New stuff available for creating/editing virtual keyboards on the N900 now available - Page 14 - maemo.org

nicolai | # 131 | 2012-10-23, 08:09 | Report

Originally Posted by qwazix View Post

It looks good. Can't you strech rows 1 and 2 to full width so that you gain even 1 pixel per key?

I must admit, I don't fully understand how the button size is
determined. There are key size attributes in the xml layout file
but the renderer shrinks the button size, depending on
the available space (width/height) and number of rows.

I created this layout by trial and error.

Originally Posted by kent_autistic View Post

The default vkb includes some punctuations, actually the most useful punctuations - period, comma, question mark, and exclamation point. It would be good to retain at least the most commonly used punctuations. A good example would be the Maliit vkb, see how period and comma is at the bottom.

I find the maliit vkb is superior to the hildon vkb, what happens
to the project porting maliit for fremantle? Maybe we should
focus on that one instead.

Originally Posted by freemangordon View Post

A wild idea:

Add another property to vkbrenderer class, lets name it "keys-special", which contains an array of chars. For every char in that array, create a button (from him-western-...) right to the spacebar. Treat those buttons the same way space button is treated. That way ABI will be kept, i.e. if vkbrenderer class does not expose such property, do nothing. I hope you got the idea, I can elaborate if needed.

Good idea. Where would we store this char array information?
(Assumed you meant this keys depends on the current language)
Another idea: We only add shift and backspace key to the
space bar row. That way we have more space and not this size
requirement for the shift arrow/backspace arrow icon we have now.

nicolai

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freemangordon | # 132 | 2012-10-24, 17:38 | Report

Originally Posted by nicolai View Post

...
Good idea. Where would we store this char array information?
(Assumed you meant this keys depends on the current language)
Another idea: We only add shift and backspace key to the
space bar row. That way we have more space and not this size
requirement for the shift arrow/backspace arrow icon we have now.

nicolai

we can add a new type for a key or reuse an existing type (look at KEY_TYPE_... definitions in imlayouts_vkb.h) and define such keys in .vkb files . And we don't need to "store" the array outside of the renderer, as we can get it when needed with a simple g_object_get(G_OBJECT(vkb),"special-keys",...).

EDIT:

Or we can go KISS way and just add files or gconf values with those keys for every language supported

Last edited by freemangordon; 2012-10-24 at 17:46.

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nicolai | # 133 | 2012-11-01, 21:47 | Report

I updated hildon-input-method-plugins branch
with portrait-mode support
http://gitorious.org/community-ssu/h...tation-support

changes:
read "PORTRAIT" layout entry from vkb file for portrait orientation
(if vkb file does not include a "PORTRAIT" layout, fallback
to default layout ("THUMB"))

attachements:

updated vkb-tools for gen/decode vkb file with portrait layout.
en_US.vkb: layout file with portrait-mode layout.
If you take a look at the example en_US.xml, you'll see
how to define add PORTRAIT layout.
hildon-im-fkb_3.9.66-1+0m5_armel.deb based on the
portrait-orientation-support branch.
edit: doesn't work as expected. please wait until
the next update
Missed the changes I made for vkbrenderer, you need this
deb as well
libhildon-im-vkbrenderer3_3.3.20-1+0m5_armel.deb
With these files you are able to create your own portrait mode
layout files.

Attached Files

	vkb_p.zip (46.9 KB, 174 views)
	hildon-im-fkb_3.9.66-1+0m5_armel.deb (23.2 KB, 453 views)
	en_US.vkb.zip (1.1 KB, 336 views)
	libhildon-im-vkbrenderer3_3.3.20-1+0m5_armel.deb (16.0 KB, 395 views)

Last edited by nicolai; 2012-11-02 at 21:14.

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ade | # 134 | 2012-11-03, 10:16 | Report

Sometimes pictures say the most....

Attached Images

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abufaisal.o | # 135 | 2012-11-03, 10:48 | Report

Hi nicolai, Thanks for your great work and most wanted feature.

Can you explain how to make another layout than English?? Please

misiak | # 136 | 2012-11-03, 12:00 | Report

That looks great

So, any plans for including this into CSSU?

freemangordon | # 137 | 2012-11-03, 12:18 | Report

@nikolai: looks great. though I'd rather put '!?,. on a sliding key on the second row, square, so shift and backspace icons to be visible.

However, for initial verson this is more than ok.

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mr_pingu | # 138 | 2012-11-03, 13:47 | Report

Doesn't work as expected, can't get portrait keyboard without enabling forcedrotation. However there is difference if I start vkb in landscape or in portrait.

if I launch the vkb from portrait, the letters inside the buttons are small.
If I launch the vkb from landscape, the letters inside the buttons are lit bit bigger and bold.

Also how to take a screenshot with vkb on? As soon as I reach for the screenshot combo shift, control + p, vkb dissappears :P

edit: added libhildon-vkbrenderer3 to my whitelist + ihildon-im-fkb to whitelist, now it's somewhat working

The keyboard does rotate but launches always landscape. What I said above about big/small letters still stands

Last edited by mr_pingu; 2012-11-03 at 13:55.

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ade | # 139 | 2012-11-03, 14:17 | Report

Originally Posted by mr_pingu View Post

Doesn't work as expected, can't get portrait keyboard without enabling forcedrotation. However there is difference if I start vkb in landscape or in portrait.

if I launch the vkb from portrait, the letters inside the buttons are small.
If I launch the vkb from landscape, the letters inside the buttons are lit bit bigger and bold.

Also how to take a screenshot with vkb on? As soon as I reach for the screenshot combo shift, control + p, vkb dissappears :P

edit: added libhildon-vkbrenderer3 to my whitelist + ihildon-im-fkb to whitelist, now it's somewhat working

The keyboard does rotate but launches always landscape. What I said above about big/small letters still stands

Your are correct about the big/small letters. If the vkb is started in landscape and then rotated to portrait, it will not adapt the thickness off the letters. The screenprint above from me is from rotating from landscape to portrait. If I would have opened the vkd in portrait from the start, the letters would have been thinner.

I cannot confirm that it only works with forced rotation. I do not use forced rotation, and as long as the application supports rotation it works for me, and the vkb shows up directly in the current orientation.

Added an image of how the vkb looks as started directly in portrait mode.

Attached Images

Last edited by ade; 2012-11-03 at 14:21.

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mr_pingu | # 140 | 2012-11-03, 14:29 | Report

Well you are right. I tested in cooktimer and it worked directly
I was testing it in a whitelisted-application. I have rtcom-messaging-ui on my whitelist + modified csstheme to display conversations correctly in portrait. If you launch the vkb from a whitelisted rotation the vkb you see the behaviour I described in my previous post.

Mind telling me how you took the screenshot? I am having a hard-time taking a screenshot with vkb on it :P