Proposal

This will be a compile-time tool written in Typescript that takes the .kmx-ldml file and uses the DataBlob Library to interrogate the LDML file and generate a corresponding .keyman-touch-layout file.

This will then be used by the existing compiler toolchain to generate:
* the .js .KVKL property for web/touch platforms.

This tool should be accessible as a standalone library, wrapped with a command-line tool, so that it can be used for unit testing as well.

We may make this into the same command line tool as for .kvk (#5077), but the libraries should be separate deliverables.

Notes

• Globe button needs to be considered from a Keyman perspective
• fonts are "up to the vendor".
  • Use existing packaging keyboard property to define the font.
  • Keyman Cloud font data is part of .keyboard_info
• How do we handle the key identifiers from touch to send them into the LDML keyboardprocessor?
  • This is an open issue for discussion with the Keyboard-SC.
• Proposal for building layouts with hardcoded default sizing
  • This is an open issue for discussion with Keyboard-SC
  • key widths always 100 except a set of special keys
  • 'switch' keys are also 150? or 100?
  • rows are always centered, rather than stretched
    • question: stretch special keys at row margins?
    • alternative: ‘widths’ are more of a “width weighting” - rows always scaled to “full justified”
      • motivation (for vendor reference use): easier handling when keys dynamically inserted into a row (iOS globe / dictation keys)
  • spacebar always… 250? 500?
    • alternative: fill the remaining space once we've put the other A## row keys in (switch keys, specials, etc)
  • Different hardcoded default for desktop & touch
    • Because ctrl, alt more needed on desktop
• From LDML’s perspective, the output is the key identifier when it comes to displaying.
  • While many-keys to one-output scenarios are possible… it doesn’t matter which key is used to represent it. From LDML’s perspective, they all act identically.

Related

• feat(developer): allow U_xxxx_yyyy to output two Unicode characters #2858: KMW, Developer: Add support for multi-char U_xxxx_yyyy key identifiers
• spec(developer,web): support "hint" property for touch layouts 🐵 #5079: KMW, Develoepr: Add support for hint property
• spec(web,developer): multitap and flick for touch keyboards 🐵 #5029: spec: Add support for multitap (and flick!)
• spec(developer): LDML to KVKS tool 🙀 #5077: spec: LDML to KVKS tool
• Draft spec

Keyman Developer:

• OS: any
• Keyman Developer version: 15.0