Keyboard based graphical user interface navigation

A computer-implemented method of performing programmatic actions through a graphical user interface (GUI), the method comprising:

• responsive to a user input initiating a navigation mode, overlaying, atop of the GUI located within a first layer, a virtual keyboard within a second layer, wherein the virtual keyboard comprises a plurality of virtual keys;
• for each virtual key, associating the virtual key with a region of the first layer comprising an area of the GUI beneath the virtual key;
• mapping each virtual key with a physical key of a physical keyboard communicatively linked with a computer rendering the GUI;
• responsive to a user input selecting a physical key of the physical keyboard, selecting a region corresponding to the selected physical key and increasing a level of magnification for the selected region within the first layer while keeping the virtual keyboard sizing constant, and assigning one of a plurality of programmatic actions to each physical key of the physical keyboard;
• determining that a virtual key is above an icon within the first layer and, in response, changing an appearance of the virtual key to indicate the virtual key is above a graphic representation of an object within the first layer;
• and
• responsive to a user input selecting the physical key mapped to the virtual key above the icon, initiating the assigned programmatic action on the icon.

A computer program product comprising:

• a computer-usable storage device having stored thereon computer-usable program code that navigates a graphical user interface (GUI) responsive to inputs from a physical keyboard, the computer-usable program code comprising:
• computer-usable program code that, responsive to a user input initiating a navigation mode, overlays, atop of the GUI located within a first layer, a virtual keyboard within a second layer, wherein the virtual keyboard comprises a plurality of virtual keys;
• computer-usable program code that, for each virtual key, associates the virtual key with a region of the first layer comprising an area of the GUI beneath the virtual key;
• computer-usable program code that maps each virtual key with a physical key of the physical keyboard communicatively linked with a computer rendering the GUI;
• and
• computer-usable program code that, responsive to a user input selecting a physical key of the physical keyboard, selects a region corresponding to the selected physical key and increases a level of magnification for the selected region within the first layer while keeping the virtual keyboard sizing constant, and assigns one of a plurality of programmatic actions to each physical key of the physical keyboard;
• computer-usable program code that determines a virtual key is above an icon within the first layer and, in response, changes an appearance of the virtual key to indicate that a selection of a physical key mapped to the virtual key initiates a programmatic action upon the icon;
• and
• computer-usable program code that, responsive to a user input selecting the physical key mapped to the virtual key above the icon, initiates the assigned programmatic action on the icon.