Map Keys

You can create keyboard shortcuts that perform any assignable action during a session. The Key Mappings settings page provides a view of the default keyboard map for each host type and the mapped custom keys, indicated in boldface type, for that session.

See Host Keyboard Mapping for the different host keyboard mappings.

Mapping keys as an administrator and as an end-user

There are a few differences in behavior between the administrator and the end-user when mapping keys.

• End users can only add or modify key mappings if they are granted permission by the administrator using the User Preference Rules panel.

• Any changes the administrator makes show up to the end user as indistinguishable from default host key mappings. Once granted permission, the person can modify, add or delete any mappings regardless of any administrator changes. However restoring key mappings only restores them back to the modified state created by the administrator for the current session.

Adding or modifying mapped keys

1. From the toolbar, click Settings.

2. From the left navigation pane, open the Key Mappings panel. The mapped keys for the host type you are connecting to are visible.

3. To add a new key mapping:

   • Click . You can choose to type the key sequence you want to use or use the keyboard by toggling between the two options.

   • From the Action drop down list, select the action you want to associate with the key selection. If you select Send text, enter the string you want sent to the host in the Value field. Likewise, if you select Run Macro, choose the macro you want triggered by the keyboard shortcut. You must create the macro before you can map it to the Run Macro action.

     The Send text action supports mapping characters with codes less than or equal to 0xFFFF via Unicode escape sequences. The escape sequence begins with \u followed by exactly four hexadecimal digits. You can embed Unicode escape sequences in any string. For example, this embedded \u0045 will be interpreted as this embedded E, since 45 is the hexadecimal code for the character E.

     To pass Unicode escape sequences to the host, escape the sequence with a leading backslash. For example, to send the string literal \u001C to the host, map a key to \\u001C. Host Access for the Cloud will convert this to the string \u001C when that key is pressed and send the 6 characters of the resulting string to the host.

     The Disable action renders the key inoperable. When pressed the key will not initiate any action. This differs from the Unmap action which removes the key mapping but preserves a browser short-cut if it is defined.

   • Click the blue check mark to accept the mapping and add the key map to the session.

4. To modify an existing mapping:

   Select the row containing the key you want to modify.

   

   Follow the steps for adding a new key mapping, clicking to save the new mapping. Alternatively, you can click away from the modified row and the change will be saved. All new and modified key maps are indicated in boldface type. You can restore the original key mapping at any time by clicking .

Filtering the list

The Filter field makes it easy to see just those mappings you are interested in. The filter is based on keywords and affects each column of the table. For example, if you enter Send text in the Filter field, only keys mapped to the Send text action are displayed.

Using the Show only modified mappings option lets you see only those mappings that have been previously modified.

Some things to remember:

• Mapping right and left modifier keys to individual actions

  You can map the right and left modifier keys to individual actions. However when they are combined with other keys, there is no differentiation between the right and left keys. For example, Left-Alt can be mapped to Action-A while Right-Alt is mapped to Action-B, but Left-Alt + H will be stored as Alt+H and both Left-Alt+H and Right-Alt+H will be associated with a single mapped action.

• Key stroke combinations and copy/paste operations

  Different key stroke combinations are also used for copy/paste operations. For example, on a VT host screen, Ctrl+ Shift + A initiates a Select All action. See Editing the Screen for a list of copy/paste key actions.

• Keyboard shortcuts and browsers

  Browsers use keyboard shortcuts to save both time and mouse clicks. When mapping keystrokes it is important to keep this in mind. Handy Keyboard Shortcuts gives a brief overview of the keyboard shortcuts used by different browsers. In most cases Host Access for the Cloud key mappings take precedence over browser key shortcuts. Occasionally, where this is not the behavior you want for a particular key combination, you can choose Unmap in the action list to unmap the short-cut. This lets the key event to pass through to the browser.