Switching to Azerty physical keyboard (any rom)

[adlx]

Physical keyboard

I've done some tests these days trying to understand how the Cliq/Dext OS (Android) would recognize if physical keyboard is Qwerty / Azerty and behave accordingly.

The purpose is that people who own an azerty bd Dext could install any Rom out there and don't become crazy while using their physical keyboard. I mean, if they type an "a", that they actually get an "a", not a "q".

I noticed that the french kernel is called with keypad="azerty" in the cmdline!

Actually, that's that easy! Take the boot.img of your rom, unpack it, and repack it adding keypad="azerty" to the cmdline, flash again the new boot.img and reboot the phone.

You'll have an working azerty physical keyboard.

I believe that for French people at least that can be interesting.

Devs could ship 2 boot.img in the update.zip:

* boot.img (qwerty) being the one flashed by default by update-script.
* boot-az.img (same kernel/ramdisk with keypad="azerty" added to the cmdline) that people could flash manually if they want to turn their phone azerty.

Maybe an optional update-azerty.zip with just the boot-az.img and corresponding update-script would make it easier to novice people not willing to change to azerty. (no wipe needed).

I've tested this myself with the help of kb7sqi (for repacking the boot.img), and I could test that it works!

Virtual keyboard

Then I've tried to change LatinIME so that the virtual keyboard also show an azerty kb, but couldn't get it to work. Jr33 deodexed me (I still have to learn that) LatinIME.apk from DextRootFR and I put it in my phone, but it wouldn't open any keybboard... so no luck with that...

EDIT: following ldrolez suggestion, I can confirm that virtual keyboard azerty/qwerty switching is made automatically whenever you change your Regional Settings:

Settings / Locale & Text / Select locale --> Set to "Français (France)", will switched to Azerty virtual keyboard

[ldrolez]

I think some settings need to be modified because
if you take a look at settings.db you'll see some rows like: default_input_method|com.android.inputmethod.latin/.LatinIME

My locale was set to French and I had the azerty keyboard on my dext. Once I changed to an English locale, I got a qwerty virtual keyboard.

[adlx]

I believe strongly that row in settings.db:

INSERT INTO "secure" VALUES(213,'default_input_method','com.android.inp utmethod.
latin/.LatinIME');

... is actually which Input Method you have selected as default. In my case I only have one, so I can change and confirm, but the name is pretty straightforward.

Though reading what you say about the locale makes pretty much sense!!!

I never tried it myselft before, but you're right (just tried right now)! Changing locale (which I suppose isn't even necesarry for French people, as it may already come by default set to French) changes virtual keyboard to azerty! I'll update the first post!

[lioks]

Hi,
I'm currently using Handler's 1.5 ROM with french radio (since I am a french user) and I'm trying to get my physical keyboard back to azerty.
I unpacked boot.img using a perl script I found google-ing the web and I got the kernel.gz, a ramdisk.cpio.gz and the same ramdisk extracted as a directory with various files in it (init.rc, system directory and other stuff) but I can't find where I can edit the kernel command line!
I would apreciate some pointers so I can use your method to get my keyboard back =)

Thanks in advance.

Hum, in fact I managed to do it by myself and it works pretty well, sorry for the useless question above =)

If anyone is interested I can provide the working boot.img for Handler 1.5 with azerty keyboard I managed to repack.

See you

[adlx]

I'm glad you could make it. Would be great you share the boot.img, so people could use it.

[mrassol]

go here : http://ldrolez.free.fr/software/android/

and download the rom, extract the boot.img file and flash it ...

tada you will have the french layout

---- en francais ---

va ici : http://ldrolez.free.fr/software/android/

et télécharge la rom, extrait le boot.img et flash le ...


Perso j'utilise cette rom elle marche tres bien et est tres stable ( c'est une rom d'origine juste rooté et avec orange maps et shazam de retiré ), 100% francais !

d'ailleurs j'ai mon DEXT a vendre si ca interesse quelqu'un autour de vous

[lioks]

If you do that you cannot benefit Handler's custom kernel which is located in boot.img.
You have to unpack and repack it changing the kernel cmdline to get the custom kernel with wifi tethering, netfilter, etc AND the azerty keypad.

I am not at home at the moment and I cannot upload my custom boot.img for Handler's 1.5.
I'll do it when I get home so french users (or anyone having azerty physical keypad) can use Handler's ROM with their native keypad.

Here you go: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=N9GHIC9S

[adlx]

go here : http://ldrolez.free.fr/software/android/

and download the rom, extract the boot.img file and flash it ...

tada you will have the french layout

---- en francais ---

va ici : http://ldrolez.free.fr/software/android/

et télécharge la rom, extrait le boot.img et flash le ...


Perso j'utilise cette rom elle marche tres bien et est tres stable ( c'est une rom d'origine juste rooté et avec orange maps et shazam de retiré ), 100% francais !

d'ailleurs j'ai mon DEXT a vendre si ca interesse quelqu'un autour de vous

As stated by @lioks, you cannot always actually do that, because while DextRootFR use a stock kernel for 1.3.18/20 based rom, some Roms have a custom kernel and/or are not necesarrilly 1.3.18/20 based, so you'll need to unpack / repack it.

[nidalius]

this method work with backflip ???