Dynamic keymaps

[Mackx]

Originally Posted by jonathan_s

Thanks!

Could you also point me to some instructions for building your code?

Do you already have a build environment for building firmware components or do you also need information on that part?

[jonathan_s]

Originally Posted by Mackx

Do you already have a build environment for building firmware components or do you also need information on that part?

I have installed and used the poky cross-build environment and emulator, and have been building kernel modules. So I think I probably only need the specifics for your code.

[Mackx]

Originally Posted by jonathan_s

I have installed and used the poky cross-build environment and emulator, and have been building kernel modules. So I think I probably only need the specifics for your code.

I assume you have read the development document from the iRex website and downloaded the sources. First execute:

source /usr/local/poky/eabi-glibc/arm/environment-setup

to prepare your shell.

Next go to the component you want to build and do:

export MACHINE_NAME=dr1000s
autoreconf --install
intltoolize
./configure --host=arm-poky-linux-gnueabi --sysconfdir=/etc --prefix=/usr
make install-strip DESTDIR=~/Development/4.0/Install/

(I use ~/Development/4.0/Install/ to store the build results, so you may need to change this.)

Depending on what I have build I copy it to the emulator:
scp ../../Install/usr/bin/erkeybd root@qemu:/usr/bin/
or:
scp ../../Install/usr/lib/liberkeyb.so.0.0.1 root@qemu:/usr/lib/

Note that this does not work for programs that are executing, first copy them to another location on the qemu and then from the qemu to the correct location.
(You can log into the qemu using ssh qemu)

When changing library interfaces, you also need to install the changed header files in the development environment:

make install-strip DESTDIR=/usr/local/poky/eabi-glibc/arm/arm-poky-linux-gnueabi

Or copy them manually to the development environment. (You may need to change permissions in the development environment.)

I hope that I got everything correct and that it is enough to get you up and running.

[Mackx]

An update, I modified the code so that XK_Left/Right/Up/Down are also recognised. Note that the erkeybd-library is changed, so you need to run the 'Install KeyBoard Hack' again (1)Cancel Uninstall, 2)OK for Install, 3)leads to reset of device). The install also copies the bitmaps, so if you do not like them change them and run the install again.

Source code will be updated in the dr1000-hackx BitBucket archive.

[MrWarper]

I've been thinking of extending the keyboard layout for a while to include a few characters I want to type in my future stuff, so I gave yours a try and found a bump

In the attachment you'll find your normal keyboard plus upper-case accented letters, cent and yen signs, Icelandic thorns, etc. Pretty straightforward to add in theory. Now for the strange part:

When the keyboard appears, you can type the cent sign "¢", and also "¶", "§", "µ", "þ", letters with diacritics, etc. without problems. Then, pressing shift or CapsLock brings up the "upper case" labels on the keys, but only "¥" (I put this as Shift + ¢) can be typed correctly -- the letters with diacritics are all converted to lower case (i.e. you push "Æ" or "Á" but get "æ" or "á" instead, etc.)! Why?

On a different note, I tried to use text labels for the arrows but the font used to draw the keyboard lacks those glyphs. I've tried to edit your PNG files to make the up and down arrows fit in the "keys" but all I get are black blobs. Any comments on this?

Thank you for another impressive piece of work BTW.

[Mackx]

Hi MrWarper,

I took a first look at the code, I had some code commented out, that solves the Shift-problem. I do not know any more why I commented the code out, so I do not know if it will cause problems... I attached a zip file with a new version of liberkeyb, copy it to Programs\_keyboardhack\lib on your SD-card and run the 'Install KeyBoard Hack' (not the Change-Layout-script).
(Keep a copy of the other one to restore when needed.)

Can you tell me if this solves your problem and does not cause any problems with other keys (I only did a quick test on the emulator).

I did not have a look at the bitmaps, did you use Gimp to edit them or a different program, maybe something is wrong with the transparency?


Regards,
Marcel.

[MrWarper]

Hey Marcel,

just a quick test -- everything seems to be right, even upper case letters with diacritics. Thank you!!
Will report if I find any problems in the future, of course.

I'm not a Linux guy so I don't feel like installing the GIMP here. PMView Pro and good ol' Display (DOS) show black blobs. No biggy, though -- I'll play with this a bit on my own.

I also like the idea of making an extended keyboard so I can have latin + cyrillic and maybe a bunch of other stuff. With the current logic as it is, should it be possible to add dead keys? (I'm not asking you to do any extra coding -- I just want to know)

Best regards.

[Mackx]

Originally Posted by MrWarper

just a quick test -- everything seems to be right, even upper case letters with diacritics. Thank you!!
Will report if I find any problems in the future, of course.

OK

Originally Posted by MrWarper

I'm not a Linux guy so I don't feel like installing the GIMP here. PMView Pro and good ol' Display (DOS) show black blobs. No biggy, though -- I'll play with this a bit on my own.

Gimp is also available for Windows (I also run it under windows not under linux)

Originally Posted by MrWarper

I also like the idea of making an extended keyboard so I can have latin + cyrillic and maybe a bunch of other stuff. With the current logic as it is, should it be possible to add dead keys? (I'm not asking you to do any extra coding -- I just want to know)

Can you explain what a dead-key is?

[MrWarper]

Originally Posted by Mackx

Gimp is also available for Windows (I also run it under windows not under linux)

I could but I just don't want to install a program I won't use for anything else -- that's why I said I don't feel like, etc.
Not a Windows guy either, btw

Can you explain what a dead-key is?

Sure. A dead key is one that doesn't produce a character by itself, but puts into some buffer a character that is to be combined with the next one; that's how Spanish or International American keyboard layouts usually produce accented letters: one pushes "`", "´", "¨", etc. and gets "nothing" -- when "a" or any other key is pushed afterwards, "à", "á", "ä" or whatever is produced. It is much more elegant and practical than having individual keys for what can potentially be a lot of characters, but it may be beyond the current code and not really necessary so far.

[Mackx]

Originally Posted by MrWarper

Sure. A dead key is one that doesn't produce a character by itself, but puts into some buffer a character that is to be combined with the next one; that's how Spanish or International American keyboard layouts usually produce accented letters: one pushes "`", "´", "¨", etc. and gets "nothing" -- when "a" or any other key is pushed afterwards, "à", "á", "ä" or whatever is produced. It is much more elegant and practical than having individual keys for what can potentially be a lot of characters, but it may be beyond the current code and not really necessary so far.

Aha, that is a feature I always disable as soon as possible, since it is very annoying when typing source code. Your assumption that it is not in the current code, I can put it on my (ever growing) todo list

[MrWarper]

Originally Posted by Mackx

Aha, that is a feature I always disable as soon as possible, since it is very annoying when typing source code. Your assumption that it is not in the current code,

I have to guess you mean I was right
OK, I'm not asking you what keyboard layout you use, but a dead key is not necessarily a whole key as such, it may be just one of the characters that can be typed with a key. For example, if I remember correctly, the double quote in the UX or USX (US international) keyboard layout is a normal key, but if you press shift+quote, and then a vowel, you get ä, ë, etc. so in that layout the double quote is a dead key only in combination with Shift (or maybe Alt, I'm not sure).

I can put it on my (ever growing) todo list

As I said, only if you really want to -- it's just a fancy whim.

Anyway, I've resized the arrow bitmaps so they're not clipped by the keys edges, and I've repackaged them along with your keyboard hack v3, the v3a path to get lower and upper case fancy characters and my 'extended' keyboard layout where these are present.

If you are against that, I'll take it back and post the resized arrows only, but I thought this would be more convenient for anyone interested to get everything in one pass.

[Mackx]

Originally Posted by MrWarper

I have to guess you mean I was right

Oops... send too early

Originally Posted by MrWarper

Anyway, I've resized the arrow bitmaps so they're not clipped by the keys edges, and I've repackaged them along with your keyboard hack v3, the v3a path to get lower and upper case fancy characters and my 'extended' keyboard layout where these are present.

If you are against that, I'll take it back and post the resized arrows only, but I thought this would be more convenient for anyone interested to get everything in one pass.

It is OK with me, I will add the icons to the BitBucket archive so I will include them in my next release (if I need to make one).

[fekhner]

Just installed the new keyboard with the arrow keys, quite useful indeed, thanks !