Place the Keycaps keyboard layout
This layout map is a sorting aid for Place the Keycaps, not a factory parts list. Use standard full-size structure to recognize empty seats. Prefer live silhouettes over any diagram after beta changes. Read this /keyboard-layout/ guide once, then practice the short checklist at the bottom on a cold join before you try a full Sorted All Keycaps run. Practice the short checklist at the bottom of /keyboard-layout/ on a cold join before a full badge attempt. Use the practice block at the bottom of /keyboard-layout/ before a full badge run.
Use the map without over-trusting it
ANSI-style full-size layout is a strong prior for a keyboard-collection fantasy, but the experience may simplify or omit seats. Fill what the board shows; skip what it does not. On /keyboard-layout/ step “Use the map without over-trusting it”,. Start “Use the map without over-trusting it” by reading silhouettes on /keyboard-layout/ before touching the pile.
Read legends from a glare-free angle. Ctrl-unlock helps near small seats. Combine this page with sorting’s pure piles. For “Use the map without over-trusting it”, a. Mid “Use the map without over-trusting it”: one pickup or throw at a time on /keyboard-layout/ so mistakes reverse cleanly.
- Use the map without over-trusting it: check
- Use the map without over-trusting it: stage
- Use the map without over-trusting it: next
Leave “Use the map without over-trusting it” on /keyboard-layout/ after you have scanned that cluster once at mid zoom and once at close zoom. Exit “Use the map without over-trusting it” on /keyboard-layout only when this cluster’s leftovers are labeled or gone.
Function strip and number row
Top strip is typically Esc plus F1–F12—easy to miss when zoomed on letters. Scan it left-to-right on final sweeps. On /keyboard-layout/ step “Function strip and number row”,. Start “Function strip and number row” by reading silhouettes on /keyboard-layout/ before touching the pile.
Number row sits above letters: grave, 1–0, minus, equals, wide Backspace. Confirm glyph and width together. For “Function strip and number row”, a. Mid “Function strip and number row”: one pickup or throw at a time on /keyboard-layout/ so mistakes reverse cleanly.
- Function strip and number row: check
- Function strip and number row: stage
- Function strip and number row: next
Leave “Function strip and number row” on /keyboard-layout/ after you have scanned that cluster once at mid zoom and once at close zoom. Exit “Function strip and number row” on /keyboard-layout only when this cluster’s leftovers are labeled or gone.
Letter rows
Top: Tab + QWERTY… Home: Caps + ASDF… + Enter. Bottom: Shifts around ZXCV… and punctuation. On /keyboard-layout/ step “Letter rows”,. Start “Letter rows” by reading silhouettes on /keyboard-layout/ before touching the pile. Silhouette reading for “Letter rows” on /keyboard-layout prevents seating a legend into the wrong width.
Anchors matter more than memorizing every neighbor. Seat left anchors, then letters in order, then right anchors. For “Letter rows”, a. Mid “Letter rows”: one pickup or throw at a time on /keyboard-layout/ so mistakes reverse cleanly.
- Letter rows: check
- Letter rows: stage
- Letter rows: next
Letter rows depends on what the live Place the Keycaps board shows for that cluster on /keyboard-layout/ during this beta build. Exit “Letter rows” on /keyboard-layout only when this cluster’s leftovers are labeled or gone.
Bottom modifiers and Spacebar
Bottom edge usually holds Ctrl/Alt/system keys around Spacebar. Live empty seats define the required set. On /keyboard-layout/ step “Bottom modifiers and Spacebar”,. Start “Bottom modifiers and Spacebar” by reading silhouettes on /keyboard-layout/ before touching the pile.
Spacebar early stabilizes the row. Match width—never force a short modifier into a wide seat. For “Bottom modifiers and Spacebar”, a. Mid “Bottom modifiers and Spacebar”: one pickup or throw at a time on /keyboard-layout/ so mistakes reverse cleanly.
- Bottom modifiers and Spacebar: check
- Bottom modifiers and Spacebar: stage
- Bottom modifiers and Spacebar: next
Bottom modifiers and Spacebar depends on what the live Place the Keycaps board shows for that cluster on /keyboard-layout/ during this beta build. Exit “Bottom modifiers and Spacebar” on /keyboard-layout only when this cluster’s leftovers are labeled or gone.
Navigation, arrows, and live use
Right-side nav and inverted-T arrows need deliberate camera framing. Stage them together; place by direction. On /keyboard-layout/ step “Navigation, arrows, and live use”,. Start “Navigation, arrows, and live use” by reading silhouettes on /keyboard-layout/ before touching the pile.
If clusters are absent, skip them. Suggested order: function → numbers → letters → modifiers → nav → arrows → empty-slot scan. For “Navigation, arrows, and live use”, a. Mid “Navigation, arrows, and live use”: one pickup or throw at a time on /keyboard-layout/ so mistakes reverse cleanly.
- Navigation, arrows, and live use: check
- Navigation, arrows, and live use: stage
- Navigation, arrows, and live use: next
Leave “Navigation, arrows, and live use” on /keyboard-layout/ after you have scanned that cluster once at mid zoom and once at close zoom. Exit “Navigation, arrows, and live use” on /keyboard-layout only when this cluster’s leftovers are labeled or gone.
Try this before you leave
Name every live region top-to-bottom without this page, then verify on empty outlines.
Cross out regions the board lacks. Mark Spacebar, Enter, and Shift anchors you can see.
- spoken silhouette list
Tilt for right-side clusters; letter-only framing hides nav and arrows.
Rebuild the spoken list after any live title bracket—do not merge old maps.
/keyboard-layout/ drill stays under three minutes on a cold join.
Two different-day passes graduate /keyboard-layout/ better than one warm retry.
Layout practice ends when speech matches silhouettes. Independent wiki. /keyboard-layout/ official description wins after rebinds; no invented codes; full clear still needed for Sorted All Keycaps.