twislaandClaude Opus 5.5
7fe8b3d22a
Fn+h on any screen, text fields included, and ? outside Text Entry, open a panel over the content area: the screen's own keys, then the ones that work everywhere. Every App declares its keys for the state it is in (pages, viewers, dialogs and text fields answer for themselves); the App manager opens the panel and takes every key while it is open. About 30 hint lines are gone, from every App. What stays on a screen is state. The first-start Setup keeps its hints and teaches the key; a device set up before gets one Toast, once. The guide and the FAQ open with it. `key help` over the consoles. 476 host tests (8 new). Checked on the device with key help and screenshots: the Launcher, all nine Apps and several of their states. 8.5 KB of flash and 40 bytes of static RAM. Decisions Q196 to Q203 in docs/milestones/U1.md. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com> Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_01EhqxQ49eCju4CzKYNjZzwT
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+++ title = "The basics" description = "The keys, the Launcher, the Status Bar and what happens the first time you switch the device on." weight = 1 [extra] tag = "Start here" +++
One key to remember
Fn + h, on any screen, lists the keys that work there. No screen names its keys: that key does. It works everywhere, in a text field too, and ? does the same whenever you are not typing. The arrows scroll the list; any other key closes it.
The list is for the screen you are on: in Storage it is the file keys, in a dialog it is the dialog's, in a text field it is the editing keys. Each list ends with the keys that work everywhere.
If you only read one paragraph of this guide, this was it.
The keys
The Cardputer's keyboard has no arrow keys and no Escape, so the firmware gives a few keys a second job:
| Key | Does |
|---|---|
| Enter | Opens or confirms the selected item |
| ` | Back: one step out of a screen, and out of an App |
| Fn + ` | Home: back to the Launcher |
| Fn + ; . , / | The arrows: up, down, left, right |
| ; . , / alone | The same arrows, as long as you are not typing text |
| Fn + h, or ? when not typing | Help: the keys of the screen you are on |
| Tab | Switches view in an App that has more than one |
| Del | Deletes backwards when you type |
| opt then an accent, then a letter | Types an accented letter: opt ' e gives é |
While you type text (a note, an IRC line, a setting), ; . , / type their own characters and you need Fn for the arrows. The Status Bar shows opt while a compose is waiting for its letter.
The Launcher
The home screen lists the Apps. Move with the arrows, open one with Enter. Back inside an App returns here.
The Status Bar
A strip at the top of every screen: the name of the App on the left, and on the right, from the edge inwards:
| Shows | Means |
|---|---|
| the time | The clock, once Wi-Fi or a GNSS fix has set it |
[3] |
Unread IRC messages that mention you, or private ones |
97% |
The battery (in the warning colour at 15% and under) |
SD |
A card is in; the warning colour at 80% full |
bars and W |
Wi-Fi connected, with its signal; W? is searching; MON is the Wi-Fi radio in its monitoring mode, which pauses IRC |
DBG |
The Debug Console is switched on (Settings → Debug Console); brighter while a PC is connected to it |
REC |
A GNSS Track is being recorded |
CAP |
A LoRa capture is being recorded |
L |
The radio is listening; it lights up for a moment on each packet. SW while a Sweep runs |
G or G12 |
The GNSS receiver is searching (G, dim), has a 2D fix (G), or has a 3D fix with that many satellites (G12) |
Toasts
News from a background service (an IRC mention, a Storage warning, an update that is out) shows as a short message over whatever App is open, and can beep and flash the LED. Sound & LED in Settings turns that off.
The first start
On a new device a short Setup asks four things, then never appears again. It also tells you about Fn + h, twice, and it is the only part of the firmware that names keys on the screen:
- Long name, up to 39 bytes.
- Short name, up to 4 characters.
- Radio region. Nothing will transmit until you confirm yours. EU868 is the supported region.
- Timezone.
The SD card
Put a microSD card in the Cardputer. Without one the radio, GNSS, Wi-Fi and IRC still work, but nothing can be saved: no notes, IRC logs, Wi-Fi scan logs, GPX tracks, LoRa captures or saved Gemini pages. The Storage App shows what is on the card.
The firmware keeps its own folders at the top of the card (captures, gemini, gnss, irc, updates, wifi, plus notes). You can use the card in a computer too, but those names are the firmware's.