path: root/readme.md

# Quantum Mechanical Keyboard Firmware

[![Build Status](https://travis-ci.org/jackhumbert/qmk_firmware.svg?branch=master)](https://travis-ci.org/jackhumbert/qmk_firmware)

This is a keyboard firmware based on the [tmk_keyboard firmware](http://github.com/tmk/tmk_keyboard) with some useful features for Atmel AVR controllers, and more specifically, the [OLKB product line](http://olkb.com), the [ErgoDox EZ](http://www.ergodox-ez.com) keyboard, and the [Clueboard product line](http://clueboard.co/).

## Official website

For an easy-to-read version of this document and the repository, check out [http://qmk.fm](http://qmk.fm). Nicely formatted keyboard and keymap listings are also available there, along with the ability to download .hex files instead of having to setup a build environment and compile them.

## Included Keyboards

* [Planck](/keyboards/planck/)
* [Preonic](/keyboards/preonic/)
* [Atomic](/keyboards/atomic/)
* [ErgoDox EZ](/keyboards/ergodox/)
* [Clueboard](/keyboards/clueboard/)
* [Cluepad](/keyboards/cluepad/)

The project also includes community support for [lots of other keyboards](/keyboards/).

## Maintainers

QMK is developed and maintained by Jack Humbert of OLKB with contributions from the community, and of course, [Hasu](https://github.com/tmk). This repo used to be a fork of [TMK](https://github.com/tmk/tmk_keyboard), and we are incredibly grateful for his founding contributions to the firmware. We've had to break the fork due to purely technical reasons - it simply became too different over time, and we've had to start refactoring some of the basic bits and pieces. We are huge fans of TMK and Hasu :)

This documentation is edited and maintained by Erez Zukerman of ErgoDox EZ. If you spot any typos or inaccuracies, please [open an issue](https://github.com/jackhumbert/qmk_firmware/issues/new).

The OLKB product firmwares are maintained by [Jack Humbert](https://github.com/jackhumbert), the Ergodox EZ by [Erez Zukerman](https://github.com/ezuk), and the Clueboard by [Zach White](https://github.com/skullydazed).

## Documentation roadmap

This is not a tiny project. While this is the main readme, there are many other files you might want to consult. Here are some points of interest:

* The readme for your own keyboard: This is found under `keyboards/<your keyboards's name>/`. So for the ErgoDox EZ, it's [here](keyboards/ergodox/ez/); for the Planck, it's [here](keyboards/planck/) and so on.
* The list of possible keycodes you can use in your keymap is actually spread out in a few different places:
  * [doc/keycode.txt](doc/keycode.txt) - an explanation of those same keycodes.
  * [quantum/keymap.h](quantum/keymap.h) - this is where the QMK-specific aliases are all set up. Things like the Hyper and Meh key, the Leader key, and all of the other QMK innovations. These are also explained and documented below, but `keymap.h` is where they're actually defined.
* The [TMK documentation](doc/TMK_README.md). QMK is based on TMK, and this explains how it works internally.

# Getting started

Before you are able to compile, you'll need to install an environment for AVR development. You'll find the instructions for any OS below. If you find another/better way to set things up from scratch, please consider [making a pull request](https://github.com/jackhumbert/qmk_firmware/pulls) with your changes!

## Build Environment Setup

### Windows 10

It's still recommended to use the method for Vista and later below. The reason for this is that the Windows 10 Subsystem for Linux lacks [USB support](https://wpdev.uservoice.com/forums/266908-command-prompt-console-bash-on-ubuntu-on-windo/suggestions/13355724-unable-to-access-usb-devices-from-bash), so it's not possible to flash the firmware to the keyboard. Please add your vote to the link!

That said, it's still possible to use it for compilation. And recommended, if you need to compile much, since it's much faster than at least Cygwin (which is also supported, but currently lacking documentation). I haven't tried the method below, so I'm unable to tell.

Here are the steps

1. Install the Windows 10 subsystem for Linux, following [these instructions](http://www.howtogeek.com/249966/how-to-install-and-use-the-linux-bash-shell-on-windows-10/).
2. If you have previously cloned the repository using the normal Git bash, you will need to clean up the line endings. If you have cloned it after 20th of August 2016, you are likely fine. To clean up the line endings do the following
   1. Make sure that you have no changes you haven't committed by running `git status`, if you do commit them first
   2. From within the Git bash run `git rm --cached -r .`
   3. Followed by `git reset --hard`
3. Start the "Bash On Ubuntu On Windows" from the start menu
4. With the bash open, navigate to your Git checkout. The harddisk can be accessed from `/mnt` for example `/mnt/c` for the `c:\` drive.
5. Run `sudo util/install_dependencies.sh`. 
6. After a while the installation will finish, and you are good to go

**Note** From time to time, the dependencies might change, so just run `install_dependencies.sh` again if things are not working.

**Warning:** If you edit Makefiles or shell scripts, make sure you are using an editor that saves the files with Unix line endings. Otherwise the compilation might not work.


### Windows (Vista and later)
1. If you have ever installed WinAVR, uninstall it.
2. Install [MHV AVR Tools](https://infernoembedded.com/sites/default/files/project/MHV_AVR_Tools_20131101.exe). Disable smatch, but **be sure to leave the option to add the tools to the PATH checked**.
3. Install [MinGW](https://sourceforge.net/projects/mingw/files/Installer/mingw-get-setup.exe/download). During installation, uncheck the option to install a graphical user interface. **DO NOT change the default installation folder.** The scripts depend on the default location.
4. Clone this repository. [This link will download it as a zip file, which you'll need to extract.](https://github.com/jackhumbert/qmk_firmware/archive/master.zip) Open the extracted folder in Windows Explorer.
5. Double-click on the 1-setup-path-win batch script to run it. You'll need to accept a User Account Control prompt. Press the spacebar to dismiss the success message in the command prompt that pops up.
6. Right-click on the 2-setup-environment-win batch script, select "Run as administrator", and accept the User Account Control prompt. This part may take a couple of minutes, and you'll need to approve a driver installation, but once it finishes, your environment is complete!
7. Future build commands should be run from the MHV AVR Shell, which sets up an environment compatible with colorful build output. The standard Command Prompt will also work, but add `COLOR=false` to the end of all make commands when using it.

### Mac
If you're using [homebrew,](http://brew.sh/) you can use the following commands:

    brew tap osx-cross/avr
    brew install avr-libc
    brew install dfu-programmer

This is the recommended method. If you don't have homebrew, [install it!](http://brew.sh/) It's very much worth it for anyone who works in the command line.

You can also try these instructions:

1. Install Xcode from the App Store.
2. Install the Command Line Tools from `Xcode->Preferences->Downloads`.
3. Install [DFU-Programmer][dfu-prog].

### Linux

To ensure you are always up to date, you can just run `sudo utils/install_dependencies.sh`. That should always install all the dependencies needed. 

You can also install things manually, but this documentation might not be always up to date with all requirements.

The current requirements are the following, but not all might be needed depending on what you do. Also note that some systems might not have all the dependencies available as packages, or they might be named differently.

```
build-essential
gcc
unzip
wget
zip
gcc-avr
binutils-avr
avr-libc
dfu-programmer
dfu-util
gcc-arm-none-eabi
binutils-arm-none-eabi
libnewlib-arm-none-eabi
git
```

Install the dependencies with your favorite package manager.

Debian/Ubuntu example:

    sudo apt-get update
    sudo apt-get install gcc unzip wget zip gcc-avr binutils-avr avr-libc dfu-programmer dfu-util gcc-arm-none-eabi binutils-arm-none-eabi libnewlib-arm-none-eabi

### Docker

If this is a bit complex for you, Docker might be the turn-key solution you need. After installing [Docker](https://www.docker.com/products/docker), run the following command at the root of the QMK folder to build a keyboard/keymap:

```bash
# You'll run this every time you want to build a keymap
# modify the keymap and keyboard assigment to compile what you want
# defaults are ergodox/default

docker run -e keymap=gwen -e keyboard=ergodox --rm -v $('pwd'):/qmk:rw edasque/qmk_firmware

```

This will compile the targetted keyboard/keymap and leave it in your QMK directory for you to flash.

### Vagrant
If you have any problems building the firmware, you can try using a tool called Vagrant. It will set up a virtual computer with a known configuration that's ready-to-go for firmware building. OLKB does NOT host the files for this virtual computer. Details on how to set up Vagrant are in the [VAGRANT_GUIDE file](doc/VAGRANT_GUIDE.md).

## Verify Your Installation
1. If you haven't already, obtain this repository ([https://github.com/jackhumbert/qmk_firmware](https://github.com/jackhumbert/qmk_firmware)). You can either download it as a zip file and extract it, or clone it using the command line tool git or the Github Desktop application.
2. Open up a terminal or command prompt and navigate to the `qmk_firmware` folder using the `cd` command. The command prompt will typically open to your home directory. If, for example, you cloned the repository to your Documents folder, then you would type `cd Documents/qmk_firmware`. If you extracted the file from a zip, then it may be named `qmk_firmware-master` instead.
3. To confirm that you're in the correct location, you can display the contents of your current folder using the `dir` command on Windows, or the `ls` command on Linux or Mac. You should see several files, including `readme.md` and a `quantum` folder. From here, you need to navigate to the appropriate folder under `keyboards/`. For example, if you're building for a Planck, run `cd keyboards/planck`.
4. Once you're in the correct keyboard-specific folder, run the `make` command. This should output a lot of information about the build process. More information about the `make` command can be found below.

# Customizing your keymap

In every keymap folder, the following files are recommended:

* `config.h` - the options to configure your keymap
* `keymap.c` - all of your keymap code, required
* `Makefile` - the features of QMK that are enabled, required to run `make` in your keymap folder
* `readme.md` - a description of your keymap, how others might use it, and explanations of features 

## The `make` command

The `make` command is how you compile the firmware into a .hex file, which can be loaded by a dfu programmer (like dfu-progammer via `make dfu`) or the [Teensy loader](https://www.pjrc.com/teensy/loader.html) (only used with Teensys).

**NOTE:** To abort a make command press `Ctrl-c`

The following instruction refers to these folders.

* The `root` (`/`) folder is the qmk_firmware folder, in which are `doc`, `keyboard`, `quantum`, etc.
* The `keyboard` folder is any keyboard project's folder, like `/keyboards/planck`.
* The `keymap` folder is any keymap's folder, like `/keyboards/planck/keymaps/default`.
* The `subproject` folder is the subproject folder of a keyboard, like `/keyboards/ergodox/ez`

### Simple instructions for building and uploading a keyboard

**Most keyboards have more specific instructions in the keyboard specific readme.md file, so please check that first**

If the `keymap` folder contains a file name `Makefile`

1. Change the directory to the `keymap` folder 
2. Run `make <subproject>-<programmer>`

Otherwise, if there's no `Makefile` in the `keymap` folder

1. Enter the `keyboard` folder
2. Run `make <subproject>-<keymap>-<programmer>`

In the above commands, replace:

* `<keymap>` with the name of your keymap
* `<subproject>` with the name of the subproject (revision or sub-model of your keyboard). For example, for Ergodox it can be `ez` or `infinity`, and for Planck `rev3` or `rev4`.
  * If the keyboard doesn't have a subproject, or if you are happy with the default (defined in `rules.mk` file of the `keyboard` folder), you can leave it out. But remember to also remove the dash (`-`) from the command.
* `<programmer>` The programmer to use. Most keyboards use `dfu`, but some use `teensy`. Infinity keyboards use `dfu-util`. Check the readme file in the keyboard folder to find out which programmer to use.
  * If you  don't add `-<programmer` to the command line, the firmware will be still be compiled into a hex file, but the upload will be skipped.

**NOTE:** Some operating systems will refuse to program unless you run the make command as root for example `sudo make dfu`

### More detailed make instruction

The full syntax of the `make` command is the following, but parts of the command can be left out if you run it from other directories than the `root` (as you might already have noticed by reading the simple instructions).

`<keyboard>-<subproject>-<keymap>-<target>`, where:

* `<keyboard>` is the name of the keyboard, for example `planck`
  * Use `allkb` to compile all keyboards
* `<subproject>` is the name of the subproject (revision or sub-model of the keyboard). For example, for Ergodox it can be `ez` or `infinity`, and for Planck `rev3` or `rev4`.
  * If the keyboard doesn't have any subprojects, it can be left out
  * To compile the default subproject, you can leave it out, or specify `defaultsp`
  * Use `allsp` to compile all subprojects
* `<keymap>` is the name of the keymap, for example `algernon`
  * Use `allkm` to compile all keymaps
* `<target>` will be explained in more detail below.

**Note:** When you leave some parts of the command out, you should also remove the dash (`-`).

As mentioned above, there are some shortcuts, when you are in a:

* `keyboard` folder, the command will automatically fill the `<keyboard>` part. So you only need to type `<subproject>-<keymap>-<target>`
* `subproject` folder, it will fill in both `<keyboard>` and `<subproject>`
* `keymap` folder, then `<keyboard>` and `<keymap>` will be filled in. If you need to specify the `<subproject>` use the following syntax `<subproject>-<target>`
  * Note in order to support this shortcut, the keymap needs its own Makefile (see the example [here](/doc/keymap_makefile_example.mk))
* `keymap` folder of a `subproject`, then everything except the `<target>` will be filled in

The `<target>` means the following
* If no target is given, then it's the same as `all` below
* `all` compiles the keyboard and generates a `<keyboard>_<keymap>.hex` file in whichever folder you run `make` from. These files are ignored by git, so don't worry about deleting them when committing/creating pull requests.
* `dfu`, `teensy` or `dfu-util`, compile and upload the firmware to the keyboard. If the compilation fails, then nothing will be uploaded. The programmer to use depends on the keyboard. For most keyboards it's `dfu`, but for Infinity keyboards you should use `dfu-util`, and `teensy` for standard Teensys. To find out which command you should use for your keyboard, check the keyboard specific readme. **Note** that some operating systems needs root access for these commands to work, so in that case you need to run for example `sudo make dfu`.
* `clean`, cleans the build output folders to make sure that everything is built from scratch. Run this before normal compilation if you have some unexplainable problems.

Some other targets are supported but, but not important enough to be documented here. Check the source code of the make files for more information.

You can also add extra options at the end of the make command line, after the target

* `make COLOR=false` - turns off color output
* `make SILENT=true` - turns off output besides errors/warnings
* `make VERBOSE=true` - outputs all of the gcc stuff (not interesting, unless you need to debug)

The make command itself also has some additional options, type `make --help` for more information. The most useful is probably `-jx`, which specifies that you want to compile using more than one CPU, the `x` represents the number of CPUs that you want to use. Setting that can greatly reduce the compile times, especially if you are compiling many keyboards/keymaps. I usually set it to one less than the number of CPUs that I have, so that I have some left for doing other things while it's compiling. Note that not all operating systems and make versions supports that option.

Here are some examples commands

* `make allkb-allsp-allkm` builds everything (all keyboards, all subprojects, all keymaps). Running just `make` from the `root` will also run this.
* `make` from within a `keyboard` directory, is the same as `make keyboard-allsp-allkm`, which compiles all subprojects and keymaps of the keyboard. **NOTE** that this behaviour has changed. Previously it compiled just the default keymap.
* `make ergodox-infinity-algernon-clean` will clean the build output of the Ergodox Infinity keyboard. This example uses the full syntax and can be run from any folder with a `Makefile`
* `make dfu COLOR=false` from within a keymap folder, builds and uploads the keymap, but without color output.

## The `Makefile`

There are 5 different `make` and `Makefile` locations:

* root (`/`)
* keyboard (`/keyboards/<keyboard>/`)
* keymap (`/keyboards/<keyboard>/keymaps/<keymap>/`)
* subproject (`/keyboards/<keyboard>/<subproject>`)
* subproject keymap (`/keyboards/<keyboard>/<subproject>/keymaps/<keymap>`)

The root contains the code used to automatically figure out which keymap or keymaps to compile based on your current directory and commandline arguments. It's considered stable, and shouldn't be modified. The keyboard one will contain the MCU set-up and default settings for your keyboard, and shouldn't be modified unless you are the producer of that keyboard. The keymap Makefile can be modified by users, and is optional. It is included automatically if it exists. You can see an example [here](/doc/keymap_makefile_example.mk) - the last few lines are the most important. The settings you set here will override any defaults set in the keyboard Makefile. **The file is required if you want to run `make` in the keymap folder.**

For keyboards and subprojects, the make files are split in two parts `Makefile` and `rules.mk`. All settings can be found in the `rules.mk` file, while the `Makefile` is just there for support and including the root `Makefile`. Keymaps contain just one `Makefile` for simplicity.

### Makefile options

Set the variables to `no` to disable them, and `yes` to enable them.

`BOOTMAGIC_ENABLE`

This allows you to hold a key and the salt key (space by default) and have access to a various EEPROM settings that persist over power loss. It's advised you keep this disabled, as the settings are often changed by accident, and produce confusing results that makes it difficult to debug. It's one of the more common problems encountered in help sessions.

`MOUSEKEY_ENABLE`

This gives you control over cursor movements and clicks via keycodes/custom functions.

`EXTRAKEY_ENABLE`

This allows you to use the system and audio control key codes.

`CONSOLE_ENABLE`

This allows you to print messages that can be read using [`hid_listen`](https://www.pjrc.com/teensy/hid_listen.html). Add this to your `Makefile`, and set it to `yes`. Then put `println`, `printf`, etc. in your keymap or anywhere in the `qmk` source. Finally, open `hid_listen` and enjoy looking at your printed messages.

`COMMAND_ENABLE`

TODO

`SLEEP_LED_ENABLE`

Enables your LED to breath while your computer is sleeping. Timer1 is being used here. This feature is largely unused and untested, and needs updating/abstracting.

`NKRO_ENABLE`

This allows for n-key rollover (default is 6) to be enabled. It is off by default, but can be forced by adding `#define FORCE_NKRO` to your config.h.

`BACKLIGHT_ENABLE`

This enables your backlight on Timer1 and ports B5, B6, or B7 (for now). You can specify your port by putting this in your `config.h`:

    #define BACKLIGHT_PIN B7

`MIDI_ENABLE`

This enables MIDI sending and receiving with your keyboard. To enter MIDI send mode, you can use the keycode `MI_ON`, and `MI_OFF` to turn it off. This is a largely untested feature, but more information can be found in the `quantum/quantum.c` file.

`UNICODE_ENABLE`

This allows you to send unicode symbols via `UC(<unicode>)` in your keymap. Only codes up to 0x7FFF are currently supported.

`BLUETOOTH_ENABLE`

This allows you to interface with a Bluefruit EZ-key to send keycodes wirelessly. It uses the D2 and D3 pins.

`AUDIO_ENABLE`

This allows you output audio on the C6 pin (needs abstracting). See the [audio section](#driving-a-speaker---audio-support) for more information.

### Customizing Makefile options on a per-keymap basis

If your keymap directory has a file called `Makefile` (note the filename), any Makefile options you set in that file will take precedence over other Makefile options for your particular keyboard.

So let's say your keyboard's makefile has `BACKLIGHT_ENABLE = yes` (or maybe doesn't even list the `BACKLIGHT_ENABLE` option, which would cause it to be off). You want your particular keymap to not have the debug console, so you make a file called `Makefile` and specify `BACKLIGHT_ENABLE = no`.

You can use the `doc/keymap_makefile_example.md` as a template/starting point.

## The `config.h` file

There are 2 `config.h` locations:

* keyboard (`/keyboards/<keyboard>/`)
* keymap (`/keyboards/<keyboard>/keymaps/<keymap>/`)

The keyboard `config.h` is included only if the keymap one doesn't exist. The format to use for your custom one [is here](/doc/keymap_config_h_example.h). If you want to override a setting from the parent `config.h` file, you need to do this:

```c
#undef MY_SETTING
#define MY_SETTING 4
```

For a value of `4` for this imaginary setting. So we `undef` it first, then `define` it.

You can then override any settings, rather than having to copy and paste the whole thing.

# Going beyond the keycodes

Aside from the [basic keycodes](doc/keycode.txt), your keymap can include shortcuts to common operations.

## Quick aliases to common actions

Your keymap can include shortcuts to common operations (called "function actions" in tmk).

These functions work the same way that their `ACTION_*` functions do - they're just quick aliases. To dig into all of the tmk `ACTION_*` functions, please see the [TMK documentation](https://github.com/jackhumbert/qmk_firmware/blob/master/doc/keymap.md#2-action).

Instead of using `FNx` when defining `ACTION_*` functions, you can use `F(x)` - the benefit here is being able to use more than 32 function actions (up to 4096), if you happen to need them.

### Switching and toggling layers

`MO(layer)` - momentary switch to *layer*. As soon as you let go of the key, the layer is deactivated and you pop back out to the previous layer. When you apply this to a key, that same key must be set as `KC_TRNS` on the destination layer. Otherwise, you won't make it back to the original layer when you release the key (and you'll get a keycode sent). You can only switch to layers *above* your current layer. If you're on layer 0 and you us