AutoHotkey: Why do hotkeys break remappings?

Question

I want to swap LAlt with LCtrl, which is straightforward enough by itself:

#SingleInstance Force
#UseHook
#MenuMaskKey VKFF
SetWorkingDir %A_ScriptDir%
SendMode Input
LAlt::RCtrl
RCtrl::LAlt

It just works. But the main reason I want to do it is to block LAlt's function as a menu key. I want combinations of the physical LAlt button with J, K, L, I to function as Arrow keys and LAlt not being completely silenced means I cannot use those to navigate context menus — since Alt closes them on key-down. And it is exactly what happens if I add <!i::Send {Up} to the script. Now LAlt isn't blocked on key-down — pressing it now shows underscores up top under menu option names, which wasn't the case previously, and any open context menu will be closed.

So my main question is: Why does this happen? Why do (additional) hotkeys break remappings and what ways are there of preventing\working around\dealing with that?

Now, one way I know how to fix this is to use >^i::Send {Up} and, since the hotkey doesn't work otherwise, remove SendMode Input. But the docs say SendInput is better and thus I chose another way — split the script in two and have one run the other.

; Script One:                                   ; Script Two (two.ahk):

#SingleInstance Force                            #SingleInstance Force
#UseHook                                         #UseHook
#MenuMaskKey VKFF                                #MenuMaskKey VKFF
SetWorkingDir %A_ScriptDir%                      SetWorkingDir %A_ScriptDir%
SendMode Input                                   SendMode Input

Run two.ahk                                      >^i::Send {RCtrl up}{Up}{RCtrl down}
                                                 >^k::Send {RCtrl up}{Down}{RCtrl down}
LAlt::RCtrl                                      >^j::Send {RCtrl up}{Left}{RCtrl down}
RCtrl::LAlt                                      >^l::Send {RCtrl up}{Right}{RCtrl down}
Capslock::Backspace                              >^o::Send +{F10}

This seems to work fine, but is there a better way I can achieve what I want? Like doing it in one file, keeping SendMode Input and not having to neutralize RCtrl with {RCtrl up} ... {RCtrl down}?

Lifeweaver Lifeweaver · Accepted Answer · 2021-03-21T01:47:02

From the docs:

Although a remapped key can trigger normal hotkeys, by default it cannot trigger mouse hotkeys or hook hotkeys

Since you have #UseHook, I think if you play with #InputLevel you can do what you want https://www.autohotkey.com/docs/commands/_InputLevel.htm

AutoHotkey: Why do hotkeys break remappings?

1 Answers