.}

Install Karabiner.

Run it and on Change Key tab search for "Application Key" (or navigate to "For PC Users" -> "Change PC Application Key (Menu Key)".

Select the mapping "Application Key to Control_L".

To disable completely you'd have to edit ~Library/Application Support/Karabiner/private.xml (examples). The key code (reference) is PC_APPLICATION, so the following line will add a menu entry:

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<root>
  <item>
    <name>Disable Windows context key</name>
    <identifier>private.disable_windows_context_key</identifier>
    <autogen>__KeyToKey__ KeyCode::PC_APPLICATION | ModifierFlag::NONE</autogen>
  </item>
</root>

(press "Reload XML" in Karabiner window to apply after editing the file)

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MacOS – Focus floating system windows with keyboard

If you enable full keyboard access in System Preferences, you can press tab to select the buttons.

I don't know how to focus the windows though. They can't be selected with ⌃F4 or ^F6. I was going to suggest Witch, but it doesn't show them either.

This is a bit of a hack, but you could assign a shortcut to a script like this:

tell application "System Events"
    repeat with p in {"SecurityAgent", "CoreServicesUIAgent", "loginwindow"}
        if exists process p then
            tell process p
                if windows is not {} then
                    set frontmost to true
                    exit repeat
                end if
            end tell
        end if
    end repeat
end tell

Password dialogs are shown by SecurityAgent, Gatekeeper and quarantine dialogs by CoreServicesUIAgent, and the force quit window by loginwindow.

PC keyboard inccorect mapping

If you can consider switching to the U.S layout, it's identical on Mac and Windows in terms of the positions of ASCII characters.

I don't know if there's a premade French PC layout, but you can also use Ukelele to create your own one:

Select File > New From Current Input Source
Change the keys
Save as bundle to /Library/Keyboard Layouts/ (the popovers shown when holding keys don't work with normal .keylayout files, and keyboard layouts in ~/Library/Keyboard Layouts/ can't be selected in password dialogs or the login window)
Log out and back in and enable the input source in System Preferences > Language & Text > Input Sources

To apply changes to a keylayout, you have to run sudo touch /Library/Keyboard Layouts/ (or modify the folder some other way) and log out and back in. You can disable the default French input source by editing the com.apple.HIToolbox plist.

Another option would be to use KeyRemap4MacBook:

You can customize the setting group by copying it from the source to private.xml.

Best Answer

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MacOS – Focus floating system windows with keyboard

PC keyboard inccorect mapping

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