GOKKeyboardPersistence.md

GOK Keyboard Persistence

GOK Keyboard Elements

GOK keyboard files are expressed using xml, and have the extension '.kbd'.

The main XML elements are:

• GokFile
  • defines the GOK XML namespace http://www.gnome.org/GOK
• keyboard
  • container of a collection of key elements
  • name attribute
  • commandprediction attribute, (boolean?)
  • wordcompletion attribute, (boolean?)
• key

  • provides characteristics of a single key.

  • attributes left, right, top, and bottom specify position in terms of columns and rows.

  • attribute type, an enum:

    { normal, branch, branchBack, branchWindows, settings, modifier }
    

  • attribute modifier, used if the type=modifier. An enum:

    { shift, ctrl, alt, capslock, mod4 }
    

  • attribute modifierType, optional and, if used, the type=modifier must be present. The only value appears to be toggle. A full example: <key type="modifier" modifier="capslock" modifierType="toggle">...</key>

• label
  • must be nested within a key element
  • provides a label for the key, a human facing UI string.
• output
  • optional; must be nested within a key element.
  • defines any output caused by invoking the key.
  • attribute type. Possible values are { keysym, keycode }.
  • contents of the element is the output value, e.g., "comma".

Example Using JSON

This is a guess on how a GOK XML keyboard file could be repurposed using JSON instead of XML, where the names of the JSON fields are the same as the XML elements and their attributes.

Two possibilities with respect to the collection of keys are an array of key structures or a set of named keys. In the first case, the key element is lost, but its structure is captured as a list of "anonymous" keys.

"keyboard": {
    "name": "manage",
    "commandprediction": false,
    "wordcompletion": false,
    "keys": [{
            "left": 0,
            "right": 1,
            "top": 0,
            "bottom": 1,
            "type": "branchBack",
            "label": "back"
        },
        {
            "left": 1,
            "right": 2,
            "top": 0,
            "bottom": 1,
            "type": "branchWindows",
            "label": "Activate Window"
        },
        {
            "left": 2,
            "right": 3,
            "top": 0,
            "bottom": 1,
            "type": "settings",
            "label": "Settings"
        },
        {
            "left": 0,
            "right": 1,
            "top": 1,
            "bottom": 2,
            "type": "normal",
            "label": "Gok"
        },
        {
            "left": 1,
            "right": 2,
            "top": 1,
            "bottom": 2,
            "type": "normal",
            "label": "Other"
        },
        {
            "left": 2,
            "right": 3,
            "top": 1,
            "bottom": 2,
            "type": "normal",
            "label": "Pointer"
        }
    ]
}

In the second case, the key element is again missing, but each key has a unique id. The array is replaced with a keys block containing a set of key ids. For illustrative purposes the id is based on the key's label:

{
    "keyboard": {
        "name": "manage",
        "commandprediction": false,
        "wordcompletion": false,
        "keys": {
            "back": {
                "left": 0,
                "right": 1,
                "top": 0,
                "bottom": 1,
                "type": "branchBack",
                "label": "back"
            },
            "activateWindow": {
                "left": 1,
                "right": 2,
                "top": 0,
                "bottom": 1,
                "type": "branchWindows",
                "label": "Activate Window"
            },
            "settings": {
                "left": 2,
                "right": 3,
                "top": 0,
                "bottom": 1,
                "type": "settings",
                "label": "Settings"
            },
            "gok": {
                "left": 0,
                "right": 1,
                "top": 1,
                "bottom": 2,
                "type": "normal",
                "label": "Gok"
            },
            "other": {
                "left": 1,
                "right": 2,
                "top": 1,
                "bottom": 2,
                "type": "normal",
                "label": "Other"
            },
            "pointer": {
                "left": 2,
                "right": 3,
                "top": 1,
                "bottom": 2,
                "type": "normal",
                "label": "Pointer"
            }
        }
    }
}