On Screen Keyboard

Warning. This is PRE ALPHA testing grade only software. It may cause your pre to melt into a puddle and dissolve while turning blue. Use at your own risk!

Introduction

The Palm Pre ships with a very limited on-screen keyboard for inserting symbols. It works in portrait and landscape, in all apps, in all fields. This on screen keyboard provides a basis for programmers to develop a fully functional on screen keyboard for the Pre.

Explanation

On an unmodified Pre if you press the "sym" key and a scrollable 5x5 keyboard pops up full of alternate characters.

This is controlled by code incorporated into the framework.js. The specific functions there can be seeen in /usr/palm/frameworks/mojo/submissions/191.15/javascripts/widget_charselector.js

with the layout controlled by 3 files in /usr/palm/frameworks/mojo/submissions/191.15/templates/charselector

the actual list of characters that appear on the screen is controlled by /usr/palm/frameworks/mojo/submissions/191.15/resources/en_us/alternatechars_table.json

At the simplest level then, creating an on-screen keyboard requires editing the alternate characters table json, to add the "regular" charcters to it, and then when you want a keyboard, press SYM and poof, a keyboard. The problem with that is, the alternatechars_table.json is "fragile" the slightests mis-edit results in the pre entering a continuous book cycle.

At the next level, the framework's copy of widget_charselector.js needs to be modified to not close the keyboard after each keypress.

As of 12 August 2009 Webos-internals contributor Eric Gaudet (irc egaudet) announced success at patching the framework.js to accept a new function derived from the charselector widget. This pre-alpha proof of concept on-screen keyboard is available as a patch.

Procedure

The patch is on Gitorious, please read the following to install the patch:

The patch should be stored (on Pre) in: /opt/src/modifications/frameworks/add-onscreen-keyboard.patch

There are also theme images needed in the current release. Folow these instructions to install the patch AND the theme images (NOTE: must be root)

sh /opt/src/modifications/install add-onscreen-keyboard.patch
sh /opt/src/modifications/frameworks/install_theme

Issues

as of 17 August 2009 the following issues are known:

• Add method to get at numbers and symbols (possibilities: sym,flick) Done
• Modify keyboard dimensions in landscape mode to span accross width Done
• Do not bring up keyboard when using hard keyboard clipboard events (might have to disable the keyboard when slider is open exposing hard keyboard)
• Enable usage to search contacts/universal search -- for example Name, email address, etc are search fields not text fields.
• Fix far right column -- DONE 13 Aug
• Verify auto-correct when space added.
• Possibly (and optionally) play sound or haptic feedback on touch Done
• Add clipboard capabilities
• Explore T9-type, limited-width keyboard options
• Do not bring up keyboard on swipe gestures, only tap if possible Done
• Space, enter, backspace need to work == DONE 13 Aug