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What is CapsLockX?

CapsLockX is a Windows background utility (AutoHotkey v2) that turns Caps Lock into a modifier layer — the same idea as the classic Capslock+, rebuilt for reliability:

• Hold Caps → layer shortcuts active (movement, selection, clipboard, window switching).
• Tap Caps → toggles Caps Lock LED by default (like Windows).
• While the layer is off → normal typing, IME, and system shortcuts are untouched.

Layer hotkeys are registered only while Caps is held (dynamic On/Off), not filtered on every keystroke — so typing and input methods stay stable.

Requires Windows and AutoHotkey v2 (for running from source) or use the pre-built CapsLockX.exe.

Features

Feature	Description
Home-row editing	Vim-style E/S/D/F move, I/J/K/L select — see table below
Clipboard	C / V / X copy, paste, cut
Window slots 1–9	Caps+1…9 activate bound windows; Caps+Win+1… bind current window
Live settings	Edit CapsLockX-settings.ini — changes apply in ~0.5s without reload
Remote-desktop safe	Caps layer auto-suspends in RDP, VMware, ToDesk, etc.
Recovery	Tray menu “释放键盘层”, or Ctrl+Alt+F12 emergency release

Quick start

Pre-built executable

1. Copy everything from release/ to a folder (e.g. C:\exe\capslock\).
2. Run CapsLockX.exe — icon appears in the system tray.
3. Optional: tray menu → 开机自启.

From source

1. Install AutoHotkey v2.
2. Clone this repository.
3. Run CapsLockX.ahk.

Build a fresh exe: .\build.ps1 → output in release/.

How to use

Action	Result
Hold Caps + key	Layer shortcut (e.g. Caps+J = select left)
Tap Caps (short press, no layer key)	Toggle Caps Lock LED (press_caps=toggleCapsLock)
Caps + 1…9	Switch to window bound in slot 1…9
Caps + Win + 1 (tap once)	Bind active window to slot 1 (single-window mode)
Caps + Win + 1 (tap twice)	Add to slot 1 (multi-window mode)
Caps + Win + 1 (tap three times)	Bind all windows of same app (type 3)
Caps + Win + 1 (tap four times)	Clear slot 1 window binding

Default movement & selection (hold Caps)

        E  ↑          I  Shift+↑
    S ←   D →    J ←   L →
        F  ↓          K  Shift+↓

Key	Action	Key	Action
E / D / F	Move up / down / right	I / K / L	Select up / down / right
S	Move left	J	Select left
W	Backspace	R	Delete
C / V / X	Copy / paste / cut	P / O	Home / End
Space	Enter	Backspace	Delete line

Full defaults are in GetDefaultKeyBindings() in lib/Keys.ahk.

Settings (CapsLockX-settings.ini)

Tap Caps & IME

; Default: tap toggles Caps Lock LED (Windows-like)
press_caps=toggleCapsLock

; For Chinese IME: tap does nothing (avoids accidental uppercase English)
; press_caps=none

Win+Space and other IME switch shortcuts are not intercepted when Caps is not held.

Remote desktop

remoteLayerSuspend=1
remoteForegroundExes=
remoteForegroundClasses=
remoteForegroundTitleHints=

Built-in clients (mstsc, VMware, ToDesk, etc.) always skip the layer; add custom exe/class/title hints for browser-based remote tools.

Customize hotkeys

Edit the [Keys] section in CapsLockX-settings.ini. Action names are methods on the KeyActions class in lib/Keys.ahk, for example:

caps_f7=reload
caps_q=none

V2 action names only (copy, moveLeft, winbind_activate(1), …). Legacy keyFunc_* names are not supported.

Logs & troubleshooting

File	Purpose
CapsLockX-error.log	Errors, legacy key warnings
CapsLockX-storm.log	Hotkey burst diagnostics
Tray → 释放键盘层	Force layer off if keys feel stuck

Tests

.\tests\run_tests.ps1
# or
AutoHotkey64.exe tests\run_tests.ahk -q

Project layout

File	Description
CapsLockX.ahk	Entry: layer lifecycle and key handlers
lib/CapsEntry.ahk	CapsLock entry hotkeys
lib/CapsHotkeys.ahk	Layer hotkeys (On only while Caps held)
lib/CapsLayer.ahk	Layer lifecycle, tap detection, watchdog
lib/Keys.ahk	Key actions and default bindings
lib/BindWins.ahk	Window binding (CapsLockX-wins.ini)
lib/Settings.ahk	Settings load and live monitor
lib/CapsRepeatGuard.ahk	Single-shot key repeat suppression
lib/RemoteForeground.ahk	Suspend layer in remote sessions
lib/HotkeyStormDiag.ahk	Hotkey burst logging
lib/Tray.ahk	Tray icon and menu
lib/Util.ahk	Shared helpers
tests/run_tests.ahk	Test suite
build.ps1	Compile CapsLockX.exe into release/