In response to allovertheglobe, here is an update to the original matchbox keyboard. I intend to work on this for a while, so suggestions are welcome.
The Matchbox Keyboard is part of the
Matchbox Project which was ported by iRex to work on the DR. It pops up when you want to search the dictionary, search inside documents and also in third party applications such as
Leafpad and
Xournal.
List of changes:
Version 0.2:
1. Character repeat interval changed to a more reasonable value. You should no longer be surprised by a ginormous repeated string when holding down a key. This was due to slow display refreshes, the first few repeats now match up with the refreshes.
2. Key highlights removed. If you ever noticed, the original matchbox keyboard actually has each key "light up" as you click them, but this is mostly lost on an eink screen due to the display refresh rate. Sometimes the keys happen to "light up" in sync with the refresh, leading to sudden flickers (annoying IMHO). This no longer happens.
3. Keys look "more rounded", special keys are shaded gray to differentiate them at a glance. The faces of the "toggle" keys (such as Ctrl and Caps-lock) now invert when active.
Version 0.1:
1. Key borders darkened for quick identification and overall contrast improvement.
Known issues:
1. Sometimes the shading on a key ends up looking slightly lighter/darker than it should be.
2. Several rapid shift state changes result in "ghosting" which makes the letters on the keys difficult to read.
Issues (1) and (2) are related to eink displays in general - we'll have to live with them (for now).
3. In one instance, the update failed to restart the DR after upgrading. Possibly a specific hardware issue. See posts below.
Installation instructions for firmware 1.5 (similar to the
CTB update):
0. If you already have an earlier upgrade to the matchbox keyboard installed, UNINSTALL it first. You should already have a "Restore Matchbox Keyboard" shortcut on your DR, which should restore the original matchbox keyboard shipped with firmware 1.5.
1. Download the file updkbd_0.2.zip to your computer and unzip.
2. Copy the Programs folder and its contents to the root of your SD card on the DR. Essentially, you should see a
<SD Drive>:\Programs\_upd-matchbox-keyboard
on your computer.
NOTE: The .desktop files are merely shortcuts and can be placed anywhere on the DR. If you like, you can create a folder called "Add/Remove Programs" inside "Programs" and place the 2 .desktop files there, if you think your Programs folder is too cluttered.
3. It is best if you shut down all applications that are using the keyboard on your DR. Also try and make sure that your battery level is not too low (above 35%), or connect the DR to a power supply.
4. Navigate to Documents->Programs (or wherever you put the shortcuts) on your DR and select "Update Matchbox Keyboard". The DR will restart to make changes effective, give it about 30 seconds to do its job.
Ideas for later versions (if and when):
1. Buttons such as the space bar and the shift keys can be shortened to accommodate a few more buttons or so (such as ?, ! or $).
2. Optional dictionary lookup for autocompletion suggestions and spell checking.
3. Map some of the DR keys to keys on the keyboard (such as mapping center "round button" to shift for faster typing).
Update 03/26: Source has been attached. Look at howto_patch.txt for information.
Update 05/13: With the release of firmware 1.6, you should not need this update anymore.