Keyboard

[J_P 23]

31 minutes ago, spam71 said:

Do you have any knowledge on what those "specific parameters to be set" would be?

No, I'm totally and utterly out of my depth!

Possibly this: https://developer.android.com/reference/android/inputmethodservice/Keyboard.Key.html#attr_android:isSticky

...but I'm not sure that even refers to physical keyboards or recent versions of Android.....

[spam71 55]

14 minutes ago, J_P said:

No, I'm totally and utterly out of my depth!

Possibly this: https://developer.android.com/reference/android/inputmethodservice/Keyboard.Key.html#attr_android:isSticky

...but I'm not sure that even refers to physical keyboards or recent versions of Android.....

The link looks more like something about apps development? Not like modification of system configuration files. But thanks anyway.

The files I'm referring to are located in /system/usr/keylayout/*.kl and /system/usr/keychars/*.kcm

[EskeRahn 5,459]

1 hour ago, spam71 said:

Thanks for the hint. Maybe I'll give it a try. But I really don't like any 3rd party software patches, if I can get the same easier with clean system tweaking. It's usually simplier and more reliable way.

Oh I meant duplicate in the .kcm no fancy software (FinQWERTY is not 'active', it is just an easy way to present the system for prepared .kcm files on a non rooted device)

[PVx 10]

This may be useful - KCM & KL files for Photon Q, that used sticky modifiers (I used them on mine) :

https://www.android-hilfe.de/forum/root-custom-roms-modding-fuer-motorola-photon-q.1768/motorola-photon-q-modifizierte-belegung-des-hardwarekeyboard.396216.html

(post is in German, but the attachment is important)

FinQWERTY in nice, but it would be great if it allowed to upload custom kcm/kl files (if it is technically possible), so you didn't have to root the phone to experiment. Or create an online 'apk keyboard installer generator', where you could put them and then install like this:

https://forum.xda-developers.com/droid-4/themes-apps/keylayout-ported-extended-keylayouts-t3647481

There are more software problems with the Pro1, but sticky modifiers are by far the biggest one for me :).

Edited February 3, 2020 by PVx

[spam71 55]

2 hours ago, EskeRahn said:

Oh I meant duplicate in the .kcm no fancy software (FinQWERTY is not 'active', it is just an easy way to present the system for prepared .kcm files on a non rooted device)

Oh, sorry, I haven't checked that app. In the meantime I found another strange behaviour: after changing kcm file entry from FULL to ALPHA sticky keys don't work in Chrome, but work in some other apps (in my case in Smart Launcher's search window). I checked keys behaviour in Chrome, and that's why I thought they're not sticky, while only some apps are concerned. There must be some difference in keyboard management between apps. I have to investigate the topic some more. Sorry for what I wrote was not true. "type ALPHA" entry in kcm file enables sticky keys.

[EskeRahn 5,459]

2 minutes ago, spam71 said:

Oh, sorry, I haven't checked that app. In the meantime I found another strange behaviour: after changing kcm file entry from FULL to ALPHA sticky keys don't work in Chrome, but work in some other apps (in my case in Smart Launcher's search window). I checked keys behaviour in Chrome, and that's why I thought they're not sticky, while only some apps are concerned. There must be some difference in keyboard management between apps. I have to investigate the topic some more. Sorry for what I wrote was not true. "type ALPHA" entry in kcm file enables sticky keys.

That is VERY interesting as others have reported some keyboard issues in Chome, with it accidentally repeats keys. See this

[spam71 55]

15 hours ago, EskeRahn said:

That is VERY interesting as others have reported some keyboard issues in Chome, with it accidentally repeats keys. See this

The problem is somehow connected to GBoard. As somebody suggested in the thread, you linked to, I changed soft keyboard to SwiftKey, and now sticky shift and alt (for Polish characters) are working well. Thanks a lot! 

 

[edit] 

I attach files for Polish keyboard layout. One has to root his Pro1, and overwrite /system/usr/keychars/Vendor_181d_Product_5018_Version_0001.kcm

Also remember that GBoard won't work well, so I recommend to install SwiftKey keyboard. Polish characters are entered with alt or alt+shift keys. All are sticky! 😄

[edit 2]

After a day of use, I definitely have to admit, that Pro1 provides the best typing experience on mobile phones ever, thanks to 5 keys rows it's even better than Photon Q. Only my fingers seem not to be long enough, and I am a sort of big man. 😄

Vendor_181d_Product_5018_Version_0001.kcm

Edited February 4, 2020 by spam71
to avoid series of post by the same author

[J_P 23]

I have Switfkey installed already.

I can confirm that editing /system/usr/keychars/Vendor_181d_Product_5018_Version_0001.kcm  and changing type from FULL to ALPHA does make the shift key work as 'sticky'.

However, the behaviour of the function (diagonal arrow) key is not changed. It would be great to change this to sticky also. 

Any ideas?

[EskeRahn 5,459]

1 hour ago, J_P said:

I have Switfkey installed already.

I can confirm that editing /system/usr/keychars/Vendor_181d_Product_5018_Version_0001.kcm  and changing type from FULL to ALPHA does make the shift key work as 'sticky'.

However, the behaviour of the function (diagonal arrow) key is not changed. It would be great to change this to sticky also. 

Any ideas?

Thanks, sad on the Fn... does the same go for Ctrl?

I'm afraid that it would require them to not rely on the stock keyboard control to get Fn sticky... Too bad - but most likely a small modification, as Google already got the other ones sticky.

[spam71 55]

I don't think FUNCTION key is sticky on Android. There are several more sticky keys though. SHIFT_LEFT, SHIFT_RIGHT, ALT_LEFT, ALT_RIGHT, META_LEFT, META_RIGHT. You can edit *.kl file, and change function of an appropriate key by its scan code. I attach an apk file of hardware scan codes reader.

KeynrTracker.apk

[EskeRahn 5,459]

2 hours ago, spam71 said:

I don't think FUNCTION key is sticky on Android. There are several more sticky keys though. SHIFT_LEFT, SHIFT_RIGHT, ALT_LEFT, ALT_RIGHT, META_LEFT, META_RIGHT. You can edit *.kl file, and change function of an appropriate key by its scan code. I attach an apk file of hardware scan codes reader.

KeynrTracker.apk 8.32 kB · 0 downloads

It is interesting that "Meta" is sticky on Alpha. I'm not sure what the Meta is INTENDED to do, but one might consider letting the yellow arrow be Meta and not Fn to get the Sticky functionality....

[Anssi Hannula 16]

6 hours ago, EskeRahn said:

It is interesting that "Meta" is sticky on Alpha. I'm not sure what the Meta is INTENDED to do, but one might consider letting the yellow arrow be Meta and not Fn to get the Sticky functionality....

With a cursory look at https://android.googlesource.com/platform/frameworks/base/+/refs/heads/master/core/java/android/text/method/MetaKeyKeyListener.java I only see sticky code for shift, alt and sym, though, unless the naming is misleading... But in case meta is not sticky, yellow-arrow could still be set to sym to get it sticky.

[spam71 55]

1 hour ago, Anssi Hannula said:

With a cursory look at https://android.googlesource.com/platform/frameworks/base/+/refs/heads/master/core/java/android/text/method/MetaKeyKeyListener.java I only see sticky code for shift, alt and sym, though, unless the naming is misleading... But in case meta is not sticky, yellow-arrow could still be set to sym to get it sticky.

Oh, sorry. I might be wrong with META.
But, as far as I remember my tries with Photon Q keyboard, you can assign different actions to ALT_LEFT and ALT_RIGHT. I somehow achieved state, that you could get two different character depending on whether you used ALT as sticky (press ALT, release ALT, press for example A key) or as non-sticky (press ALT hold ALT, press A).

Edited February 4, 2020 by spam71

[shani 14]

Just to conclude the previous discussion, to all those who argue that keyboard shortcuts should not be a system setting:

I just got a Blackberry Key2 (for a third of what the fxtec pro1 costs, though to be fari I bought a used one) and voilà, the shortcuts are part of the system settings.
Yes, the long-press shortcuts (holding down a letter) only work with BB's launcher.
But the short-press shortcuts (pressing the convenience key + a letter) work globally.

That's what I was talking about all the time and that's what the functionality the pro1 should provide. Press the fx key + a letter to perform a certain action, no matter which launcher you're using or which app you've currently got opened.
This should be a no-brainer.

Here are a few screenshots.

 

Edited February 5, 2020 by shani

[EskeRahn 5,459]

20 minutes ago, shani said:

That's what I was talking about all the time and that's what the functionality the pro1 should provide. Press the fx key + a letter to perform a certain action, no matter which launcher you're using or which app you've currently got opened.
This should be a no-brainer.

The big difference being that BB-take of Android is far from stock, where F(x)tec tried to keep Android as close to stock as possible.

It is a no-brainer that keeping it close to stock eases the upgrades we expects, and reduces the risk of adding faults.

I would prefer a functionality like this to be an optional stand-alone program, to keep the system clean.

[Rob. S. 1,660]

I admit, from a functionality/usability point of view, that system-wide app-launching shortcuts are a sensible thing to wish for. If every launcher had the functionality, we wouldn't need to discuss it, but none except the F(x)tec launcher does. It's something you want to have without being forced to use a specific launcher. And while I had a hearty laugh reading the argument who else's job it would be to launch apps if not a launcher's, it's not necessarily a launcher's job to define what a keypress does, even if a concrete job may be launching an app. 

The question is, of course, whether it would be possible without expensive modifications of the Android system. But even If it won't, we should at least keep it on a "nice to have" list.

Edited February 5, 2020 by Rob. S.

[Slion 1,201]

34 minutes ago, shani said:

Press the fx key + a letter to perform a certain action, no matter which launcher you're using or which app you've currently got opened.
This should be a no-brainer.

That's a no brainer using:

https://github.com/sds100/KeyMapper

Though you will have to use the Fn key which is a proper modifier rather than the Fx key which is in fact mapped to Home. 

[Craig 1,435]

It would be nice if the Fxtec key could be mapped to super (meta) instead tho, for use as a modifier.  Press&Release could still be home if fxtec insists 😉

And yep, if one or both of the oem keys could be mapped to right-alt, then it'd be sticky w/alpha. (I think)

edit: I keep learning more.  Apparently, if its made into meta, then we get some automatic key combinations built into android already - that are not launcher dependent. 

https://github.com/aosp-mirror/platform_frameworks_base/blob/6bebb8418ceecf44d2af40033870f3aabacfe36e/core/res/res/xml/bookmarks.xml

'a': Calculator
'b': Browser
'c': Contacts
'e': Email
'g': GMail
'l': Calendar
'm': Maps
'p': Music
's': SMS
't': Talk
'y': YouTube

Edited February 6, 2020 by Craig