Xkeys playstyle

OK, I'm running out of keys to put all the various macros with my five boxxing. So I'm looking into Xkeys or some other solution. What I'd like to hear from other boxers is "how" they utilize the various other boxxing toys.

I'm running a pretty simple setup now. I have my standard keyboard with function row across the top. I have a five button mouse of which I use one of the buttons as a ALT modifier. So that pretty much ties up both my hands. I can do some shift combos with my left hand on the keyboard, but not many. I'm considering the Xkeys footpad where I could assign an additional Shift, Right Control and Left Control setup for more modifiers, but that gets into a lot of memory work as to what all is mapped where.

I can see how creating little icons for the buttons on the Xkeys devices will be helpful, but how do you guys end up using those things? Do you use the Professional to replace your keyboard or do you put it next to your keyboard and use as needed? Do you put it on the right side or the left?

Would appreciate any input from users that might help me decide how to move ahead.

Thanks,

Johnny

I'll try to explain mine here, a pic would be nice but don't have one and I'm at work

I run a resto shaman, 3 elemental, and a prot pally. Xkeys controls all shaman on a 2nd machine. I put the XKeys Pro to the left of my mini keyboard (no 10 key, slim, etc.) and it's programmed like this.

So, first some reference. Top 9x2 row I'll call top, left 5x2 will be left, middle 5x4 is middle, right 5x2 is right

so on the left set I have heals that go only to my resto shammy. left column is big heal, one for each party member tank at top, right column is small heal same as before.

middle, top row is damage spells with lightning bolt on index finger (far right). 2nd row is totems (one for each element if you will), 3rd row is water shield, follow and assist (with one wasted button), 4th row is all strafe left, all forward, all strafe right, and ... something important I think. 5th row is all turn left, all back, all turn right, and jump.

Right I have miscellaneous including a CTRL and ALT so that I can modify the dmg buttons for Chain Lightning etc. Not too happy with it now as it doesn't seem very consistent but it's there if I wanna try it. Past that just some noise here, Elemental mastery, earth shield, focus, clearfocus, shift.

Top has my 4 most used general windows on the far right (P,C,B,L) and to the left of that are (2) 4 sets to have each shammy big heal or small heal the tank. Probably a little too complex there, I seldom use it exactly like I imagined. left most 2 on top bar are wasted.

So iono, that could have done more damage than good but it's what I got for now. :)

I use the keyboard for movement and DPS, an Xkeys pro to the left of my keyboard for healing and an Xkeys stick across the top of the keyboard for pally tanking.

I printed priest keycaps, for the Pro but it's not hard to find equiavalent spells for other healing classes, so I don't bother changing keycaps just because I change healer.

So long as I remember not to keep pressing Prayer of Mending which does bugger all when it's not a priest, it's all pretty smooth ;)

If I was running an all hybrid team (Druids / Shammies, realistically) then I could easily do without the Pro, but it's grown on me sufficiently now that I even use it when solo healing in instances / raids.

This is unfinished and I will re-upload as I progress with it, but this is my current layout for my x-keys pro

I actually have more bound but can;t remember them all off the top of my head atm

Legend:
Green Writing : Green Layer
Red Writing: Red Layer

Grey Backgound: Green Layer
Yellow Writing: Shift modifier
Blue Writing: Alt modifier
Pink Writing: no modifier (yes I know the CTRL key has a pink bg)