Users trying to enter digits via the numpad could not do so if it had been deactivated before. The second was the caps lock key which turned lower case letters into upper case, and numbers on the keyboard to special characters.

Experienced users often do not have problems spotting those key state changes right away, for instance by looking at the leds of the keyboard, or by typing the login name or password into a text document or the browser’s web address form.

Keyndicate introduces an automated solution. It basically acts as a notifier whenever one of the following key states change on the PC system: CapsLock, NumLock, ScrollLock. Notifications need to be enabled in the settings of the program before they are displayed whenever they change on the system.

The program displays the key states in the system tray icon as well. A horizontal bar means that the state is set to on, and a smaller bar that it is off. The only other option available is to configure the program to start with the operating system.

Users who are interested in the program may also be interested in alternatives that we have reviewed in the past. This includes Keyboard Indicator which displays each state in its own icon in the system tray and Keyboard Leds.

Keyndicate can be downloaded from the developer website. The program is fully portable and compatible with all Windows operating systems from Windows XP on.

I remember several calls back then when I worked for a huge financial corporation where users told me that our website was broken because they could not enter numbers in certain forms on the website. It did turn out usually that their numlock key was not active or that the capslock key was active. The first did not let them any numbers with the right numeric pad while the second returned the chars that would appear if Shift was pressed as well.

It always took a while to explain the cause of this and it probably might have helped if I could have told them to download the indicator software to tell me if they would see a green light above the three parameters.

But then again who would download such a software that would display the status all the time? Don’t think you find many that would even if they have a keyboard without the lights.

Still if you want it you can download the NumCapsScroll Indicator. No word about compatibility on the website but it works fine under Windows XP Service Pack 3. The display can be moved around freely on the desktop but it places itself by default in the lower right corner just above the system tray and system clock.