Shortcut Keys in Parallels (NVivo and Atlas ti)

Things I've Tried

1] Using AutoHotKey to customize key mappings (FAIL)

This almost works, but it may be obsolete for Windows 7. The idea is to tell Windows to switch the "control" and "command" keys.

It was finicky and the "auto" part was a lie. I had to mess with it every time I opened Windows, which, because I don't just magically understand coding syntax, meant I had to Google each problem and copy and paste another line of code. Plus, even when it "worked" it was too easy to double-map things and freak Windows out. I think this contributed to a few NVivo crashes.

2] Changing shortcut keys in the programs (FAIL)

NVivo 9 removed this option. I never found it in Atlas Ti 6.

3] Changing settings in OS preferences (FAIL)

I can't remember all the different ones I tried, but the goal was to make it so that the function keys weren't tied to the OS X utilities (like Spaces, Expose, changing screen brightness etc). I never found a setting that helped with Parallels that didn't annoy me the rest of the time. I don't like the Function key. It's dumb.

4] Changing configuration of Virtual Machines (FAIL)

This might work with more effort, but I couldn't get the changes to stick (kept reverting back) or be consistent. It would work for some programs, but confuse NVivo, or it would stop working in the middle of a session.

5] Changing Parallels Preferences (PERSONAL/PYRRHIC VICTORY!)

Update

I turned off the "allow Mac OS X shortcuts" option in Parallels / Preferences / Keyboard. This is generally good, but it means I get stuck in Full Screen mode unless I flick-n-click the hot corner, which is dirty-sounding and annoying because then it switches to Window mode just because I wanted to check my email or what not.

Update the Second: 

Also, in Coherence mode the "Cmd + Q" shortcut I use for creating a new code tries to close the program. Modality fixes that problem, but sucks in almost every other way. "Window Mode" seems to be okay.

Update the Third: 

The four-finger horizontal swipe allows me to switch programs/spaces pretty easily.

Update the Fourth: 

 There's probably a better way to keep track of this stuff.

In Parallels Preferences / Keyboard, you can check a box in the Generic profile to kill the Windows key. I don't like the Windows key. It's dumb. Also check the box to allow Mac OS X shortcuts, because this makes it easy to use the full screen view with spaces.

In the Windows profile (each Virtual Machine has one profile mapped to it, the "edit profiles" button lets you change which VM uses which profile), map whatever key combos you want to the most useful shortcuts in Nvivo or Atlas. I mapped Command + Q, W, E, R and T toControl + F3, F4, F5 and F9, because those are most useful for coding.

Penta-Update:

Cntrl + Alt unshakles the keyboard and mouse from Windows oppression, so that I can use the Cntrl + Arrow Keys shortcut I prefer to navigate Spaces. Fullscreen Windows 7 is a go! I had a big coffee this morning!  So I can disable the "Mac OS X shortcuts" which cause nothing but problems, because all I have to do is press Cntrl+Alt and they're back!

Update 6 (12-09-10):

Shortcut keys broke.  Cmd + E still works, but none of the other ones do anything.  Even when I press them really hard...  It seems to be due to something getting confused about what I have selected in the document: if I try to code it using the toolbars or right-click context menus, it codes the entire document. When nothing is selected the shortcut keys don't work, so maybe it thinks nothing is selected (and it defaults to coding the whole document sometimes).


This may be due to copying and pasting abstracts from PDF articles into Nvivo, which means I should link to this.

Update 7 (12-14-10):

I fixed this by changing the key mappings to Alt+A, Alt+S, Alt+D.  I shouldn't have had to, but if I knew how all this worked I wouldn't have this pathetic nonblog.  A special clue was that if the source was editable, it would just replace the selected text with "q" or "w," suggesting that it wasn't reading the Cmd key as anything.

Also, the problems with selecting were just me being stupid.  There's buttons on the "Analyze" toolbar that are for coding the whole source.  I was using those.  So.  It coded the whole source.

Updeight [See what I did there?]  (12-21-10)

In the "advanced" pane of the Virtual Machine configuration there's a checkbox for "Optimize modifier keys for games" or something cryptic like that.  Having it checked broke my Alt+ shortcuts, so now it's unchecked.

Update 9  (02-01-11)

The shortcut keys for Atlas Ti are actually doable, in a way.  Well, mejor dicho, they require two hands anyway, so it's not skin off my...bodypart... to hit the Fn key as well.  How-the-duck-EVER, since the shortcut key involves the "control" button, the windows pop-up transparent - which is dumb.  So now I go with ALT, C, C, L for list (ALT, C, C, O for open etc).  Commas because it's consecutive, not all at once.