Introduction and Installation

Contents

Introduction Installation The iconbar Software overview Low-level modules Disclaimer Related subjects

Introduction |

Welcome to this shareware RISC OS application. HID is a full HID Class parser, which means that you can use if for many USB devices in the HID Class Human Interface Devices), such as keyboards and mice. Rather than standard keyboard & mouse driver of your computer, it negotiates with the device to find detailed information about its data format and features. As a result, HID will work with most (if not all) USB keyboards and mice. We've made this application available as shareware, which means that you can use it freely on your computer. However, you might want to contribute to the development of this kind of applications, by registering yourself.

Installation |

!HID can be installed anywhere on your computer, but it is advised to put it in a folder where it can bee 'seen' by the system on startup. We recommend to put it either in the Utilities folder or in the Apps folder in the root of your harddisc. These folder are automatically scanned for applications when the computer is started. The easies way to install !HID or any of its modules is by Selecting Install from the iconbar menu. Select the installation option(s) of your choice and click Save.

The iconbar |

Once started, !HID will appear on the iconbar. By default it will appear on the left hand side of the iconbar, as its functions are hardware related. You may alter the position in the iconbar by altering the configuration (iconbar menu: Choices). Some windows may open at the same time, if they are configured to do so in Choices. Clicking the iconbar icon with the mouse, has the following effect:

Mouse | Keys & Buttons | Action
Select | Left mouse button | Open the Keyboard window
Shift-Select | Shift key + Left mouse button | Open the Monitor window
Menu | Middle mouse button | Open the iconbar menu
Adjust | Right mouse button | Open the Mouse wheel window
Software overview |
As stated in the Introduction, the !HID application consists of a number of Modules and 'helper' applications. Below is an overview of the various software components.
!HID The main application, providing high-level support for all USB HID related software components. !USBinfo A free USB status viewer that provides useful information about the USB sub system. It shows the topology of the USB system in a graphics and user-friendly manner. !USBinfo can be used alongside !HID and hot linking between the two applications is possible. !ConfiX Another free utility that allows complex configurations to be edited in a user-friendly manner. Both !USBinfo and !HID use this application to maintain their Choices files.
Low-level modules |
USBHID This is the core module of the !HID application. It's a small module that takes control over all HID Class devices away from the standard USB driver. It provides many new features and interfaces transparently with other modules, such as WimpKey and WimpScroll. WimpKey This module allows you to use the special keys, found on most modern keyboards, for a variety of functions. Keys can be used to launch an application, or to control certain features within an application. The WimpKey module receives detailed information from the USBHID module whenever a special key is pressed. WimpScroll This module finally makes the scroll wheel, found on wheel mice and some Internet keyboards, do something useful. It allows you to scroll the window currently under the pointer. The window doesn't need to have the input focus. Different scrolling methods are available for 'badly behaving' applications. KeyLeds Although this is a very small module, it may prove useful if you happen to have a wireless keyboards. As such keyboards are battery powered, they don't contain LEDs to show the status of the CapsLock, NumLock and ScrollLock keys. The new module KeyLEDs will add three LEDs to the iconbar. AltKeys This module allows you to enter accented characters and special characters in an intuïtive manner. No more learning of difficult ASCII numbers. Press Alt briefly, think of a logical two-letter combination and type away. AltKeys is available for users of older RISC OS systems freely from our website. USBBarcode Most USB Barcode devices will identify themselves as a keyboards. However, due to the way in which the RISC OS Kernel debounces the keys, all incoming data may be lost. The USBBarcode module overcomes this problem, by recording the data and sending it directly to the keyboard buffer (i.e. effectively bypassing the Kernel).
Disclaimer |
Whilst every effort has been made to ensure that the program works correctly, such can never be garanteed. Neither the author (Paul Reuvers) nor the publisher (X-Ample Technology) can be held responsable for any loss or damage arising from the use or misuse of this information or the software, even if we have been warned for such risks. The software and the manual are Copyright X-Ample Technology and may not be distributed without the prior consent of the publisher.
Related subjects |
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| © Copyright Paul Reuvers X-Ample Technology bv usb@xat.nl Last changed: Last changed: Thursday, 12 August 2004 - 11:43 CET.