Definitions

To simplify the remaining instructions, there are a few terms you need to know:

element

A dot or dash. Dots are typed using the left button (or by touching the input area's left side), dashes are typed with the right button (or by touching the input area's right side).

 

endmark ( ¤ )

A gesture that tells MouseCode that you're finished entering the pattern for a character. To type an endmark, press and release both buttons at the same time (or touch the screen with two fingers). More precisely:

• press either button (or touch the screen with the first finger) and hold it down.
  
• press the other button (or touch the screen with the second finger) and hold it down for at least a few milliseconds.
  
• release both buttons (or lift both fingers).

pattern

A sequence of dots & dashes ("elements") that define a specific Unicode codepoint.

 

codepoint

What Unicode calls "the number that uniquely identifies a specific character". It's roughly analogous to the "ASCII Code" of an ASCII character. MouseCode Keyboard supports all of the characters you can directly type with a US PC keyboard, plus quite a few more.

digraph

Two (occasionally, three or four) characters whose pattern elements are BOTH entered before typing the endmark.

• This is basically what Morse code historically referred to as a "prosign"
  
• They're indicated by writing the letters with a bar over them. Like THIS: XS
  
  • one or more letters might be shown as lowercase for disambiguation, like Pi and Xo (to avoid confusion with 1, 0, and lowercase-L)
    
• When illustrated as dot/dash elements of a pattern, they're wrapped in «guillemets», and might be color-coded to assist with memorization. Like this: « - . . - . . . »
  
  • Any extra whitespace within a digraph ONLY to show where one character of the digraph ends, and the next begins. The pattern itself is entered as a single continuous sequence of keystrokes.

Procedure for typing a character

Using the left ( . ) and right ( - ) buttons, enter the elements of your desired character's pattern, then signal an endmark ( ¤ ).

If you want to abort the character after you've entered at least one element, but before you've committed it with an endmark, you can reset MouseCode's state machine by entering at least 7 dots followed by a dash (no endmark after the dash... just continue with the new sequence of elements).

If you want to type a space, just enter an endmark without first entering any elements.

• To type "x" followed by a space, you'd click « -..- ¤ ¤ »
  
• The first endmark (¤)would output the character whose pattern is dash-dot-dot-dash ("x") and clear the element buffer.
  
• The second endmark (¤) would generate a space, since the element buffer would be empty.

Aborting a character in progress

If you make a mistake while entering the pattern's elements, there are two ways to cancel it:

• If you're using the touchscreen, tap the screen with three fingers.
  
• If you're using a mouse, scroll up or down using the mouse wheel (any distance is ok, as long as it registers at least one notch)

Backspacing

There are two ways to backspace:

• If you're using the touchscreen, touch the screen with three fingers (triggering a cancellation gesture), then (while continuing to touch the screen with two of the fingers) tap the screen with the remaining finger to backspace.
  
• If you're using a mouse, flush the character composition buffer (by scrolling the mouse wheel), then enter « . . - - » to trigger "backspace mode". In backspace mode, press endmark (¤) one or more times to trigger backspaces. When you're finished, continue entering the next character. If you want to go directly from backspace mode to typing a space, roll the mouse wheel to exit backspace mode (via cancellation gesture), then press endmark (¤) one or more times to enter spaces.

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