Notices

i like matchbox-keyboard much better than one that comes with OS2008. I've been searching for info on how to use it and replace the builtin. from hildon-input-methods publicity, i gather there is a plugin system, but i find no instructions.

Now my main problem is that the matchbox-keyboard won't close, no matter what. it sticks until i figure out what the process is and kill it.

know what I mean?

xvkbd uses whole screen, can't see what I type.

xkbd frequently goes crazy and chooses weird characters and interferes with clicks in the browser.

PJ

I made quick script for this:
#!/bin/sh
if fuser /usr/bin/matchbox-keyboard; then killall matchbox-keyboard; else /usr/bin/matchbox-keyboard; fi&

Then I just launch it via powerlaunch or osso-statusbar-cpu to toggle the keyboard.

One of these days I may work on just moving the keyboard over to the corner, but I've been lazy

Thanks. That helps a lot to close matchbox-keyboard. And to open it on top of the other one. My main complaint against the hildon keyboard is that the edges of thee keys are too close and that symbols I use all the time are hard to get to.

But

your approach does not entirely solve the problems. Whenever the ordinary keyboard is up, and then I start matchbox-keyboard, hitting return in matchbox-keyboard does not send the line through. Instead, it makes the big finger keypad pop up.

So, if we could actually replace the hildon keyboard, life would improve. Actually, if we could do that, I'd also try that EFL keyboard that looks like an Iphone. That has great look & feel.


Life would improve more if my N800 did not reppeaatt letters at random. Ever since the new OS, typing is a pain. Since I did not see this in the beta versions, I can't figure how it leaked into the final.

PJ

doh.. yeah I noticed that too, I generally only use it for non-gtk apps that won't work at all with the built in keyboard, so not a big problem for me.

not sure how to fix, hopefully someone else can chime in.

The return problem is a problem with maemo anyway. Try using vnc and pressing big return.

If you can remap the return on the matchbox-kbd to KP_Enter (Keypad_Enter), it would work.

OK, I don't know what I'm doing. I want to be able to toggle matchbox-keyboard from Personal Menu. I thought maybe that's what dblank's script (below) does.

Right now, I can run matchbox-keyboard ("MBK") from Personal Menu ("PM"). I do this by having this command

as a PM menu entry.

But then there are certain hassles. Each time I run it, I have to minimize Xterm (twice, in fact, because of a glitch in PM) before I can see the program for which I called up MBK (which happens to be Links2, a fast browser). Then, when I want to turn off MBK (since it has no minimize capability) I have to go to the hardware Home button and kill the two instances of Xterm. Since I have to open and close MBK repeatedly in most web sessions, this is quite the hassle.

So I thought maybe there is a way to script the minimizing of the two Xterm instances right after, and as part of, the launching of MBK; and maybe there's a way to script closing MBK, too. And maybe it can be a single script, called forth from a single PM menu button, where if-MBK-open the script closes it and if-MBK-closed the script opens it.

I've never written a script and I'm not sure how you run one either. What I did was take

and put it into a text file that I named MBK.sh. I don't know if the script does all or part of what I want even when used properly. Anyway, I put MBK.sh into /home/user/bin/ and in Xterm I tried commands like

When I try it now, I get a blank page. Xterm is still up, but any typing that was shown just disappears. (BTW, once the $prompt or #prompt disappears in Xterm, how do you get it back?) I don't think I changed anything, but previously I got something like

(I don't remember exactly.) (I know it makes no sense that I've changed nothing yet the result of the same command is different now than before.) (There needs to be a smiley for ****-Eating-Grin.)

Anybody else have a proper script already for this purpose? Or any instruction? Or feel free to tell me not to come here for from-the-ground-up lessons and let me know what topic or book I should read instead. I'm just a-tryin'.

Thanks!

Your biggest problem is using exec too freely; replaces the current shell process with command. This is not what you want.

Also, you don't need the xterms at all. You can launch whatever keyboard directly from Personal Menu

I've been launching matchbox-keyboard from Personal Menu, but it still leaves me having to minimize Xterm twice afterwards each time; and I'd like also to be able to turn off matchbox-keyboard from Personal Menu, which I still don't know how to do.

I've taken out the "exec" part of my PM menu entry, as you suggested. It seems to work the same either way, actually, though I'm glad to be doing it this more correct way.

Translation:
Uncheck "Run in terminal?".

• Pull up the "ordinary" stylus keyboard
• Choose the menu key (lower left)
• Choose tools -> settings -> General tab
• Uncheck "Launch finger keyboard with [ ]"

That should fix your problem. It also fixes the problem in VNC.