Mac: Don’t like pressing ALT+3 to do a hash #? Bind the \ backspace key to hash just like on Windows!
I like my Macbook. Great for coding and internet browsing. I can’t really game on it, but who cares when you’ve got a gaming machine for those times? One small thing that annoys me is having to press ALT + 3 every time I need a hash #. Whether it be for CSS ids or hex colors, my thumb has to perform an awkward maneuver to reach that ALT key while my middle finger presses 3.
Only after a year have I ever thought about binding the backslash key to hash for ease of use. But what about doing backslashes if the key is bound to hash? Well you can press FN + \ to do a backspace.
Here’s how to bind your keys:
1) Download and Install KeyRemap4MacBook
From: http://pqrs.org/macosx/keyremap4macbook/
2) Add an additional entry to the key binding’s XML file
Go to System Preferences, click KeyRemap4Macbook, then go to the Misc & Uninstall tab.
Click ‘Open private.xml’. You’ll want to open this in TextEdit or something similar.
Now add the following <item> so your private.xml looks like this:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 | <?xml version="1.0"?> <root> <item> <name>Backslash(\) to Hash # (Alt+3)</name> <appendix>(+Alt+Backslash to Backslash)</appendix> <identifier>remap.iso_backslash_to_hash_option_backslash_to_backslash</identifier> <autogen>--KeyToKey-- KeyCode::BACKSLASH, VK_OPTION, KeyCode::BACKSLASH</autogen> <autogen>--KeyToKey-- KeyCode::BACKSLASH, ModifierFlag::NONE, KeyCode::KEY_3, ModifierFlag::OPTION_L</autogen> </item> </root> |
After adding that, save the file, close, then go to the ‘Change Key’ tab on the KeyRemap4Macbook window and click ‘ReloadXML’.
3) Enable the key binding:
First, check ‘Backslash(\) to Hash # (Alt+3)’.
There, you’re done. The hash # is now easily inserted by pressing the backslash key. If you need to do a backslash, press ALT+\, or if you need a pipe | just use SHIFT+ALT+\.
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