Mouse recommendation with truly programmable buttons?

User avatar
didja

10 Mar 2014, 16:35

Greetings friends.

Have any recommendations for programmable mice (windows) to be used for non-gaming productivity via mapping or programming buttons?

- Launch applications
- Run Scripts
- Key combinations (alt+space to minimize for example)
- Volume up/down/mute
- Act as Modifier keys - So you map a button to control on the mouse and can hold it down while pressing a letter on the keyboard to get the desired result - Alt+A for example
- Preferably doing all of this without affecting scan codes of the numpad on a keyboard.

I suspect acting as modifier keys would be tricky.

Some potential mice
Logitech G600
http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-G600-Gam ... B0086UK7IQ

Logitech G602
http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Wireless ... B00E4MQODC

Logitech G500S
http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Gaming-A ... B00CJD4HD2

Logitech G700S
http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-G700s-Re ... B00BFOEY3Y

Razer Naga
http://www.amazon.com/Razer-Naga-2014-G ... B00E8CF268

Redragon Perdition
http://www.amazon.com/Redragon-Perditio ... B00GU8W5AE

User avatar
Kurk

10 Mar 2014, 18:04

Most, maybe even all, of these things can be realized with X-mouse button control under Windows.
http://www.highrez.co.uk/downloads/XMou ... ontrol.htm

User avatar
didja

10 Mar 2014, 20:34

That's really cool, never heard of X-mouse before. I'll give it a shot.

vun

10 Mar 2014, 21:35

Logitech's software is far more powerful in that regard compared to Razer's, so if X-mouse doesn't do it for you(although I'd imagine it should work fine), go for Logitech.

For office use I'd recommend either the G600 or G602, as the G500s offers little in terms of buttons and the G700s battery life is terribly short.

User avatar
wheybags

10 Mar 2014, 23:34

I use a Sharkoon Fireglider Black, it's pretty damn programmable, can map to key presses, releases, etc, even series of them.
The programming util is windows only, but once it's programmed it works everywhere.
It can launch programs too, but ofc that part only works on windows.
Best thing about it is it's pretty cheap, and the black version doesn't have as much GAYMER silliness about it.
(Side note: why are all good mice ruined by gaming marketing :()

davkol

11 Mar 2014, 13:37

Have you seen my Roccat Savu review? I use GNU/Linux, but official Roccat software probably can do about the same stuff... it's stored in the on-board memory after all.
didja wrote:- Launch applications
Possible (although I've never tried to use it).
didja wrote:- Run Scripts
Not too sure about this, what do you mean? Macros (i.e. simulated sequences of keypresses, even with timing) are supported and you could use them to launch your own software scripts. Or the scripts could be applications...?
didja wrote:- Key combinations (alt+space to minimize for example)
Possible.
didja wrote:- Volume up/down/mute
Possible and the better way to do it is called EasyWheel.
didja wrote:- Act as Modifier keys - So you map a button to control on the mouse and can hold it down while pressing a letter on the keyboard to get the desired result - Alt+A for example
At least Win/Mod4 is supported. The others probably not. I've seen this on some hi-end logitechs (IIRC G9x, but not G300)... OTOH they didn't have any alternative to EasyShift.
didja wrote:- Preferably doing all of this without affecting scan codes of the numpad on a keyboard.
You mean like remapping mouse buttons to numpad buttons and then remapping them in software, while ignoring HID identification? You could still use HID Macros for remapping, I suppose.

User avatar
didja

11 Mar 2014, 13:58

With scripts, If you can run a command I suppose that would cover it because you can launch a batch file.

As for numbers on mouse affecting numpad, some mice that I looked at a few years ago (early Naga?) have numbered buttons which map directly to the numpad on your keyboard. So to customize the mouse button, you have to customize the same scan code and therefore key on your numpad. I'd rather not do this so I can use a numpad as well as customized mouse.

I think I'll go for a Logitech and experiment with some of the suggestions above. Thank you.

davkol

11 Mar 2014, 14:25

I'm not familiar with the naga, but if I understand it correctly, the mouse's numpad is basically just another numpad and remapping is done on software level, in Synapse. Then it shouldn't be an issue to use something like HID Macros instead of Synapse, and remap keys on each numpad independently.

fyx

14 May 2014, 20:07

a4tech x7 F6 (http://www.x7.cn/en/product.asp?id=64)
Budget option. It looks cheap on ads, but actually it feels quite solid in hand. The scripting options go beyond your request, except running apps/scripts (but I don't see how mouse emulating keyboard could do that for you, unless you make OS dependent macro).

The a4tech scripting language includes: goto, for, pause, full keyboard emulator, mouse emulator, if branching, math operators: +-, bitwise operators: and, or, xor.

Probably the most complicated script I ever wrote for the mouse was for my mic button. Single button press for 1 second broadcast, holding the button to enable broadcasting, double press for broadcasting until I press it again. Each of the three modes had 500 ms cooldown to avoid my voice being cut (mic latency...). All of it on single mouse button.

- Launch applications: only with a4tech software installed.
- Run Scripts: same as above.
- Key combinations (alt+space to minimize for example): yes.
- Volume up/down/mute: yes.
- Act as Modifier keys: yes.
- Preferably doing all of this without affecting scan codes of the numpad on a keyboard: not sure, never had single problem.

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