English Keyboard with Arrows

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English keyboard with 2 or 4 arrow keys for SailfishOS 2.1.0.x and up. Also includes a keyboard with a symbol layout inspired by iOS + accented & special characters used in many European languages.

After install, please enable wanted keyboards in Settings->Text Input->Keyboards.

Requires package Arrow Keyboard Common. If it isn't automatically installed, please install manually.

For text prediction on unofficial SFOS ports see English keyboard with presage based prediction by ellefj. It installs this keyboard package and modifies the configuration to use Presage based text predictor by martonmiklos.

 

Coffee/tea/beer welcome: 1G3XkcF3NR5UNhua6CiBCYZnFPA6LS2jPg
Screenshots: 
Application versions: 
AttachmentSizeDate
File arrowboard-en-1.0-1.noarch.rpm8.19 KB25/02/2017 - 06:30
Changelog: 

- Fixes for SailfishOS 2.1.0.x

Comments

flanker's picture

Hello there. Can you somehow manage to work arrows also in Alien Dalvik apps. (At least on my phone) arrows work only in native SFOS apps ...

szopin's picture

Has anyone figured a workaround for underscored(suggestable) parts of words teleporting when arrows are used? Removing xt9 seems the only way sadly

All_HafRA's picture

Крутая клавиатура, спасибо! Ещё бы в русскую раскладку кто-нибудь стрелки добавил...

ade's picture

Care to release a "NL" (dutch) version? Apart from the language setting for word prediction it could do without much changes.
I could upload the package I created to my personal repo, but it would be more convenient to keep it in the same repo as "Arrow Keyboard Common"

tmi's picture

If you include the line "Requires: arrowboard-common" in your .spec file won't the common files be included when installing your keyboard? I kind of thought it could be like an extra benefit to others for releasing the common files separately. (Well ok, the user probably will need to also have my repo enabled first for it to work.)

If the above doesn't work or you still think the keyboard would be better in the same repo then I guess I could host the NL version. Send me a PM in TMO and we'll figure it out.

ade's picture

I mostly wondered if your intention was to manage the various language versions yourself. Reading your answer gives me the feeling that is not the case. Then I will go for the option to put it in my personal repo (including a git repo).
And a big thanks for your keyboard layouts, I really like the arrows.

tmi's picture

Well, no... I've never planned or intended to manage all the languages myself. The ones I currently have up are due to either some personal interest or just helping somebody out. There could've been also more layouts but unfortunately every now and then I haven't had too much free time on my hands.

Nice to hear the layouts are useful (they probably wouldn't exist without the keyboard threads on TMO and TJC). Also, my thanks for your Sailfish apps - I happen to use a few of them myself.

olf's picture

Thanks for the much missed Arrow Keys in Jolla's original keyboard layouts. And less hassle than the Dolphin English+ keyboard.

Although there is one issue: No word suggestions with the "EN-iOS" layout, but that issue is *not* present in the "EN-< >" and "EN-<^v>" layouts.
Edit1: This actually makes sense, as there are no dictionaries (as of SailfishOS 2.0.4.14) for Eastern European languages.
Edit2: Thinking about this, I believe languageCode= should be set empty (and nothing displayed) or to specifically just iOS (instead of EN-iOS), when xT9handler is not set at all in a <layout>.conf file (here: en_ios.conf). This would create no visual clutter on the (necessarily tiny in this layout) left space key and strictly display the active dictionary there for multi-language keyboard layouts, which is none (per default) for "EN-iOS", thus eliminating the irritating notion of "EN", although no dictionary is active.

And these keyboard layouts still work very well under SailfishOS 2.0.4.14.

tmi's picture

You have a point with the "EN", although I've personally never thought any of the language codes as indicators of the dictionary in use, just indicators of the layout. The main reason for including the "EN" is (or was, at least) the origin of the layout (English) + in iOS the symbol layout also differs based on the language so it didn't seem appropriate to just label it "iOS" (it did cross my mind). I also thought about dropping the "iOS" altogether as the layout didn't end up as complete as I would've liked (this had a lot to do with the lack of popper in symbol layout - granted, it's doable but with much bigger risk of losing compatibility in future SFOS updates, so I decided against it) but wanted some reference and didn't think it to be totally inadequate, after all.

There are a couple of long overdue things I want to do. When I'll get to them, I'll think more about whether I'll drop the "EN" or not.. or if I'll use something else.

EDIT: The language code actually is "EN" in the .conf but when shown on Space the "-iOS" is added to it. That way it would be easy to start using the English dictionary just by adding the 'handler=Xt9InputHandler.qml' line. Too bad, there is no way for the user to do this from the UI (I fail to remember if a specific patch existed just for this).

AGA's picture

Why it was necessary to restructuring of files?

tmi's picture

'Restructuring' in this case is actually a bit of a misnomer, sorry. 'Relocating' would've been more apt.
And it wasn't necessary, just long overdue. It's easier to keep track of one directory than a bunch of files among other files.

AGA's picture

Ok, however I modded your keyboards to hungarian layout, because Penguin hungarian keyboard is no longer to work. I mixed up czech and this code because extra '4 arrow keys row' in landscape mode too high to use, hide it to textbox in many sites. Spacebar arrows more useful and comfortable.
After you update this keyboard didn't work my keyboard, I was fixed it and working good, but...
Penguin use as same thing. He made some extra directory and I thought about that 2.0.0.10 update not supported this method. Maybe next update (if even it is at all will these) than brakes again my (and your) keyboard. Otherwise I hope so this not going to happen.

If I fix on it a little my hungarian layout, you want to use your repo? Ultimately you made yourself, I just scribbled it :)

tmi's picture

Yeah, 4 arrows on top row might be inconvenient in landscape. I've always thought them most practical when used in portrait while holding the phone with both hands + using thumbs to type.

And it's true, I did relocate the files in their own subdirectory. So if you want to use these files in your own keyboard, you need to import the correct directory in the layout qml file (i.e. simple 'import ".."' won't be enough but you also need to add 'import "../the-correct-directory"' also). I don't believe the 2.0.0.10 update did anything drastic regarding the keyboards compared to the 1.1.4.x (EDIT: was 1.4.4.x) that introduced the split keyboard, so if the keyboard works after 1.1.4.x (EDIT: was 1.4.4.x) it should basically also work in 2.0.0.10.

You're asking me to host your Hungarian layout? Would it be too hard to start your own repo with that layout? Since you can already make your own layout I don't think it'd be that hard to build an RPM package too (after that, OpenRepos is just adding text and uploading the RPM and maybe screenshots). http://talk.maemo.org/showthread.php?t=92963 should help to explain it... just some pointers: 1) You don't need to be ROOT when building, USER (nemo) is fine 2) The SPEC file comments starting with '//' should be '#' instead 3) At first, the process looks more complicated than it really is in the end :)
(if you get completely stuck, try to PM me in TMO, maybe I can tip you to the right direction... I have to warn you though, my time is limited so I can't give you any promises)

AGA's picture

So, arrived the new system update, Im afraid things from this because posible that it will broke your (and my) keyboard.

...and I didn't build package, I no have time. There is also planned otherwise I was waiting to system update etc.

tmi's picture

The latest system update (2.0.1.11) doesn't break the keyboard. In general, the keyboard does not alter any system files provided by Jolla so it should be as update safe as it can be. Of course, if with some future update Jolla decides to add new functionalities or otherwise else change the structure of the keyboard files then this keyboard (and a whole lot of other custom keyboards) can, and probably will, break like what happened with the split keyboard feature.