Functions of rotary encoders

What's a rotary encoder good for on your keyboard? Since your keys are programmable, you can assign to the encoder any function you like. With modifier keys and layers a single encoder is able to do many different tasks on the same keyboard.

Generally, you should avoid using an encoder. It is ineffective and inproductive compared to typing, because you'll most likely have to raise and move your wrist (or even your arm) to reach the encoder, which is a slow movement. This can be a concern especially on an ergonomic board built to minimize wrist and finger movement. Nevertheless, encoders still have their place, but only for repetitive keypresses or functions which otherwise would need a mouse and would be slow to carry out anyway. These functions can include cursor positioning, scrolling, program/window switching etc.

Some functions of rotary encoders on a keyboard:

Volume up down mute Zoom in out 100% inline text cursor movement Vertical scroll up down home Horizontal scroll left right home app switching (Alt+tab), keyboard layout/layer switcher (jobb-bal numpad mód) undo/redo sequence Sound panning left right reset video/audio timeline navigation: pan/zoom/scroll 3D: rotation along axis LED lights: hue/saturation/level/animation selection emoji picker

If you want to try this, I have both a wiring guide for rotary encoders and a programming guide for encoders with examples.