N900 keyboard friendly, second thread.
 

This is the second thread for my project in which I aim to make the N900 usable without touching the screen.

The programs are now installable by packages which are available in my repository. You can install the keyboard shortcuts package by using this install file. If you want to add the repository manually, add the line
to the file /etc/apt/sources.list .

The repository includes modified-hildon-desktop (see description of this package on the wiki page) and keyboard-shortcuts. Keyboard shortcuts are still only configurable by editing the python script /usr/bin/keyboard-shortcut, but I hope looking at the file will make it easy for anyone to configure it as they want.

The default shortcuts in the package include:
ctrl+shift+

• a - control panel
• b - empty browser window
• d - disconnect from network
• f - FBReader
• i - tmo new posts page
• k - toggle full screen (if you have wmctrl installed)
• l - launcher
• m - claws mail

Single press in task navigator or launcher:

• l - go to launcher
• k - go to task navigator
• h - go to home screen
• o - open google.com

Re: N900 keyboard friendly, second thread.
 

Massive thanks for your work on this Matan, I’ve only installed the base Modified Hildon Desktop package and seems really useful already.

I’m just a little confused how to implement the other custom tweaks to this from the Wiki page. Apologies if this is a very basic question, I’ve no previous linux experience and I only opened the x-terminal for the first time yesterday so somewhat of a beginner. I have since done a few of the other simple MODs from the MOD thread (LED colour change, swapping Shift/Fn keys etc.) though so I can follow instructions if explained simply.

It’s the first paragraph from the wiki page that I’m not quite sure about...

I understand (I think) that you type the commands into the x-terminal in order to activate other features, I’m just not 100% on what I have to add in the gaps, especially with the “int” and “bool” bits. Please could you/someone explain for a noob like me what I have to put or put in a example of how a command should look so I can work it out for myself? I did look at the other (old) thread but it said to disregard the information as it was now obsolete.

Cheers

Re: N900 keyboard friendly, second thread.
 

I added gconftool-2 examples to the wiki page. I hope they clarify the issue.

Re: N900 keyboard friendly, second thread.
 

Is it possible to have a target the size of an icon square that can be moved like on normal Symbian and other non-touch OS's? Kinda like how the Blackberry Storm lets you select without activating until actually pressed. This way we could use the arrow keys to highlight things and a button like enter/space/ctrl etc as select. It would have to be different on the homescreen, perhaps an intelligent highlight that cycles through what's on the screen with up and down, and left and right to change desktop screens.

Ok I'm probably thinking of something way too complicated... as it would only be active with the keyboard open.

Re: N900 keyboard friendly, second thread.
 

I don't think it is too complicated to ask for at all. And it is a very good idea.

But Maemo 6 will also have desktops above and below. I think up, down, left, right to move from icon to icon and add shift to arrow to change desktops.

I would also like to be able to use arrow keys to fine tune icon placement. Put desktop in icon location change mode, tap icon to select, then each arrow key press moves the icon 1 pixel.

Re: N900 keyboard friendly, second thread.
 

Yeah got it working, now that I've seen the the examples I can see I was being rather slow :p

Thanks again.

Re: N900 keyboard friendly, second thread.
 

I have also set up the keyboard-shortcuts app now but due to another MOD I've put in reversing the mapping of the Shift and Fn keys to make shortcuts like Ctrl+Shift+X (open X-terminal) and Ctrl+Shift+H (Go to homescreen) easy to do without a stretch all the following shortcuts:

now have the same problem (difficult to press). Does anyone know a way of turning the following feature off...

And if this would help? I've tried entering "-t bool false" and "-t bool true" after the command but it doesn't seem to make a difference.

Or if not, is it possible to change what's in the /usr/bin/keyboard-shortcut script so the all of those shortcuts are meant to work with Ctrl+Fn+<other key> (and consequently, as the mapping is reversed, the easier combination of Ctrl+Shift+<other key> ?

Sorry if this sounds convoluted, basically what I am trying to achieve is to have all the shortcuts that require 3 keys to be pressed to be done using the actual Shift + Fn buttons.

Cheers

Re: N900 keyboard friendly, second thread.
 

/apps/osso/hildon-desktop/key-actions/dbus_shortcuts_use_fn is only read at startup time, so you need to reboot (or simply "killall hildon-desktop", but that does not always work).

Re: N900 keyboard friendly, second thread.
 

Perfect, thanks :)

Re: N900 keyboard friendly, second thread.
 

I think you do great work. But let me tell you about user friendly keyboard.

I don't know what layout you have on your keyboard. On my Swiss keyboard

Shift - all the way to the left on bottom row
Strg - all the way to the left on top row.

I just dont find a way to press these two buttons with two fingers of the same hand without making strange faces. I guess my fingers are just to wide.

And if I use fingers of both hands I miss my third hand to hit the extra key.

Am I the only one with this problem.

Markus