I have reverse engineered the Windows keyboard layout format, found in files C:\Windows\System32\kbd*.dll.

Initially I wanted to add easy typing of symbols like —, á, ∞ but then decided to get as much usability as I can from the layouts.

The result? Layout that can switch between English and Russian keyboard with Caps Lock, globally across all applications, showing current language with Caps Lock LED, and with ability to type a whole bunch of additional symbols.

As well as keyboard layout format described in flat assembler source.
And for extra fun, a disassembler that turns a layout dll into source file.

With this, you can freely customize and improve your Windows keyboard layouts!

Published as public domain on https://github.com/grompe/kbdasm

The keyboard layout source found in kbdusru_undead.asm has all structures of the layout format mapped, makes use of UTF-8, and is hopefully more-or-less understandable for customizing. Even if you're not bilingual you can benefit from being able to type Unicode symbols easily.

The disassembler found in diskbd.bat is full of tricks to make fasm read a binary format and produce a text file. I had to write several macros to make it work. I think this forum will find it the most interesting of this package.

Sick, twisted, wonderful.

I'll have to check it out - keyboard bs is my bane and some new content should help me cope a bit more easily. Such is the struggle for those whom wish to develop low-level file editors.