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Since the vibrant doesn't have a secondary input like most android devices, it's even more vital that we have unfettered access to the keyboard and its soft arrow keys. Unfortunately long pressing the menu button in some applications (notably the browser) brings up SEARCH rather than the keyboard by itself. That means no arrow keys for text selection or link highlighting.
This has been discussed previously in general at http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=776792
How difficult would it be to remap the long press of the menu key to bring up the keyboard by itself?
After researching it some on my own, it looks like I need to come up with a way to call showSoftInput() from one of the softkeys. It'd be ideal if I could get that to happen on menu long press, but if that's too far buried in proprietary configuration I'd settle for replacing the google voice search app mapped to the Search button long press.
Anyone have any tips on mapping system functions to a hardware key normally used for app launching? The lack of any keyboard in the browser is seriously inhibiting my ability to use this phone.
Dxtop pro does this, and long press back is tasks
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
fit333 said:
Dxtop pro does this, and long press back is tasks
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
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yeah, buth then you have to use dxtop. *non fan of dxtop*
fit333 said:
Dxtop pro does this, and long press back is tasks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
dxtop takes over the long press of buttons only in the home screen context, and it doesn't use any of them to launch the keyboard. Plus there's no way to configure any of it so it's not really the same at all.
What I'm looking for is to alter one of the long press actions in a system-wide way to launch the soft keyboard.
cbisquit said:
After researching it some on my own, it looks like I need to come up with a way to call showSoftInput() from one of the softkeys. It'd be ideal if I could get that to happen on menu long press, but if that's too far buried in proprietary configuration I'd settle for replacing the google voice search app mapped to the Search button long press.
Anyone have any tips on mapping system functions to a hardware key normally used for app launching? The lack of any keyboard in the browser is seriously inhibiting my ability to use this phone.
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Click to collapse
Have you tried emailing Anderweb? ADW launcher intercepts the home button. You might be able to do something similar. It might only work on the home screen though, as his app is running there. For a system wide thing you might need to mod the underlying OS files, framework maybe? I'm not sure where that stuff launches. You could try asking one of the Cyanogen devs, they might have found it. They add stuff to the power button long press menu at least.
Certain apps (Visual Task Switcher and Itching Thumb) remap the search and home buttons to open themselves. I imagine this same idea could be used for the menu button, but I've never seen it.
I don't always complain, but when I do, I #BlameWes
some success...
Well I got a little app to work at opening the keyboard on long press of the SEARCH key. I don't want to override the home function, which is what ADW for instance does. The only other button that has an available intent as far as I can tell is search. This is my first java anything, so I wouldn't expect much out of it (it may not even work on anyone's phone but mine) but maybe someone with better android chops can use it as a proof-of-concept for what I was thinking. Install it and when you long press the search key you can choose "Search for Keyboard!"
One pretty major caveat... the swype soft cursor doesn't act anything like I'd wanted when I was envisioning this. There's no "execute" button that works like a click, so while you can use the soft arrows to select links it's not gonna do you much good. Also there's no way to effectively use "select text" in the browser. Concept 2, if I ever get around to it, would probably be more like a replacement touchpad area below the current application window.
i would like to see an app to remap long press menu on my i9000, anyone has success? thx
Another reason to ditch Samsung firmware and use AOSP-based ROMs, like CyanogenMod or MIUI.
FYI, nearly every "ROM" made for Galaxy S phones are Samsung firmware. They're not built from source like ROMs for other decent Android phones, they are just original Samsung builds being modified like nuts. And they use the same Samsung framework (though usually customized for themes and removing of annoyances like battery-full popup), and usually still include most of Samsung's stupid fixes that make their Galaxy S system software the most different in structure compared to any other Android system.
By using AOSP firmware like CyanogenMod and MIUI, these problems (like menu-button keyboard binding getting screwed up by Samsung) don't exist, because they were never present in official Android release. When problems do come up for AOSP, they get fixed quick because the source code is actually available.
Summarized process of development:
Samsung-based ROMs: What's broken or runs like ****? Try to fix it. Hack hack hack, hope it works, if it fails try again. Submit to XDA
CyanogenMod (in general): If there is a problem, try to fix it. Write code, build, test. Make sure it works before putting it in "stable" branch. After that think of brand new useful feature to implement, code it, bug test a lot, request it to be used in official releases or just make your own CyanogenMod-based ROM with your own enhancements, like BiffMod for the HTC Dream.
Btw, the reason why Samsung put this keybind is because the original international Galaxy S doesn't have a dedicated search key, so they set the search function up with the menu button. Our problem is that Samsung was a lazyass and forgot to change back that binding to the original for the Vibrant, which does have a dedicated search button and doesn't need the menu binding to search.
But aosp roms have other problems like poor 3d performance and no gps/compass. If the issues get worked out, I suspect many devs will be switching to aosp builds.
I think having the trackball function as the home button would be a feature many would like to have. Any developer out there willing to take on this function?
What would be the point of the actual home button then? This seems pointless
what would be more useful is if the trackball can be programmed for stuff then we can use it to launch apps and do all sorts of things.
PhantomRampage said:
What would be the point of the actual home button then? This seems pointless
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I have 3 things for my home button now, Quickdesk on dubbletap, recent apps on hold in, and singletap for launcher pro. for me it would be awesome to have quicker access to the recent apps, by putting the home to the trackball. and have recent apps on single click. wouldnt hurt to have the option. and it should also be available to bind the trackball click to anything u like.
I agree, or trackball to answer a call, I don't use the trackball that much.
Creating a service to run in the background wouldn't be too hard to do. The only problem is that you wouldn't be able to use your trackball to select links in the browser, for example. Good in theory, wouldn't work great in practise i don't think.
Here are the reasons why this would be a great function, and how it should go down:
The capacitive home button is not as responsive as it should be. I think we all use it A LOT, so making sure it worked perfectly everytime would be awesome. Especially when accessing "recent apps" and long pressing the home button, the capacitive button will occasionally take you home before you see your recent apps.
Double tapping can be incorporated into the home button. With the capacitive button, double tapping it has an almost 50% chance of failure. The trackball home button would fix this.
I don't know about you guys, but I usually dont use the trackball to select things on the screen. Touching it is so much easier. The trackball would be much more usefull for notifications, scrolling, and as a home button.
I agree with a previous poster, the trackball should be given to option to route to anywhere the user would like it to... Though I don't know what else there is to route to...
The ACTUAL home button can also be routed to anything the user would like. Maybe to recent apps, changing of brightness, a favorite app, an alternate launcher... ANYTHING.
This is all hypothetical of course, and as a non-dev, I actually have no clue how hard or easy this would be to create.
But what do you guys think? I know this a feature that would be really useful to me at least, and sound like some other people too.
sorry, there was a double post due to the server upgrades/issues on XDA.
Sorry to revive an ancient thread.
My N1 had a broken trackball, and in the process of replacing it i managed to kill both my home button and my seach button.
I can live without the seach, but not without the home.
Is there any progress on this topic ?
tia
John_duh said:
Sorry to revive an ancient thread.
My N1 had a broken trackball, and in the process of replacing it i managed to kill both my home button and my seach button.
I can live without the seach, but not without the home.
Is there any progress on this topic ?
tia
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Never mind, it was a software problem caused by an incomplete flash. (wiped everything separately, but that wasn't sufficient. Returning to factory settings did the trick)
All I want is trackball to blink beautifully for me!
That's all, baby.
+1
I would also like trackball mods such as
double tap to go to an app and other tap patterns for the trackball
Coming from S2, I know it is long overdue lol, and got used to touch-style Home button, I would love to get back to home by just tapping instead of pressing Home button. Is it even possible?
Thanks.
re: home key
doanthaitu said:
Coming from S2, I know it is long overdue lol, and got used to touch-style Home button, I would love to get back to home by just tapping instead of pressing Home button. Is it even possible?
Thanks.
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Click to collapse
There are two ways that it can be done.
Once we have a proper custom recovery like twrp you can use the softkey mod
which has the option of adding three softkeys menu/home/back buttons on the
bottom of your screen, they look exactly like real softkeys and are transparent.
The other way to do it would take a bit of getting used to is
the mod which can re-assign the back and menu keys to be
the home key or basically any anything else and can be
configured for long press, double tap or single tap.
Some of the high end launchers already have this feature of
re-assigning keys built-in like the "Next launcher 3D shell".
The Next launcher even has option to replace the home key
by simply swiping up or down to replicate the home button's
default/normal single tap.
With the Next Launcher, we do not even need root or custom recovery.
Good luck!
I've used Go launcher free version forever and got used to swipe down anywhere to bring down notification, I wonder if TouchWiz has this function? With the phone of this size, this function is a must.
And I miss AOSP dialer, swipe left or right to go to next tab. Touchwiz's dialer has the tabs on the top, makes it impossible to use it 1 hand.
Hey all,
I'm coming from 2 previous Androids that had the 'Search' hardkey on the phone. I really liked it, esp when used in context in certain apps like Spotify (to filter in Spotify, seems like I have to scroll up 700 songs in my Playlist until the Filter area shows up instead of just pressing the Search key like how i did be4).
Is there any way that I can get rid of the 'Recent Apps' hardkey, and reroute it to 'Search'/Filter.
I see Turbo isn't rooted yet, so guessing I'd need a non-root app solution?
I think I tried one app 'All in One Gestures', and tried to re-route single or long tap on the 'Recent Apps' key to instead 'Search', but that didn't work way I expected it to (it only goes to the Google Now Search webpage, and not the context of pressing Search within an app [and not leaving the app]).
Any ideas?,
Arian
Thanks in advance
Almost positive this cant be done without root.
Darn, I'd also settle for an app that does gestures... so a gesture that triggers what the non-existent Search hardkey would have done. Not sure if thats possible without root.
I miss the search button too
I used to have the Evo 4G and loved the search button too. I was disappointed when (I believe) ICS phased it out and switched to the three button approach. While it won't search within apps, you can launch Google Now from anywhere by swiping up from the home button. In my experience, it's pretty finicky with the Turbo's capacitive buttons though.
Swipe Home Button
There's an app Called Swipe Home Button. It lets you do gestures to activate certain features. OP should look into it, it may be what you're looking for.
If you long press the home button, you'll get the Google search swiping up... Or what I use is nova launcher and a double tap gesture to search.
Hope this helps.
Hello,
after the sources for the Z2 Pro have been released and good Custom ROMs are possible, I would love to buy this beautiful device. I've read alot about this U-Touch thing, where you navigate only by using the Home Button... and I don't like it. So my question is: Does this phone also have the normal Back, Home and Recents hardware buttons?
Thanks!
Hi,
Yes, you can add on screen buttons in "Developer Options" menu. At least you can do it with z2 (non pro). I guess you will have this option too.
So there are no "real" hardware buttons to the left and the right of the home button?
On screen buttons are in developer options in both models, make sure you reboot to effect the changes.
Thanks for your answers. I know about the possiblity to show the On Screen Buttons, but that's not what I wanted to know.
I'm curious if the device also has dedicated hardware buttons (not on screen) for Back and Recents, or just the U-Touch button?
It only has 1 physical button on the front..
I'd love to see an app or even integration in a custom rom to be able to configure the behaviour of the front button. What are the chances this will become reality?
It already lets you configure what the button does. You can also preset actions to open specific apps.
Karly Johnston said:
It already lets you configure what the button does. You can also preset actions to open specific apps.
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But that is in the ZUI ROM right? I'd like to see this in a separate app or built into custom ROM so it can also be used outside ZUI.
Now that the sources are available someone who knows what he is doing should be able to pull this off.
Is there a way to make swipe left on the u-touch button act like a back button? Maybe there would be a way to have it open an scripted action that acts as back button?
Edit: Just figured out that short tap is back, so my problem is solved!
Thanks, this helped me out!
I'm looking for a phone with this same exact button. I'm always super stunned how retarded iphones are compared to my $200 phone.