#### Joining or Merging Keys in a Keyboard Variation

The Customize Key pad dialog box also allows you to join or merge more than one button on the keyboard layout grid to make larger buttons. This is useful if you want to have a button that's larger than the usual single button size (for example, if you're creating something that looks like the SPACEBAR key).

1. Create or open for modification a keyboard layout by following the procedures already described in the "To Create a New Virtual Keyboard Variation" topic and in the "To Modify an Existing Virtual Keyboard Variation" topic.

2. From the Mode list on the Customize Key pad dialog box, select Join Keys. Each button of the keyboard layout grid now contains a small, red-dotted border.

3. Click one of the buttons. This becomes the start button. A bold red border appears on both the horizontal and vertical side from the starting button. If you click on different button, it changes the start button to that button.

4. Right-click on the end button for the merge; it must be inside the drawn red area, and it must be to the right of, or below, the start button. If joined area doesn't conflict with an already existing joined area, the bold red border will become a green rectangle. This means that those grouped buttons will be shown as one button.

5. If the joined area conflicts with another joined area, PC-DMIS will display a message saying it cannot perform the join.

6. To delete one of the existing joined areas, left click inside the green bordered region (joined buttons).

Important: When you assign a button definition to a group of joined buttons, you must select the start button on that group: this is the leftmost button if it's an horizontal grouping; or the topmost button if it's a vertical grouping. You only need to do this when assigning a button definition to that group; when you actually use the Virtual Keyboard, this isn't needed.