2 keyboard layouts for HW keyboard

1st Official Post

    Hello,

    I use libreelec since it forked from openelec and everything works fine for me. Then only problem I never tried to solved is Hardware Keyboard layouts.

    Kodi has 2 places to configure language related items :

    1. System -> Input = set to US

    2. Regional settings - 2 layouts are added US + RU. - this allows to switch the languages on on-display keyboard.

    However, hardware keyboard will always input in English.

    Is there a way to switch HW keyboard layout without going to the "input" settings? Ideally, switch layout automatically and match selected layout for on-display keyboard... or Ctrl+Shift ?

    If it's not possible... maybe there is a way to link a combination of the keys some script that will change the input settings?

    I did search for the solutions on this forum and could not find a good answer.

    Thanks

    Quote from chewitt

    Currently no, as our settings add-on runs in the background independently of Kodi and there is no way for Kodi to tell the OS layer that the keyboard layout has changed (and vice versa).

    Correct me if I'm wrong. Both settings are in Kodi, bot in add-on, so when I change the input layout in Kodi, it notifies OS somehow

    • Official Post

    You're wrong. One setting is in the OS and our settings add-on controls that. The other is entirely within Kodi and the Kodi setting controls that. Kodi does not have code for controlling our background service (which looks like an add-on but is still external to Kodi and has no API) and while Kodi has APIs our settings add-on deliberately doesn't attempt to figure out the relationship between supported OS and GUI language. For example, Generic x86_64 hardware has different keyboard languages and layouts to Raspberry Pi which has a more limited range of supported options.

    I'm not saying it cannot be done .. but it's not a straightforward thing. So far it appears the ~70% of project staff who are not native English speakers are okay with the inconvenience of setting it in two places during setup. Unless that changes, the status quo will remain the same.

    Quote from chewitt

    I'm not saying it cannot be done .. but it's not a straightforward thing. So far it appears the ~70% of project staff who are not native English speakers are okay with the inconvenience of setting it in two places during setup. Unless that changes, the status quo will remain the same.

    But this is not about one time settings in 2 places. It's about the fact that I have to go to the settings and change the input language if I want to use this language in Youtube plugin search. And If I want to type in different language, I have to close the plugin and go to the settings again.

    • Official Post

    Are you aware that Kodi allows you to define multiple screen keyboards (select more than one in the language picker). If you have multiple on-screen keyboards defined the "English QWERTY" button allows you to switch keyboard without leaving the on-screen setting. You will still need to visit the LE settings add-on to change the physical keyboard, but that should simplify one aspect.

    Yes, I have 2 screen keyboards. And I can switch the language when the keyboard is on screen. But the physical hardware keyboard will still type in the language that is set in the settings. I have a trackpad on the keyboard, so I can move the cursor and click on the individual characters, but it's definitely much slower than typing with physical kb.