Making CheatSheets for the World
How to make non-US CheatSheets for the EkaPad
How to create a CheatSheet for a non-US keyboard.
20090810 by GF EkaTetra support
Download some created CheatSheets
We have prepared cheat sheets for the following keyboards. Click on the country or language name to download a pdf file for a cheat sheet for that named keyboard (CheatSheetL_XXX.pdf).Arabic, British_Print, British_Display, Chinese, French_Display, French_Print, German_Display, German_Print, Korean, Russian, Swedish, Turkish. For Macintosh, U.S.Extended cheat sheet is here.
Look it over, or use it a little, and see if the chords and their placement work for you.
Down load Master aid
If there is no file with your keyboard's name, then download either or both the CheatSheet_NonUS_Master_Display.xls or the CheatSheet_NonUS_Master_Print.xls and follow the directions below.
Discussion
These examples were made using the font Ariel Unicode MS, sometimes supplemented with a font specific for the language. Ariel Unicode MS font is supplied by Apple with Mac OS. Fonts specific for a language can often be found via Google and/or WikiPedia: search for xxx language, where xxx is the name of the language you're looking for.
Whichever keyboard you use with the EkaPad, the chords which activate actions unique to the EkaPad will always give the same actions. These chords are command & control, config, prefixes, ShortCuts & Keeps, states. The states will often produce different characters than on the US CheatSheet when used with a non-U.S. keyboard.
Mac keyboards
In the Mac, AppleSymbol >SystemPreferences>International>InputMenu will get you to a list of all the keyboards available with the Mac. Select the Language/Keyboard/Script you want. Check the box Show input menu in menu bar. These are virtual keyboards. Their image and key characters are displayed when you select Show Keyboard Viewer below the language flag in the menu bar.
The EkaPad will display a character when the matched chord is pressed and released.
Some keyboards, like Chinese, require more than one character chord in order to complete a character.
Right to left languages
Right to left languages require extra care. Just select the flush right paragraph icon in the word processor. With a right to left keyboard selected, the EkaPad works well. Microsoft Word in the Mac doesn't work the cursor correctly. Both Mac TextEdit and open source Neo Office do. The cursor doesn't always seem in the correct place, but spaces come in the correct places.
EkaPad: How to make a non-US cheat sheet. Steps to follow
In order to create a Cheat Sheet for a given language, download and open the chosen CheatSheet file in a spread sheet program. With the proper font and keyboard for the language selected, select an icon location (with the cursor) and chord the EkaPad with that location's chord. The placeholder symbol ( ☼ ) will be replaced with the correct symbol for the selected language.
After all the placeholders have been replaced either with new language characters or blanks, you now have a Cheat Sheet for the language. Save it and make a pdf and you have a display Cheat Sheet.
For a Screen Display CheatSheet:
1. Download then open the CheatSheet_NonUS_Master_Display.xls spread sheet in your computer and display it.
2. Select the country keyboard you use for the country.
3. Where ever you see this symbol ☆ select the cell and press & release the chord shown for that cell. The correct letter or symbol will go into the cell.
4. When all the ☆ have been replaced with characters for your keyboard, SAVE this sheet. Print the sheet as a PDF, and use the PDF as a display on your screen.
For a Printed and Pocketable CheatSheet:
1. Download then open the CheatSheet_NonUS_Master_Print.xls spread sheet in your computer and display it.
2. Select the country keyboard you use for the country.
3. Where ever you see this symbol ☆ select the cell and press & release the chord shown for that cell. The correct letter or symbol will go into the cell.
4. When all the ☆ have been replaced with characters for your keyboard, SAVE then PRINT this sheet at 80%. Cut out the Cheater2, fold and use.
Create a Cheat Sheet for a non alphabetic font.
As you select (use) anyone of your computer's keyboards you can make a Cheat Sheet for fonts like Wingdings, Zeal, or Zapf Dingbats. Click on the name for a pdf already made for you.
Download both CheatSheet_ChangeFont_Master.xls and HowTo_CheatSheet_ChangeFont.pdf and follow the directions in HowTo.
