Keyboard Tester Feature Prompt

🎹 Key Press Audio Feedback

• On each key press, play a sound effect
  • Notes ascend from left to right like a piano (A = lower tone, L = higher tone)
  • Add variation for modifiers (Enter, Shift, etc.)
• Should be toggleable via settings panel
• Use AudioContext for smooth playback

📖 Key Press History

• Collapsible panel that shows latest 5 or 10 key presses
• Options:
  • Off (no history at all)
  • Show last 5
  • Show last 10
• History only registers on key release
  • Holding a key does not flood the list
• Each item in history:
  • Displays the key, keyCode, and timestamp

🎛️ Visual Keyboard Overlay

• Show a full visual keyboard layout

  • Based on US QWERTY (for now)
  • Support for laptop layout & external keyboards

• Two visualization modes (toggleable):

  1. Sticky Mode
     • Keys remain visually "pressed" after interaction
     • A "Reset" button clears the state
  2. Animated Mode
     • Keys animate down on press and fade out on release
     • Holding a key animates press but doesn't add to history

• Special handling:

  • Modifiers (Shift, Ctrl, etc.) should also be represented
  • Spacebar, Backspace, Tab, and arrow keys too

⚙️ Settings Panel

• Toggle controls:
  • ✅ Key sound feedback
  • ✅ Sticky or animated key press behavior
  • ✅ History panel mode: Off / Last 5 / Last 10
  • 🎯 Future-proofing: Layout (QWERTY / ISO / Mac)

♿ Accessibility & UX

• Works on physical keyboards, not just on-screen
• Keyboard-only users can navigate history/settings
• Visually impaired users can:
  • Rely on audio feedback
  • Enable sticky mode for clarity
• Mobile support not required

🧱 Internal State (No DB Required)

type KeyPress = {
  key: string;
  keyCode: number;
  timestamp: string;
};
 
type KeyboardTesterSettings = {
  enableSound: boolean;
  visualMode: "sticky" | "animated";
  historyLimit: 0 | 5 | 10;
};

Example State in Memory

const history: KeyPress[] = [
  { key: "A", keyCode: 65, timestamp: "2025-04-13T17:11:32.551Z" },
  { key: "S", keyCode: 83, timestamp: "2025-04-13T17:11:33.011Z" },
];
 
const settings: KeyboardTesterSettings = {
  enableSound: true,
  visualMode: "animated",
  historyLimit: 5,
};

🧠 Implementation Notes

• Use keydown, keyup, and keypress events wisely:
  • keydown for animating press
  • keyup for history + visual reset (unless in sticky mode)
• Set<string> can help track currently held keys
• Optionally preload audio clips or use AudioBufferSourceNode
• A <canvas> or <div>-based grid can be used for the visual layout

Let me know if you'd like:

• 🧑‍🎨 A visual keyboard component mock (Shadcn UI + Tailwind)
• 🎼 A MIDI integration version for full piano key mapping
• 🧠 A unified “Device Tester” dashboard that includes mic, webcam, and keyboard