# Shift as shift when pressed alone, but a layer modifier when combined?

**URL:** <https://community.keyboard.io/t/shift-as-shift-when-pressed-alone-but-a-layer-modifier-when-combined/6063>\
**Category:** Help and Getting Started\
**Created:** [December 11, 2022, 6:32am UTC](https://community.keyboard.io/t/shift-as-shift-when-pressed-alone-but-a-layer-modifier-when-combined/6063 "2022-12-11T06:32:49Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![kaiser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dfb087/32.png) [@kaiser](https://community.keyboard.io/u/kaiser)\
**Post date:** [December 11, 2022, 6:32am UTC](https://community.keyboard.io/t/shift-as-shift-when-pressed-alone-but-a-layer-modifier-when-combined/6063/1 "2022-12-11T06:32:49Z")

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I’d like my shift keys to act as shift when pressed alone (some applications respond to double shifts) but as a layer modifier when held. For some reason Chrysalis cannot accommodate. Any ideas?

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**Author:** ![merlin](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex031/user_avatar/community.keyboard.io/merlin/32/3416_2.png) [@merlin](https://community.keyboard.io/u/merlin)\
**Post date:** [December 11, 2022, 6:17pm UTC](https://community.keyboard.io/t/shift-as-shift-when-pressed-alone-but-a-layer-modifier-when-combined/6063/2 "2022-12-11T18:17:16Z")

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This is one of those corner cases that is not so easy to handle. While it is possible to define a key in Kaleidoscope that seems like it should behave this way (`LT(N, LeftShift)`), it wasn’t really considered in the design of the DualUse keys, and if it is possible to define a key like this in Chrysalis, It probably shouldn’t be. The reason is that Qukeys will treat this key as if its primary and alternate key values are reversed, so a tap would give the layer shift and a press and hold would result in the `shift`.

This type of key can still be defined in Kaleidoscope, but you’ll need to use a full Qukey definition, not DualUse, and you’ll need to reverse the “tap” and “hold” values, with the layer shift in the keymap, and the keyboard modifier as the alternate.

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**Author:** ![kaiser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dfb087/32.png) [@kaiser](https://community.keyboard.io/u/kaiser)\
**Post date:** [December 11, 2022, 7:10pm UTC](https://community.keyboard.io/t/shift-as-shift-when-pressed-alone-but-a-layer-modifier-when-combined/6063/3 "2022-12-11T19:10:11Z")

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That worked like a charm! Thank you!