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List:       kde-usability
Subject:    Keyboard layouts
From:       Radostin Radnev <radnev () yahoo ! com>
Date:       2004-11-15 12:20:17
Message-ID: 20041115122017.22465.qmail () web14207 ! mail ! yahoo ! com
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Hello KDE Developers,

My name is Radostin Radnev. I am the second coordinator of translation
and localization of KDE to Bulgarian language.

I have some feature request or usability improvements. They are related
only to one area - Keyboard Layout (switching between different
keyboard layouts).

Switching between different keyboard layouts is extremely essential
feature for non Latin users. My native language uses Cyrillic. I will
explain.

You are going to write a letter. You have to write e-mail address in
Latin, but letter itself in Cyrillic.

You are going to write web page. You have to write HTML tags in Latin,
but content in Cyrillic.

You are going to write program for local users only. You have to write
Source code in Latin, but messages and dialogs in Cyrillic.

So you have to switch between different keyboard layouts extremely
often. So it has to be very easy and comfortable.

I guess users that use other non Latin script have similar problems.
But I will comment only Cyrillic as I have experience only with it.


Here are one of the most asked question about KDE in Bulgarian forums.
Also it is often asked in Russian forums (as far as I see).

Q: How can I switch to Cyrillic?
A: Alt+Ctrl+K

Q: How can I change it?
A: Go to Control Center / Regionall && Accessibility / Keyboard
Shortcuts / Shortcut Schemes / Global Shortcuts. Then scroll to the
end. It is the last position.

Q: Damn. Why I cannot select Ctrl+Shift or Alt+Shift?
A: I don't know. Write a feature request to KDE Developers.

Q: Why Copy and Paste (Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V) doesn't work when I am in
Bulgarian layout?
A: Open configuration dialog. Select Bulgarian layout. In the right
down corner there is a checkbox "Include latin layout". Make sure that
it is checked on.


What does this dialog show?

1. Most beginners find out how to add another keyboard layout.
2. Most beginners cannot find out a shortcut. Neither how to find it,
nor how to change it.
3. Most beginners are not happy that cannot select Ctrl+Shift or
Alt+Shift.
4. Most beginners cannot find out (understand) option "Include latin
layout"


Here are a list of suggestions. They are based on KDE 3.3.

1. Configuration Dialog should contain way to change  shortcut. Every
program has menu item "Configure Shortcuts...", but Keyboard layout
dialog has not. Logical place is the tab "Switching Options". There is
enough place at the bottom to place widget to change shortcut.

2. Ctrl+Shift and Alt+Shift should be allowed. May be only for Keyboard
layout, not for other shortcuts. I don't know what is a reason to block
these combinations. They were included in KDE 2.x. May be there are a
serious reason behind blocking, but all users that use Cyrillic use one
of these combinations to switch since DOS, then Win 3.x, then Win 9x
and now Win XP.
It is very difficult to explain to users that move from Win to Linux
that they cannot use Ctrl+Shift or Alt+Shift for switching between
keyboard layouts.
Another idea is to have predefined list of shortcuts. So users can
select from it. If his/her combination is missing from the list then
he/she can use normal widget to select a shortcut.

3. Redesign of dialog in the first tab "Layout". There is no other
place where similar dialogs exist in KDE. My suggestion is to make it
similar to other dialogs in KDE.
So there should be only one list - Active Layouts and 5 buttons, placed
on the right - Add, Edit, Remove, Move Up, Move Down. And that's all.
When use press Add (or Edit) then another dialog will pop up, where
user can select new layout to add. It will contain one combox (drop
down list), list of variants (disabled if not applicable), checkbox
"Include latin layout" and editbox "Command".
Such kind of dialog is more natural and consistent with other dialogs
found in KDE. Beginners will find out more easy what to do.

4. List of Active Layouts should allow to exist one layout with
different variants. For example Russian layout has 4 variants.
Bulgarian has 2 variants and they are quite different. Usually one user
uses only one variant. So it is OK, but in public terminals - schools,
libraries, etc. where only anonymous login is allowed, different users
may want to use different variants. And in this case it will be very
nice feature to have listed one layout with couple of variants. So
everybody will use whatever he/she prefer. For example dialog should
list Keyboard layouts Bulgarian (bds) and Bulgarian (phonetic) as two
different items. So far it is not possible to be done, because
Bulgarian Keyboard layout disappears from list once it is moved from
Available to Active.


I think all non Latin users will benefit from these suggestions.


Best regards,
Radostin Radnev



		
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