LayCoder utility

Written by Igor Nesterov (C) 2002-03

Download latest release from: http://www.palmoid.com/laycoder/laycoder.zip

Download YAHM hack manager for deadhack support (optional for PalmOS v3.x-4.x and required for PalmOS v5.x) from: http://yahm.palmoid.com/yahm.zip

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Index

1. About LayCoder

LayCoder is a Win32 utility for creation custom keyboard layouts for Palm Portable Keyboard (also known as Stowaway keyboard).

ThinkOutside Inc, keyboard manufacturers offer Stowaway Development Kit for PalmOS. Basing on KdbLayout sample from SDK you can create your own layouts with help of Metrowerks CodeWarrior development system. This approach requires expensive tools and hard manual work for finding and mapping keys in "Key Code Matrix".

With help of LayCoder layout development can be simplified. Each key table represented as keyboard in text file:

Layout table example

[Plain]
|1    |2    |3    |4    |5    |6    |7    |8    |9    |0    |-    |=    |BS   |
|NxtFl|q    |w    |e    |r    |t    |y    |u    |i    |o    |p    |[    |]    |\    |
|Caps |a    |s    |d    |f    |g    |h    |j    |k    |l    |;    |'    |Enter|
|LShft|z    |x    |c    |v    |b    |n    |m    |,    |.    |/    |RShft|Up   |
|Ctrl |Fn   |Alt  |Cmd  |Space|Space|`    |Done |Del  |Left |Down |Right|
|Date |Phone|Todo |Memo |

Utility help you convert simple text description like above to 'map_' resource. You can use build-prc utility to compile map into .pdb file.

2. System Requirements

3. Distribution

4. Installing LayCoder

5. How to use desktop-like 'dead char' support

With help of LayCoder package you can type accented characters in desktop style, with accent first. For example to type A. you should enter ^ character and A character. Diaeresis, circumflex, degree, grave, acute and cedilla accents are processed now. If you need another accent characters, mail to support@palmoid.com.

Package includes sample map map_fra1.map and ready to use French layout kbdfrenchtm.pdb. Dead key ( ^ character really) mapped to next button after P. Dead key with shift is mapped to diaeresis accent.

To use this extension you should install deadhack.prc to the palm. Unzip hack from archive and install it with Installer Tool. Enable it in your favorite HackManager for PalmOS 3.x-4.x (Use my freeware YAHM if you have no any HackManager).

For PalmOS5 you should use YAHM hack manager with ARM support.( Take new version 2.0 from http://yahm.palmoid.com/yahm.zip ). Using hack with TealMaster OS5 cause significant system slowdown. YAHM can handle special hacks, writtten in pure ARM.

Thanks to Christian Pennaforte for the brilliant idea of dead char support.

6. Used file formats

• Binary format. This format can be used as 'map_' resource in external keyboard layout. Let name it 'binary file'.
• Text format. Useful readable file format, able to edit in you favorite text editor (Notepad). Let name it 'layout file'.

Part of layout file

Version: 1
Name: English (US)
Language: 0
Keyboard layout: 1033
Copyright: Copyright (c) 2000-2001, Think Outside, Inc.
Creator: Think Outside, Inc.
[Plain]
|1    |2    |3    |4    |5    |6    |7    |8    |9    |0    |-    |=    |BS   |
|NxtFl|q    |w    |e    |r    |t    |y    |u    |i    |o    |p    |[    |]    |\    |
|Caps |a    |s    |d    |f    |g    |h    |j    |k    |l    |;    |'    |Enter|
|LShft|z    |x    |c    |v    |b    |n    |m    |,    |.    |/    |RShft|Up   |
|Ctrl |Fn   |Alt  |Cmd  |Space|Space|`    |Done |Del  |Left |Down |Right|
|Date |Phone|Todo |Memo |

• Header with common information.
• Keyboard layout tables for all shift keys combinations

5.1. Header

5.2 Layout

Text file defines 11 different keyboard tables, for each modifier keys combination:

1. Plain
2. Shift
3. CapsLock
4. CapsLock-Shift
5. Alt
6. Alt-Shift
7. Fn (also used as Shift-Fn2 layout)
8. Fn-Shift (also used as Fn2 layout)
9. Cmd
10. Ctrl
11. Ctrl-Cmd

All tables must come in above strict order. Each table begin with modifier name in square brackets. Six keyboard rows follows it. Last row consist of four application buttons. Each row consist of button definitions. Buttons are separated by | character. Each button resides on 5 character positions. There are four types of button encoding:

1. Character button. This button send single ASCII character (with modifiers, probably) and encodes as character and four space bars. For example:

   |q    |w    |e    |r    |t    |y    |

2. Control button. This button type has mnemonic description:
   This buttons defines control codes, launch codes, modifier codes, onscreen button codes and umlaut modifiers codes.
   • Non-printable characters: "Tab  ", "Space"
   • Modifier keys: "Fn ", "Alt ", "LShft", "RShft", "Cmd ", "Caps ", "Ctrl "
   • Control characters: "BS   ", "Enter", "Up   ", "Down ", "Left ", "Right", "Del  " "NxtFl" (next field), "PrvFl" (prev field), "SDown" (page down), "SUp " (page up)
   • Palm specific actions: "Backl" (toggle backlight), "SKbrd" (onscreen keyboard), "Shrtk" (shortcut stroke)
   • Edit actions: "Copy ", "Cut ", "Paste"
   • Palm hard- and silk- buttons: "Apps ", "Menu ", "Calc ", "Find ", "Date ", "Phone", "Todo ", "Memo "
   • Form button shortcuts: "Done " (done,fertig), "Delet" (delete,löschen), "New " (new,neu), "Show " (show, einblenden), "OK ", "Note " (note,notiz), "Send" (send,shieken,senden,go,check & send,send & check)(this button mistakenly labeled 'Today'), "Edit " (edit,bearbeiten), "Dtail", "Cancl" (cancel, abbr, abbrechen)
   • Umlaut keys: "+^   " (Circumflex Accent), "+`   " (Grave Accent), "+~ " (Tilde), "+' " (Acute Accent), "+o " (Degree Sign), "+: " (Diaeresis)
   For example:

   |Date |Phone|Todo |Memo |

3. Hex button. Writes as #XXXX where X - hexidecimal digit. Used to encode unusual keyboard codes, such as #020E for m100 device's page-up clock button. Look in chars.h from PalmOS SDK for hex codes. For example:

   |#0121|#010F|#0112|

4. Empty button. Writes as five spaces and defines no action at all. Don't code 'Space bar' as empty button, use 'Space' keyword. For example:

   |     |     |

Layout sample

[Plain]
|1    |2    |3    |4    |5    |6    |7    |8    |9    |0    |-    |=    |BS   |
|NxtFl|q    |w    |e    |r    |t    |y    |u    |i    |o    |p    |[    |]    |\    |
|Caps |a    |s    |d    |f    |g    |h    |j    |k    |l    |;    |'    |Enter|
|LShft|z    |x    |c    |v    |b    |n    |m    |,    |.    |/    |RShft|Up   |
|Ctrl |Fn   |Alt  |Cmd  |Space|Space|`    |Done |Del  |Left |Down |Right|
|Date |Phone|Todo |Memo |

7. Usage

7.1 Layout dump

LayCoder l "binary_layout_file_name" > "text_layout_file_name"

7.2 Layout creation

LayCoder c "binary_layout__or_pdb_file_name" "text_layout_file_name"

8. How to make layout

• Take english skeleton layout (map_041a.map from archive).
• Edit it with text editor.
• Compile layout directly to PDB with command

  LayCoder c kbdlay.pdb map_041a.map

  That's all! Steps below can be helpful if you want to add more than one layout to database.

---

• Compile it with command

  LayCoder c map_041a.bin map_041a.map

• Build PDB database with command

  build-prc.exe -o kbdlay.pdb -t DATA -c KO01 -n "Sample layout" map_041a.bin

  or next line for PRC-Tools v2.2

  build-prc.exe --no-check-resources -o kbdlay.pdb -t DATA -c KO01 -n "Sample layout" map_041a.bin

  You can change PDB name from 'kbdlay.pdb' and internal name from "Sample layout". First name identifies file on PC, second - on Palm.
• Install database with Installer Tool from Palm Desktop.
• Switch to you layout in Keyboard program.

• Name it map_XXXX.map, where XXXX - sequental hex number. 041A for first, 041B for second etc.
• Add map_XXXX.bin to the tail of build-prc command:

  build-prc.exe -o kbdlay.pdb -t DATA -c KO01 -n "Sample layout" map_041a.bin map_041b.bin

9. Ultra-Thin keyboard support.

New Ultra-Thin keyboard have some differences from classic PPK keyboard. Current keyboard driver use old keyboard layout with some hacks. New version support this hacks.

Four new pseudo-buttons were added to last row. Don't touch them! Leave this buttons as is.

10. Files in distribution

• LayCoder.exe - executable
• laycoder.htm - this file
• languages.h - list of language identifiers
• map_041a.map - US English layout. Use it as skeleton for you layout.
• map_03e9.map - Dvorak layout (from PPK driver)
• map_03f6.map - German layout (from PPK driver)
• map_03fa.map - Japanese layout (from PPK driver)
• map_rus.map - Cyrillic layout
• map_fra.map - AZERTY France layout ((from Christian Pennaforte)
• map_fra1.map - AZERTY France layout with classic dead char support (from Christian Pennaforte).
• kbdfrenchtm.pdb - ready to use compiled AZERTY France layout with classic dead char support (from Christian Pennaforte). Don't forget to install deadhack.prc to use it!!!!
• deadhack.prc - hack for classic dead char support.

11. Disclaimer

• Win32 platform.
• Layout text file.
• PPK driver version.

12. Useful links

13. Keyboard layouts

• http://home.no.net/wraith6/fritid/data/palmos.html - Norsk layout.
• http://www.izipalm.com/stowaway.htm - French layout.
• http://www.pdamania.hu/article.php3?&id=1523&do=1 - Hungarian layout.
• http://www.hurtigh.se/palm/ - Swedish layout.
• Feel free send me your own layouts to support@palmoid.com

14. Version History

• 2.0 (October 8, 2003)
  • DeadHack for PalmOS5.
• 1.3 (September 9, 2003)
  • Ultra Thin keyboard support.
  • Now LayCoder can produce PDB file.
• 1.1 (August 9, 2002)
  • Classic 'dead char' support added. Now you can type accented characters in desktop style: with dead char first! Details here.
• 1.0 (August 7, 2002)
  • Initial release

15. Author information

16. My other Palm software

• Yet Another Hack Manager
• Trapcatcher tool for hidden hack search
• Silk Manager for Handera 330
• PowerNet utility for auto off prevention while networking
• List all active alarms on device
• Remote4Joy - use sony audio remote as hard buttons