Keyboard Emulation.md

💡 Keyboard emulation

Keyboard emulation (available only on ESP32-S3) — either as a USB HID keyboard or Bluetooth LE keyboard — allows PedalinoMini™ to act exactly like a standard keyboard. Instead of only sending MIDI messages, it can send key presses directly to your computer, tablet, or phone.

✅ Works with any software, not just MIDI-enabled apps

• Many apps (presentation tools, video editors, streaming software) support keyboard shortcuts but do not accept MIDI directly.
• With keyboard emulation, pedals can be mapped to:
  • Next/previous slide
  • Start/stop recording
  • Trigger sound effects
  • Toggle camera or mic
  • Any custom hotkey combination

✅ Simpler integration

• No need for virtual MIDI drivers or extra software bridges.
• Just plug in and control as if you're pressing keys on a real keyboard.

✅ Fully wireless option (BLE)

• Bluetooth LE keyboard mode enables wireless connection to tablets, laptops, or smartphones.
• Ideal for live presentations or on-stage movement.

✅ Supports modifier keys

• You can send advanced combinations such as:
  • Ctrl + Shift + P (e.g., play/pause in streaming or video apps)
  • Cmd + Option + Esc (macOS commands)
  • Media keys (volume, play/pause, next track, etc.)

✅ Cross-platform

• Works on Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Linux — anything that supports standard keyboards.

Supported Key Names

Note: The key names correspond to the physical positions on a standard US keyboard layout, not necessarily the printed labels on your keyboard. For example, a key labeled differently on non-US layouts will still be identified by its US position.

Key strings are case insensitive except for A to Z and a to z.

🧩 Modifier Keys

Key String	Aliases
Ctrl	LeftCtrl
RightCtrl	—
Shift	LeftShift
RightShift	—
Alt	LeftAlt, Option
RightAlt	RightOption
GUI	Win, Cmd, LeftGUI, LeftWin, LeftCmd
RightGUI	RightWin, RightCmd

"Win" = Windows key (also known as "GUI" or "Cmd")

🔤 Alphanumeric Keys

Key String
A to Z
a to z
0 to 9

🎯 Function Keys

Key String
F1 to F24

🔢 Number Row Symbols (via Shift or ASCII)

You can use either the symbol itself (e.g., !) or the equivalent Shift+Number form (e.g., Shift+1). Both are valid in key combinations.

Symbol	Valid Inputs	Description
!	! or Shift+1	Exclamation mark
"	" or Shift+2	Double quotes
£	£ or Shift+3	Pound sign
$	$ or Shift+4	Dollar sign
%	% or Shift+5	Percent sign
^	^ or Shift+6	Caret
&	& or Shift+7	Ampersand
*	* or Shift+8	Asterisk
(	( or Shift+9	Open parenthesis
)	) or Shift+0	Close parenthesis

🔣 Punctuation & Symbol Keys

Symbol	Valid Inputs	Description
`	`	Backtick
~	~ or Shift+`	Tilde
-	-	Dash
_	_ or Shift+-	Underscore
=	=	Equals
+	+ or Shift+=	Plus
[	[	Open bracket
{	{ or Shift+[	Left brace
]	]	Close bracket
}	} or Shift+]	Right brace
\	\	Backslash
|	| or Shift+\	Pipe
;	;	Semicolon
:	: + Shift+;	Colon
'	'	Apostrophe
"	" or Shift+'	Double quote
,	,	Comma
<	< or Shift+,	Less-than
.	.	Period
>	> or Shift+.	Greater-than
/	/	Slash
?	? or Shift+/	Question mark

⌨️ Special Keys

Key String	Description
Enter	Return key
Esc	Escape key
Tab	Tab key
Space	Spacebar
Backspace	Delete previous character
CapsLock	Caps lock toggle
Delete	Forward delete
Insert	Insert key
Home	Move cursor to line start
End	Move cursor to line end
PageUp	Scroll up
PageDown	Scroll down
PrintScreen	Screenshot key
ScrollLock	Toggle scroll lock
Pause	Pause/Break key

🧭 Arrow Keys

Key String
Up
Down
Left
Right

🔢 Numpad Keys

Key String
NumLock
Numpad0 to Numpad9
NumpadPeriod
NumpadEnter
NumpadDivide
NumpadMultiply
NumpadSubtract
NumpadAdd

🎵 Media Keys

Key String	Description
PlayPause	Toggle play/pause
Next	Next track
Previous	Previous track
Stop	Stop playback
Mute	Mute audio
VolumeUp	Increase volume
VolumeDown	Decrease volume
WWW	Internet browser
WwwSearch	Internet search
WwwStop	Internet stop
WwwBack	Internet browser back
WwwForward	Internet browser forward
WwwBookmarks	Internet bookmarks
Email	Email app
Calculator	Calculator app
MyComputer	Local browser app

Media keys can't be combined with other keys.