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Maliit - Input Methods for MeeGo
Overview · Development · Installing · Roadmap
Maliit2.png

Maliit provides a flexible and cross-platform input method framework, including a virtual keyboard. It works on all MeeGo user experiences, and in other GNU/Linux distributions.

Contents

Goals

Maliit aims to be the input method project for MeeGo and other GNU/Linux-based embedded/mobile platforms. To achieve this we should provide:

A solid input method framework

This includes support for traditional input methods such as hardware and virtual keyboards. More exotic input methods should also be possible, such as handwriting recognition and voice input, and special purpose input methods such as date/time pickers, tag clouds, etc.

A core set of input methods

The default set of input methods should demonstrate the core capabilities of the framework and provide a good user experience that device manufacturers and integrators can use easily.

We also aim to:

Empower third-party developers

Customizing existing input methods or developing powerful new input methods should be simple, regardless of whether it is for profit, research or fun.

Build a diverse community of contributors

Employees from different companies, freelancers, members of academia, hackers and volunteers should all be welcomed and encouraged to contribute to the project.

Features

For end users

Following are the high level end-user features supported by Maliit:

  • Multitouch virtual keyboard
    • Landscape and portrait QWERTY with dedicated symbol views
    • Support for multiple languages and scripts (e.g. latin, cyrillic, arabic, chinese)
    • Number/phone number layouts for entering numbers/phone numbers
  • Context sensitive and dynamic action key
    • e.g. replacing enter icon with search icon and highlighting the key in search fields - and respective search key inactive when search field empty
  • Context sensitive layouts
    • e.g. replacing ',' key with '@' in e-mail address fields
  • Simple interactions (as defined in MeeGo Basics)
    • Swipe sideways to easily switch between different active keyboard layouts and other input methods
    • Swipe down to close virtual keyboard or alternatively tap outiside the active input area to close keyboard
  • Low-latency haptics typing feedback (with feedback framework backend); sound,tactile

Virtual keyboard interaction : opening and closing the keyboard

  • Cut/Copy/Paste for text input
    • Separate text editor widget for text input fields
  • Error correction / word prediction for virtual keyboard (with error correction / prediction engine)
    • Separate widget for correction/prediction candidates
  • Hardware keyboard
    • Long pressing of keys either to autorepeat (e.g. arrow keys, backspace) or to input secondary characters (e.g. numbers, symbols)
    • Possibility to extend hardware keys with virtual keys (e.g. for additional symbols)

Text input with hardware keyboard

  • Toolbar for appliction specific input content
    • For placing buttons, labels etc.
    • Toolbar located on top of virtual keyboard, with hardware keyboard in the bottom of the screen

Placing application specific actions in the input toolbar, when application UI is not visible or "Enter" action is not adequate

  • External input methods
    • e.g. Bluetooth keyboards

For integrators and developers

  • Input Methods can be implemented as plugins
  • Error correction/prediction engines can be implemented as plugins
  • Framework is licensed LGPL
  • Keyboard has theming abilities via CSS file
  • Meego Keyboard has customizable layout files
  • Meego Feedback framework has swappable backends (for haptics et.c.)
  • Support for additional toolkits can be done by using the DBus connection for the Input Context

Maliit in action

Maliit is used on a number of devices and form factors, and can easily be adapted to run on new ones.

MeeGo 1.1 Netbook with MeeGo Keyboard on Lenovo S10-3T Ideapad

MeeGo 1.1 Handset with MeeGo Keyboard on Aava Mobile

MeeGo 1.2 prerelease on Advent Vega, Tegra2

Ubuntu Lucid (10.04)

GNOME3 on a WeTab

KDE, using Plasma


Communication channels

Mailing list: meego-inputmethods@lists.meego.com (listinfo | archives)

Bugtracker: bugs.meego.com, Product: OS, Component: Virtual Keyboard (open bugs | file new bug)

IRC: Visit us in #meego-inputmethods at freenode.net (webchat)

News

Roadmap

See Maliit/Roadmap

Upcoming events

  • June 24th, MeeGo Freeday workshop, details TBA.
  • August 6th-12th - Desktop Summit Berlin.

Ideas

See Maliit/Ideas

Developers

See Maliit/Development

Documentation

See Maliit/Documentation

Maliit - Input Methods for MeeGo
Overview · Development · Installing · Roadmap
Retrieved from "http://wiki.meego.com/Maliit"
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