I continue to see a lot of confusion about how class configs work in TF2, and as people become more and more comfortable with the idea of putting in a few class specific functions in their configuration, they seem to get stranger and stranger suggestions from people who know just enough to be dangerous. So, to combat this problem, here's a short guide to creating class configs in a couple of ways that anyone with notepad.exe can do (that means anyone, you dolt).

Class Configurations: Exhaustive Addition
This is called exhaustive because the setup assumes that you will have two groups of binds: One set of binds that have the same exact functionality for all classes, and another set of binds that differ somewhat between each class (yet contain the same keys). What does that mean? It means you have basic keyboard controls, like movement, jumping, ducking, maybe volume controls, screenshot key, etc. The rest is a group of keys that you put in every class configuration file you have, and assign class specific commands to those keys individually.

My personal configuration is an example of this setup. I have a file called "__binds.cfg" that contains binds that all classes have completely in common. And then in every single class config I have the following layout:

code:
exec __binds.cfg // Class Specific Binds // ==================== bind "MOUSE1" bind "MOUSE3" bind "HOME" bind "SPACE" bind "PGUP" bind "PGDN" bind "END" bind "MWHEELUP" bind "MWHEELDOWN" bind "t" bind "r" bind "g" bind "v" bind "x" bind "SHIFT"

Obviously, these keys are actually bound to something in each class configuration.

This set of keys differs in at least one way between at least two classes. As such, they get bound individually in every class configuration. Also note that at the top, I FIRST execute "__binds.cfg". Remember that file? That's the one that has all my basic binds in it. So no matter what, what goes in __binds.cfg gets executed first, then the class stuff comes after.

The good thing about this system is that, if you are like me you typically play two or three classes primarily, and only dabble in the others. For example, I almost never play Spy. I play it so rarely that if I ever wanted to play it again, I'd need to remind myself as to what I have the controls set to. I get to do that by simply opening up my Spy.cfg file and taking a look at the above set of binds.

Want to look at my config in its entirety? It's been posted in the thread a few times, but might as well post it again here.

This is NOT the most efficient form of setting up class configs. It simply has the above perk, which is enough for it to be worth my while. The next system is much more efficient, especially if you only want to do a very few things with class configs.

Class Configurations: Quick and Dirty

Here's the step by step way to go from absolutely no configuration files to a full on class configuration system.

Open your config.cfg file in your favorite text editor. If you can't find this file, you shouldn't be messing with configs in the first place (here's a hint: use your operating system's search function!). Use "Save As..." to save the file in the same directory it is already in with the name "autoexec.cfg".

Now scroll down to the very last "bind" command in this file. Delete every line underneath this last bind command. You should be left with a long list of bind commands below a single command at the top (unbindall).

Next step assumes you've at least played TF2 in the last two months. If so, you've got a list of files in the same directory as config.cfg and your new autoexec.cfg file. They are the following:

code:
demoman.cfg engineer.cfg heavyweapons.cfg medic.cfg pyro.cfg scout.cfg sniper.cfg soldier.cfg spy.cfg

Open up each one of these files. At the top of them, add the line:

code:
exec autoexec.cfg

Then save them.

That's it!