3.4. Configuring axes
In QJoyPad 2, you were allowed one key to be assigned to each of four directions, Up, Down, Left, and Right. In version 3, there is support for many axes and each one can do fancier things than just press a key. Unfortunately, since different controllers do things differently, it's not as easy as Up, Down, Left, and Right. Up-Down is an axis, Left-Right is an axis, and if you have a nicer controller, you might have many more axes on top of that.
The first step in configuring axes is to figure out which one you want to set. If you have a joystick, try moving it around and seeing which buttons flash blue on the QJoyPad Setup Dialog. If you have a gamepad, try pressing different buttons on the Directional-Pad or moving around any mini joystick controls it might have. Once you know which axis you want to set, click on its associated button to open the Set Axis dialog.
3.4.1. The Axis Position Indicator
In the middle of this dialog, you will see a white bar, divided in two, that represents the current position of the axis you're editing. Try moving that axis to see how it works. This is so you know which direction is considered "positive" and which is "negative"; it might not be what you'd expect. If this axis is a D-Pad, then it is either off or on, but most other axes are sensitive to how far they are depressed and a colored bar here will show you how far it is at the moment.
Along the white bar, you will also see small blue and red tabs that you can drag. These adjust the "Dead Zone" and the "Extreme Zone" of the axis. When the colored bar representing the axis' position passes one of the blue markers, the bar will turn blue meaning that when the axis is this far QJoyPad will consider it moved, and when the bar passes one of the red markers it will turn red and QJoyPad will consider that axis fully depressed. When the bar is gray, that means that you haven't moved the axis out of its Dead Zone and QJoyPad is ignoring its movement. To adjust where the Dead and Extreme Zones are, just slide the blue and red markers to where you think they should be.
You probably won't need to adjust the sensitivity unless you are having trouble getting QJoyPad to generate key presses when you want it to (see Section 5.3).
3.4.2. Making an axis "Gradient"
On the upper half of this dialog, you will see a checkbox marked Gradient. Checking this box means that instead of just generating one key press when the axis is moved, QJoyPad will start flickering that key on and off as soon as the axis is out of the Dead Zone (when the colored bar turns blue). How far the axis is pushed determines what percent of the time the simulated key will be depressed. As soon as the axis enters its Extreme Zone (when the colored bar turns red), the key will be down 100% of the time. Making an axis Gradient is useful if you want to use it as an accelerator in a game so how fast you go is controlled by how far the axis is moved. Also, it's nice to use this when the axis is set to move the mouse because it can give you finer control of the mouse when you push the axis just a little but still let you move quickly when you push it all the way.
3.4.3. Switching between keyboard and mouse control
On the upper half of the dialog, there is a combo box that lets you choose between keyboard control and mouse control. There are four different mouse options that let you choose whether the mouse will move vertically (Up-Down) when the axis moves or horizontally (Left-Right). You can also reverse the direction of the mouse if you want moving the axis up to move the mouse down or visa versa.
 | Usually you want an axis to be Gradient if it's going to move the mouse. |
3.4.4. Adjusting mouse speed
When using one of the mouse modes, you can set the speed of the mouse by adjusting the number in the upper right corner.
3.4.5. Setting keys
When using keyboard mode, you can set which key corresponds to which direction of the axis by clicking the buttons immediately below the Axis Position Indicator. The one on the left will be pressed when the axis is moved in the negative direction (when the colored bar is on the left side) and the one on the right when it is in the positive direction (when the colored bar is on the right side).
3.4.6. Throttle Settings
Between these two buttons is another combo box that changes the throttle settings. This is meant for gamepads which have a specific type of throttle control. What it does is instead of having two keys for when the axis is positive or negative, it has just one and treats the way the axis moves differently. In one of the throttle modes, the axis will be considered centered when it is all the way to one direction or the other.