KDE International Keyboard

Version 0.1.5, 29 December 1997

1. Introduction

KiKbd is designed to help typing national symbols different from default Latin symbols on Xserver. Instead of "classic" method of typing national symbols using one X keyboard map and modifier keys, KiKbd can remember more then one keyboard map and perform dynamically switching of them. This means what KiKbd can support more then one language at the same time.

2. Installation

Installation from sources go as usual :-)

     % ./configure
     % make
     % make install

You need at least KDE Beta 2 to successfully compile KiKbd.

3. National Keyboard

For each language or national keyboard KiKbd remember keyboard map which can have up to four symbols per physical keyboard key. For example in Russian keyboard you have four symbols for key 'Q' : short i, capital short I, q, and capital Q. First two symbols let named national symbols and last two symbols let named alternate symbols. For typing Alternate symbols you have to setup special key in the KiKbd configuration, look into Personal Configuration section. Normally you will get first symbol when typing, second symbol when you typing with Shift, third symbol when you typing with Alternate Switch and fourth symbol when you typing with Alternate Switch together with Shift.
For now KiKbd distribute the following national keyboards :

Hungarian (Hu) - used free symbols in the language keyboard map. Created by Sebestyen Zoltan (szoli@digo.inf.elte.hu).
Polish (Pl) - use all four symbols in the language keyboard map. Created from xmodmap posted by Jacek Konieczny (jajcus@zeus.polsl.gliwice.pl).
Russian (Ru) - Russian symbols in KOI8 charset, used Latin symbols as alternate symbols. You can simply type Latin symbols by holding Alternate Switch. Created from xmodmap distributed with xrus by Alexander Lukaynov (lav@yars.free.net).
Russian (RuW) - Russian symbols in cp1251 (windows) charset, used Latin symbols as alternate symbols. You can simply type Latin symbols by holding Alternate Switch. Created from xmodmap distributed with xrus by Alexander Lukaynov (lav@yars.free.net).

If keyboard for you language is missing see section Creating new National Keyboard.

4. Personal Configuration

Personal configuration include all you runtime settings for KiKbd. You should use kcmikbd program to create and modify you personal configuration. Then you start KiKbd or kcmikbd for the first time it will copy system default configuration to you personal.

4.1 Keyboards.

Using Add and Delete buttons you can create you favorite list of national keyboards. The top keyboard (Us as on the picture) become default keyboard when you start KiKbd.

4.2 Switch and Alt Switch

For switching between keyboards you can use this two key combination (by holding Right Control and Right Shift at the same time as on the picture). You can type alternate symbols from current national keyboard if any by holding them with this Alt Switch (Right Alt as on the picture).

4.3 Beep

You can listen beep when ever keyboard changed.

4.4 Advanced Options

4.4.1 Menu in KPanel

You can have popup menu while swallowing KiKbd into kpanel (with command line option -kpanel) by pointing the mouse on the KiKbd button.

4.4.2 World Menu

You can have popup menu in any active window by pressing Switch keys for a long time (hold Right Control and Right Shift as on the picture and wait for popup menu).

4.4.3 Emulate CapsLock

For some keyboards (for example Russian) there is some problems with default Xserver CapsLock behavior. You can use KiKbd emulated CapsLock to fix this problem. With CapsLock emulated you can control Caps state by the color of the KiKbd button instead of the keyboard Led.

4.4.4 Input

You can select one of the:

Global - "classic" method of input when you have same active keyboard (language) in all windows.
Window - as i now in XWindow this is only KiKbd related method. Like in MS Windows you can have individual for each window active keyboard (language).
Class - this is only KiKbd method in all other the world. In XWindow each window can have associated text string so called WM Class. So you can have active keyboard (language) associated with each WM Class. For example, if you switch to Russian in one of the Kedit, you will get Russian in any other Kedit automatically.

4.4.5 Save Classes

If you select Input for Classes you can save the keyboard to WM Class association on the end of the each KDE Session and restore it at the beginning of the KDE Session. For example, if you leave Russian keyboard in the Kedit window today, you will get it automatically when you login tomorrow.

4.5 Style

You can customize KiKbd button Font and all of the four colors:

Foreground Color - Color of the Label Text
Background Color for normal state (No Alt Switch and no CapsLock)
Background Color when CapsLock emulation used and current Caps state is On.
Background Color while Alt Switch pressed.

5. Invocation

5.1 Swallow into KPanel

This is preferred type of invocation. Just add International Keyboard application in kpanel from System menu.

If you create KDELNK file for this by yourself don't forget to use "-kpanel" command line switch.

5.2 Starting as separate window

Invoke KiKbd from shell or start it from kpanel in System menu. You can use command line option -nobox to get window without window manager box and -geometry option to positioning the window. You can get menu on running KiKbd by pressing right mouse button on window.

6. Creating new National Keyboard

All system keyboard files stores in $KDEDIR/share/apps/kikbd and personal in $HOME/.kde/share/apps/kikbd. Each keyboard has two, three or four symbols per physical keyboard key (see section National Keyboard). Distributions include Tcl program which can help you create new keyboard. The name of this program is mkmap. You can find it in the folder of system keyboard files. Creating of national keyboard consists of two parts. First is creating template:

     % mkmap
     Keyboard Label [Us]:
     Keyboard Comment [English American Keyboard]:
     Long Comment [Keyboard for using in USA]:
     Locale [us]:

You should answer on some questions. Keyboard Label - is the label showed inside KiKbd button. Keyboard Comment - short keyboard description, showed in KiKbd popup menu. Long Comment - long keyboard description, showed in KcmiKbd. Locale - locale for this keyboard, usually in small case and equal to Keyboard Label. On success you will get template file in the current directory with extension .kimap.
Second is adding keyboard map from xmodmap:

     % mkmap map <template file> <xmodmap file>
     Which columns in xmodmap? [3,4]

You have to specify columns in xmodmap file to be used. Numbers 1,2,3,4 are valid, type them separated by comma. Xmodmap file can be created by the command:

     % xmodmap -pke > <xmodmap.file>

If you create keyboard for you favorite language please send it to me and i include it in the next release. Don't use more then 3 symbols for keyboard label - this has bad look inside kpanel.

Known Bugs

Command line option -nobox does not work correct.
When swallowed into kpanel and kpanel did restart, the old kikbd process should exists but it exists only then try to draw button, for example then switching from keyboard, otherwise it keep working together with new one. This behavior is undefined.
You can have problem with screen lockers, but with KDE screesavers everything must be Ok.
```
     % kikbd -display <your locked display> -rotate
```
This rotate keyboards in the usual kikbd way and you can unlock you display.

Any suggestions and bugs report are welcome on budnik@linserv.jinr.ru

Alexander Budnik