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Guide to layout scripting

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thantthet edited this page Sep 11, 2020 · 12 revisions

Introduction

You can make keyboard layout with KeyMagic layout script language.

Keyboard Editor

Use kEditor for writing new keyboard layouts and testing them.

Details

Headers

Description: Headers are used to define keyboard layout descriptions, layout settings and icon path. And they needed to be in comment block.

Syntax: @%name = %value

/**
@Name = "A Smart Unicode Keyboard Layout"
@Description = "This is keyboard description"
@TRACK_CAPSLOCK = "false"
@EAT_KEYS = "true"
@US_LAYOUT_BASED = "true"
@SMART_BACKSPACE = "true"
@TREAT_CTRL_ALT_AS_RALT = "true"
**/
  • Name: Name of keyboard layout. (Staring from v1.4)
  • Icon: Full path or relative path of icon file. (Staring from v1.4)
  • Description: Description of the keyboard. (Staring from v1.4)
  • TRACK_CAPSLOCK: Setting false to this option will ignore caps locks key. (default: true)
  • SMART_BACKSPACE: Backspace will acts as undo key that will restore to the most recent state before last user input. (default: false)
  • EAT_KEYS: When this option is true, any undefined keys will not have any output. (default: false)
  • US_LAYOUT_BASED: Key code values will be based on US Keyboard Layout. (default: false)
  • TREAT_CTRL_ALT_AS_RALT: Pressing CTRL+ALT will be treat as RALT (ALT-Gr) (default: true)

Note: Options are case insensitive.

Variables

Dscription: Variables are used to store strings.

Syntax: $%name = %value

$vowels_cap = "AEIOU"

$vowels_small = 'aeiou'

$ka = U1000

You can also use declared variables in new variable declaration.

$vowels = $vowels_cap + $vowels_small

You can use both String and Unicode in a variable.

$AAA = "A" + U0040 + $vowles

Rules

Description: Rules are used to match the context what user type and how to customize the output.

Syntax: %pattern_to_be_match => %output_pattern

'a' => U1000

With the above rule, when user type 'a', the output will be U1000 (Myanmar က).

Virtual Key Code

Description: Virtual keys are commonly used in LHS. Anyway, they could be used in the RHS too.

Syntax: < %vkcode [ & %vkcode ] >

%vkcode can be one of the VirtualCodes.

< VK_KEY_A > => U1000

The output will be U1000 (Myanmar က) when user type 'a'.

Note: All Virtual Key inside <> need to be pressed at the same time to successfully match the pattern.

< VK_CTRL & VK_SHIFT & VK_KEY_A > => U1000

Above pattern will be matched only when the user press CONTROL KEY, SHIFT KEY and A KEY.

String index

Description: You can match one character from the string variable specifying index.

Syntax: $var[%n]

%n is the index of character.

$string = "ABCDE"
$string[1] => U1039

If you use * instead of index, it will be considered as any of character from the string array.

$string[*] => "You typed" + $1

When you used *, index of matched letter in LHS can be used in RHS.

$small = 'zxcv'
$cap = 'ZXCV'
$small[*] => $cap[$1]
// z to Z, x to X
$small[*] + $small[*] => $1 + $cap[$2]
// zx to zX, cv to cV
$small[*] + $cap[*] => $1 + $small[$2] + $2
// zZ to zzZ

Using matched context in output

Description: You can use matched context of LHS in the RHS.

Syntax: %context [ + %context ] => %n [ + %n]

'will ' + 'this ' + 'swap' => $2 + $1 + $3

When the context is will this swap then the output will be this will swap

NULL Output

Description: Set the output to empty.

Syntax: %context => null

'Blacklis' + <VK_KEY_T> => NULL // Ex1
'I need this string to delete with single backspace' + <VK_BACK> => null // Ex2

Ex1: In this example, when the context is 'Blacklis' and typing 'T' will result in empty output. Ex2: This will delete whole string as soon as you type backspace.

Note: You can still use '' or "" to have null output. 'abc' => ''

Match Any

Description: Use in the left side of the pattern. And used to match any character.

Syntax: [+ %context] => [%pattern]

'i' + * => 'I' + $2

Not Of

Description: Used with string arrays (variables). Will match any character except from the string array.

Syntax: $var[^]

$vowels = 'aeiou'
$vowels[^] => $1 + ' is not a vowel'

Switch

Description: Switches are internal boolean(true/false) values. You could use switches as deadkey. After switch value is changed to TRUE, value becomes FALSE on next input.

Syntax: ('%switch_name')

'=' => ('myswitch') // When user type '=', value of switch named `myswitch` becomes `TRUE`
// following two rules will match only when value of `myswitch` is `TRUE`
'z' + ('myswitch') => 'zee' // value of `myswitch` is becomes `FALSE` and print 'zee'
'v' + ('myswitch') => 'vee' + ('myswitch') // value of `myswitch` is still `TRUE` and print 'vee'

Comments

// : comment till the end of line.

/* */: comment multiline.

Escape in string

$slash = '\\'
$d_quote = "\""
$aUnicode = "\u1000"

Joining Lines

$vowels = 'aei' + \
          'ou'
$vowels[*](^]) => \
            'vowles'

TYSM => "Thank you so much"

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