Hands Down™ Reference

Versions

Hands Down™ Reference

base

shift

Finger	1	2	3	4	5	7	8	9	10
Usage	4.30% (P19)	7.47% (P51)	12.54% (P73)	14.70% (P80)	17.5%	9.41% (P16)	16.59% (P98)	6.76% (P7)	6.68% (P36)

	Same Finger	Full Scissor	Half Scissor	Lat. Stretch
Bigram	0.89% (P51)	0.19% (P79)	1.00% (P29)	4.63% (P87)
Skipgram	6.04% (P85)	0.45% (P83)	2.50% (P69)	4.72% (P44)

	No Thumbs	With Thumbs
Weak-ish Redirs.	0.44% (P28)	0.48% (P19)
Weak Redirects	0.06% (P2)	0.03% (P3)
Other Same Finger	20.40% (P73)	13.27% (P77)
Rolls : Alts	1.59 (P50)	2.06 (P70)
2-Roll In : Out	1.19 (P45)	0.94 (P34)
3-Roll In : Out	1.50 (P56)	1.06 (P41)

Author

R. Alan Reiser

Year

2020

Finger Map

Traditional

Official Website

Install

Kanata

Kanata is a keyboard remapper that works on Windows, macOS, and Linux.

1. Install Kanata by following “Step 1: Set Up Kanata” in Nova’s Kanata setup guide:

   Step 1: Set Up Kanata (Kanata Guide for Alt Layouts)

2. Download the Kanata config file for Hands Down™ Reference:

   Hands Down™ Reference

3. Make sure you know how to type your computer password using Hands Down™ Reference.

   Caution

   Skipping this step will lock you out of your computer. If you forget how to type your password using Hands Down™ Reference, look up Hands Down™ Reference on another device, such as a phone, when unlocking the computer.

4. Run Kanata with the downloaded config file and make sure the layout works as you expect:

   kanata --cfg path/to/config.kbd

5. To have Hands Down™ Reference activate whenever your computer starts up, follow the instructions to “Automatically start Kanata”:

   Automatically start Kanata (Kanata Guide for Alt Layouts)

macOS

There are two downloads available for macOS:

Method	Admin Required	Notes
Native	Optional	Does not require 3rd party key remapping software. Admin is required to install for all users and use on first login.
Karabiner-Elements	Yes	Requires 3rd party key remapping software, including the installation of a Driver Extension. Allows for remapping of only specific keyboards.

Native

1. Download the .keylayout file for Hands Down™ Reference:

   Hands Down™ Reference

2. Install the .keylayout file:

   Single User

   Copy the downloaded .keylayout file to ~/Library/Keyboard Layouts. Create the folder if it does not exist.

   All Users

   Copy the downloaded .keylayout file to /Library/Keyboard Layouts.

   Note

   By default, macOS hides the “Library” folder. To navigate to it in Finder, open the Go to Folder dialog (Go → Go to Folder… in the menubar, or Command-Shift-G) and type in the path shown above.

3. Restart macOS.

4. Open System Settings.

5. Go to Keyboard → Text Input → Input Sources → Edit… and add your new Hands Down™ Reference layout.

6. Press the “+” button at the bottom left.

7. Search for “Hands Down™ Reference,” select your new layout, and press Add.

Note

If you forget how to type your password on Hands Down™ Reference and get stuck on the Lock Screen, you can switch to your old layout using the Input menu at the top of the screen.

Karabiner-Elements

1. Install Karabiner-Elements:

   Karabiner-Elements

2. Download the Karabiner rule file for Hands Down™ Reference:

   Hands Down™ Reference

3. In Karabiner-Elements Settings, go to “Complex Modifications,” then press “Add predefined rule” at the top.

4. Make sure you know how to type your computer password using Hands Down™ Reference.

   Caution

   Skipping this step will lock you out of your computer. If you forget how to type your password using Hands Down™ Reference, look up Hands Down™ Reference on another device, such as a phone, when unlocking the computer.

5. Scroll down to the “Hands Down™ Reference” section and enable the rule you want.

   “All keyboards” remaps Hands Down™ Reference onto all keyboards while connected to this computer. Select this reason unless you want to exclude some keyboards from remapping.

   “Built-in keyboard only” remaps your device's built-in keyboard, as well as any other keyboard for which “Treat as built-in keyboard” (under the “Devices” section) is enabled. Select this option if you plan to map Hands Down™ Reference onto an external keyboard using custom firmware.

6. To use Hands Down™ Reference on the password entry screen before logging in, follow the official instructions:

   How to enable before login