# remappping the backspace key--and tildes in filenames



## zzzth (Oct 5, 2009)

for a person without large hands the backspace/delete key is an uncomfortable stretch. some time ago on a unix system i was able to turn the [ key into a backspace key--it was heaven. i type fairly recklessly and when i make a mistake sometimes it's a number of letters that i have to backspace away to get back to fix it. 

now i'd like to do this on my mac osx 10.5.8 and can't find a way to do it. hopefully the swap would apply throughout the system--ms word, text edit, browsers etc.

second question: what do the tildes mean in file names in textedit for the mac? for instance, what is the difference between fn.rtf, fn~.rtf, fn~~.rtf and so on?
thanks much, t


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## needafix (Mar 23, 2005)

zzzth said:


> for a person without large hands the backspace/delete key is an uncomfortable stretch. some time ago on a unix system i was able to turn the [ key into a backspace key--it was heaven. i type fairly recklessly and when i make a mistake sometimes it's a number of letters that i have to backspace away to get back to fix it.
> 
> now i'd like to do this on my mac osx 10.5.8 and can't find a way to do it. hopefully the swap would apply throughout the system--ms word, text edit, browsers etc.
> 
> ...


This may help:

Remapping the Keyboard Layout in Windows

http://vlaurie.com/computers2/Articles/remap-keyboard.htm

Very interesting. What I would like is to remap the numerical keypad but not just for one character per key but multiple characters and it would behave like a paste from the clipboard.


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## needafix (Mar 23, 2005)

Here is one for Mac called DoubleCommand:

I have not downloaded it and scanned it but sourceforge has always been a reliable source of software

http://doublecommand.sourceforge.net/


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## zzzth (Oct 5, 2009)

thanks, i really appreciate your time, but doublecommand doesn't seem to map the backspace key to the "[" key.

any thoughts about the tilde question?
thanks again, it's really reassuring to a beginner to know about your service! t


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## needafix (Mar 23, 2005)

zzzth said:


> thanks, i really appreciate your time, but doublecommand doesn't seem to map the backspace key to the "[" key.
> 
> any thoughts about the tilde question?
> thanks again, it's really reassuring to a beginner to know about your service! t


I could be mistaken but I think the tilde added to the file name in the mac text editor is a back up copy of the file you were working on.

So, you most likely could find both fn.rtf and fn~.rtf on your hard drive.

It is also possible that if you have file names like this in succession such as:

fn.rtf
fn~.rtf
fn~~.rtf

...when you are returning to your work to do more writing you aren't opening the original document you were working on such as fn.rtf

you may have opened and edited the backup copy fn~.rtf which in turned resulted in another backup copy of your work that resulted in two tildes in the file name.

In order not to lose your writing open the fn~.rtf because that would be the only one that has all your updated work while fn~~.rtf is a backup.

Once you switched from working in fn.rtf to working in fn~.rtf only the fn~.rtf and the backup of fn~~.rtf would contain your most recent writing.

Still looking into the [ becoming a backspace.


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## needafix (Mar 23, 2005)

zzzth said:


> thanks, i really appreciate your time, but doublecommand doesn't seem to map the backspace key to the "[" key.


Try this keyboard shortcut to see if you get a backspace/delete in the text you are writing:

Command [

or try

Function Delete (should result in forward delete)

or try

Opt Delete (deletes an entire word to the left)


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## zzzth (Oct 5, 2009)

Thanks much, those are all useful suggestions. best regards, tom h


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## zzzth (Oct 5, 2009)

hmmmm, these don't seem to work on my mac osx 5.8


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## needafix (Mar 23, 2005)

zzzth said:


> hmmmm, these don't seem to work on my mac osx 5.8


Huh?

You said "mac osx 10.5.8"


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## zzzth (Oct 5, 2009)

yes, i'm working on a mac osX 10.5.8
thanks for your help, tom h


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## Yankee Rose (Jul 14, 1999)

Hi again zzzth: Check out Ukelele. It's a Mac OS X Keyboard Layout Editor.

Hope that helps!


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## zzzth (Oct 5, 2009)

hi, YR. i really appreciate your involvement. the remappers that i've checked out don't seem to remap control keys such as the backspace. one developer emailed that control keys are a "different animal." he said that he didn't know how to remap them either. still, i know it's possible because i did it long long ago on a unix system.


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