auri.ee
keyboard stuff
1# Glossary of QMK Terms
2
3## ARM
4A line of 32-bit MCUs produced by a number of companies, such as Atmel, Cypress, Kinetis, NXP, ST, and TI.
5
6## AVR
7A line of 8-bit MCUs produced by [Atmel](https://www.microchip.com/). AVR was the original platform that TMK supported.
8
9## AZERTY
10The standard Français (French) keyboard layout. Named for the first 6 keys on the keyboard.
11
12## Backlight
13A generic term for lighting on a keyboard. The backlight is typically, but not always, an array of LEDs that shine through keycaps and/or switches.
14
15## Bluetooth
16A short range peer to peer wireless protocol. Most common wireless protocol for a keyboard.
17
18## Bootloader
19A special program that is written to a protected area of your MCU that allows the MCU to upgrade its own firmware, typically over USB.
20
21## Bootmagic
22A feature that allows for various keyboard behavior changes to happen on the fly, such as swapping or disabling common keys.
23
24## C
25A low-level programming language suitable for system code. Most QMK code is written in C.
26
27## Colemak
28An alternative keyboard layout that is gaining in popularity.
29
30## Compile
31The process of turning human readable code into machine code your MCU can run.
32
33## Dvorak
34An alternative keyboard layout developed by Dr. August Dvorak in the 1930's. A shortened form of the Dvorak Simplified Keyboard.
35
36## Dynamic Macro
37A macro which has been recorded on the keyboard and which will be lost when the keyboard is unplugged or the computer rebooted.
38
39* [Dynamic Macro Documentation](features/dynamic_macros)
40
41## Eclipse
42An IDE that is popular with many C developers.
43
44* [Eclipse Setup Instructions](other_eclipse)
45
46## Firmware
47The software that controls your MCU.
48
49## git
50Versioning software used at the command line
51
52## GitHub
53The website that hosts most of the QMK project. It provides integration with git, issue tracking, and other features that help us run QMK.
54
55## ISP
56In-system programming, a method of programming an AVR chip using external hardware and the JTAG pins.
57
58## hid_listen
59An interface for receiving debugging messages from your keyboard. You can view these messages using [QMK Flasher](https://github.com/qmk/qmk_flasher) or [PJRC's hid_listen](https://www.pjrc.com/teensy/hid_listen.html)
60
61## Keycode
62A 2-byte number that represents a particular key. `0x00`-`0xFF` are used for [Basic Keycodes](keycodes_basic) while `0x100`-`0xFFFF` are used for [Quantum Keycodes](quantum_keycodes).
63
64## Key Down
65An event that happens when a key is pressed down, but is completed before a key is released.
66
67## Key Up
68An event that happens when a key is released.
69
70## Keymap
71An array of keycodes mapped to a physical keyboard layout, which are processed on key presses and releases
72
73## Layer
74An abstraction used to allow a key to serve multiple purposes. The highest active layer takes precedence.
75
76## Leader Key
77A feature that allows you to tap the leader key followed by a sequence of 1, 2, or 3 keys to activate key presses or other quantum features.
78
79* [Leader Key Documentation](features/leader_key)
80
81## LED
82Light Emitting Diode, the most common device used for indicators on a keyboard.
83
84## Make
85Software package that is used to compile all the source files. You run `make` with various options to compile your keyboard firmware.
86
87## Matrix
88A wiring pattern of columns and rows that enables the MCU to detect keypresses with a fewer number of pins. The matrix often incorporates diodes to allow for NKRO.
89
90## Macro
91A feature that lets you send multiple keypress events (hid reports) after having pressed only a single key.
92
93* [Macro Documentation](feature_macros)
94
95## MCU
96Microcontrol Unit, the processor that powers your keyboard.
97
98## Modifier
99A key that is held down while typing another key to modify the action of that key. Examples include Ctrl, Alt, and Shift.
100
101## Mousekeys
102A feature that lets you control your mouse cursor and click from your keyboard.
103
104* [Mousekeys Documentation](features/mouse_keys)
105
106## N-Key Rollover (NKRO)
107A term that applies to keyboards that are capable of reporting any number of key-presses at once.
108
109## Oneshot Modifier
110A modifier that acts as if it is held down until another key is released, so you can press the mod and then press the key, rather than holding the mod while pressing the key. Also known as a Sticky key or a Dead key.
111
112## ProMicro
113A low cost AVR development board. Clones of this device are often found on ebay very inexpensively (under $5) but people often struggle with flashing their pro micros.
114
115## Pull Request
116A request to submit code to QMK. We encourage all users to submit Pull Requests for bugfixes and new features.
117
118## QWERTY
119The standard English keyboard layout, and often a shortcut for other language's standard layouts. Named for the first 6 letters on the keyboard.
120
121## QWERTZ
122The standard Deutsche (German) keyboard layout. Named for the first 6 letters on the keyboard.
123
124## Rollover
125The term for pressing a key while a key is already held down. Variants include 2KRO, 6KRO, and NKRO.
126
127## Scancode
128A 1 byte number that is sent as part of a HID report over USB that represents a single key. These numbers are documented in the [HID Usage Tables](https://www.usb.org/sites/default/files/documents/hut1_12v2.pdf) published by the [USB-IF](https://www.usb.org/).
129
130## Space Cadet Shift
131A special set of shift keys which allow you to type various types of braces by tapping the left or right shift one or more times.
132
133* [Space Cadet Shift Documentation](features/space_cadet)
134
135## Tap
136Pressing and releasing a key. In some situations you will need to distinguish between a key down and a key up event, and Tap always refers to both at once.
137
138## Tap Dance
139A feature that lets you assign multiple keycodes to the same key based on how many times you press it.
140
141* [Tap Dance Documentation](features/tap_dance)
142
143## Teensy
144A low-cost AVR development board that is commonly used for hand-wired builds. A teensy is often chosen despite costing a few dollars more due to its halfkay bootloader, which makes flashing very simple.
145
146## Underlight
147A generic term for LEDs that light the underside of the board. These LEDs typically shine away from the bottom of the PCB and towards the surface the keyboard rests on.
148
149## Unicode
150In the larger computer world Unicode is a set of encoding schemes for representing characters in any language. As it relates to QMK it means using various OS schemes to send unicode codepoints instead of scancodes.
151
152* [Unicode Documentation](features/unicode)
153
154## Unit Testing
155A framework for running automated tests against QMK. Unit testing helps us be confident that our changes do not break anything.
156
157* [Unit Testing Documentation](unit_testing)
158
159## USB
160Universal Serial Bus, the most common wired interface for a keyboard.
161
162## USB Host (or simply Host)
163The USB Host is your computer, or whatever device your keyboard is plugged into.
164
165# Couldn't Find the Term You're Looking For?
166
167[Open an issue](https://github.com/qmk/qmk_firmware/issues) with your question and the term in question could be added here. Better still, open a pull request with the definition. :)