Program volume keys on an old style keyboard?

I use one of the original black keyed keyboards from the bondi blue imacs with my new imac G5. I need a smaller keyboard for the space I have, and the computer sits in a bike shop so the black keys are a nice touch to keep it looking clean.
So when I gave up the new keyboard I gave up the volume control keys. Is there a way that I can program some Function Keys to do the same things?? say F9 through F11 for the volume up and volume down and mute functions and then is it possible to turn the F12 into the eject button?
thanks
kt
iMac G3 bondi :: imac G5 isight   Mac OS X (10.4.5)  

1. You wrote: "What are the Fkeys programmed for as default?"Open System Preferences > Keyboard & Mouse > Keyboard Shortcuts and look at the list.
Unfortunately, none of the F-keys can be reset to the functions of the volume keys using the Keyboard Shortcuts preference pane.
2. You wrote: "I have a memory in my brain of being able to program Fkeys with a series of keystrokes, like a macro?"Mac OS X does not include native support for that, i.e. assigning a macro to either an Fkey or other keyboard shortcut. For that, you need a third-party tool, like iKey, Quickeys, or Spark, the latter suggested by DPSG-Scout.
You'd also need a set of macros to assign to the keys, e.g. macros to increase, decrease, or mute the volume. Those are tricky to write since System Preferences does not expose much to AppleScript. One would need to use the "GUI Scripting (System Events)" technique to create a script to change the settings in the Sound preferences pane of System Preferences.
You could search ScriptBuilders to see if someone has already written scripts for the functions you need, then use iKey or Quickeys to assign such to keyboard shortcuts.
3. You could get a set of external speakers that has their own separate volume and mute control. For example, my trust old Monsoon MM1000s have their own volume control with a mute button.
4. Put a clear plastic bag over the mouse. If it's an optical mouse, it should still work and that will protect it from grease.
Good luck!
Dr. Smoke
Author: Troubleshooting Mac® OS X

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