RsKey is not just another software keyboard emulator utility. It is designed as a new solution to PC data entry problems.
For last several years, the hardware keyboard emulator has been looked upon as a new method of data entry to PC. It uses the keyboard port in transferring data to PC from external devices. The technique has proved advantageous; it eliminated various difficulties traditionally considered inevitable in sending external data to PC through RS232c. Where data length is relatively short, the method is replacing RS232c interface. Today, most barcode readers are equipped with the hardware keyboard emulator interface. The trend of using the keyboard port for the data transfer to PC is still making way.
* From a PC, the keyboard and the keyboard emulator device can not be distinguished.
But the keyboard port of PC is not designed in view to communicating with external devices other than the keyboards. Unless this hardware limitation is recognized, an attempt to undertake serious data communication through the port will be troubled with various unexpected setbacks.
Furthermore, most existing application programs are so designed that they are to accept fixed format data. They can not receive data from a device that can not format its data in application specific ways. This suggests another major limitation of the hardware keyboard emulator as the solution of PC data entry; the mere keyboard emulation of external data is inadequate to carry out general-purpose data communication using commercial packages as a host.
*Data on the device will appear on a PC as they are. It is the application programs that have to re-format / translate data coming in from the device.
*The hardware keyboard emulator is transparent to the PC, but not to application programs running on it. It is the software that users interact with and a device should be transparent to PC software, not to PC.
A new solution is on order; one with flexibility of RS232c without sacrificing the advantages of the hardware keyboard emulator. RsKey is offered as the answer. On one hand, it emulates the keyboard in delivering RS232 data to a foreground application program, transparently. No modification to a host program is required. On the other hand, it is able to perform full-fledged RS232c communication.
*Serial devices communicate with RsKey. It does not see application programs.
*Application programs interact with RsKey. It does not see serial devices.
*Anything can happen within RsKey. An external device can assume that RsKey is a communication program. It can send data in whatever speed it wishes, using whatever protocol it thinks suitable. A host program only has to assume that data will be entered on the keyboard.
