NumPad layer without NumPad plugin?

Is it really necessary to use the NumPad plugin for numpad functionality? I mean, if I don’t care for the LED effects provided by that plugin is there really anything else that it provides that I can’t accomplish with an ordinary layer?

Someone correct me if I’m wrong, but … Numlock is a software feature in addition to a keyboard mode—your OS knows if the keyboard is in numlock or not (and can tell the keyboard to switch into/out of it?). The NumPad plugin sets that flag in addition to changing layers.

Do you actually need it? Eh, probably not. If you’re using a Mac, you certainly don’t need it.

Here’s some more info:

If you’re using a Mac, NumLock can actually cause odd behaviour, because the numlock keycode is equivalent to “Key_Clear”. But it all depends on what your Mac detects your keyboard as, which is yet another layer of abstraction… O_o

1 Like