Is it possible to add volume controls & shortcut keys to a mechanical keyboard which does not have the keys?

I am going to purchase a mechanical keyboard, but it will contain no volume controls or program short-cuts.

Assuming I purchase a plain keyboard, is there a technology available that would provide me quick access to volume controls and common programs?

Answer

You could use a generic hotkey utility like AutoHotkey to assign keyboard shortcuts (something unlikely to be used by normal applications, like Ctrl+Alt+F12) to perform your desired special functions.

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Examples:

Windows+F11 increase volume:

#F11::Send {Volume_Up}

Ctrl+Alt+Numpad0 start Calculator:

^!Numpad0::Run Calc

See the linked pages for hotkey reference, changing volume.