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Active Forums => QB64 Discussion => Topic started by: SMcNeill on February 03, 2021, 09:17:29 pm

Title: First Run at a virtual, customized keyboard routine
Post by: SMcNeill on February 03, 2021, 09:17:29 pm
Code: QB64: [Select]
  1. SCREEN _NEWIMAGE(640, 480, 32)
  2.  
  4. k = KB_Input(1, 30, 30, 100, 100)
  6. IF k > 0 AND k < 256 THEN PRINT CHR$(k)
  7.  
  8.  
  9.  
  10.  
  11.  
  12.  
  13. FUNCTION KB_Input (KB, Xsize, Ysize, Xpos, Ypos)
  14.  
  15.     restart:
  16.     IF keyboard_image THEN _FREEIMAGE keyboard_image
  17.  
  18.     SELECT CASE KB
  19.         CASE 1 'starting, caps keyboard 
  20.             REDIM KB(0 TO 3) AS STRING
  21.             KB(0) = "ABCDEFGH" + CHR$(0)
  22.             KB(1) = "IJKLMNOP" + CHR$(0)
  23.             KB(2) = "QRSTUVWX" + CHR$(0)
  24.             KB(3) = "YZ" + CHR$(0)
  25.         CASE 2 'lower case keyboard 
  26.             REDIM KB(0 TO 3) AS STRING
  27.             KB(0) = "abcdefgh" + CHR$(0)
  28.             KB(1) = "ijklmnop" + CHR$(0)
  29.             KB(2) = "qrstyvxx" + CHR$(0)
  30.             KB(3) = "yz" + CHR$(0)
  31.         CASE 3 'top row values
  32.             REDIM KB(0 TO 3) AS STRING
  33.             KB(0) = "12345678" + CHR$(0)
  34.             KB(1) = "90!@#$%^" + CHR$(0)
  35.             KB(2) = "&*()-=_+" + CHR$(0)
  36.             KB(3) = "`~" + CHR$(0)
  37.         CASE 4
  38.             REDIM KB(0 TO 3) AS STRING
  39.             KB(0) = "This" + CHR$(0)
  40.             KB(1) = "does not" + CHR$(0)
  41.             KB(2) = "yet work" + CHR$(0)
  42.             KB(3) = "" + CHR$(0)
  43.         CASE 5
  44.             REDIM KB(0 TO 3) AS STRING
  45.             KB(0) = "" + CHR$(0)
  46.             KB(1) = "" + CHR$(0)
  47.             KB(2) = "" + CHR$(0)
  48.             KB(3) = "" + CHR$(0)
  49.         CASE 6
  50.             REDIM KB(0 TO 1) AS STRING
  51.             KB(0) = "" + CHR$(0)
  52.             KB(1) = "" + CHR$(0)
  53.         CASE 7
  54.             REDIM KB(0) AS STRING
  55.             KB(0) = "" + CHR$(0)
  56.     END SELECT
  57.  
  58.     l = LBOUND(KB): u = UBOUND(KB)
  59.     FOR i = l TO u 'get longest line
  60.         IF LEN(KB(i)) > LL THEN LL = LEN(KB(i))
  61.     NEXT
  62.     LL = LL + 1
  63.     keyboard_image = _NEWIMAGE((Xsize + 2) * LL, (Ysize + 2) * (u - l + 1), 32)
  64.     'now build the keyboard
  65.     FOR i = l TO u
  66.         top = (i - l) * Ysize + Ypos
  67.         FOR j = 1 TO LEN(KB(i))
  68.             left = (j - 1) * Xsize + Xpos
  69.             LINE (left, top)-STEP(Xsize, Ysize), -1, B
  70.             IF j < LEN(KB(i)) AND i < 3 THEN
  71.                 c = ASC(KB(i), j)
  72.                 IF c < 32 THEN out$ = "KB" + _TRIM$(STR$(c)) ELSE out$ = CHR$(c)
  73.                 IF c = 0 THEN out$ = ""
  74.             ELSE
  75.                 IF j = LEN(KB(i)) THEN
  76.                     SELECT CASE i
  77.                         CASE 0: out$ = "BSP"
  78.                         CASE 1: out$ = "DEL"
  79.                         CASE 2: out$ = "RET"
  80.                         CASE 3: out$ = "SPC"
  81.                     END SELECT
  82.                 ELSE
  83.                     c = ASC(KB(i), j)
  84.                     IF c < 32 THEN out$ = "KB" + _TRIM$(STR$(c)) ELSE out$ = CHR$(c)
  85.                 END IF
  86.             END IF
  87.             _PRINTSTRING (left + (Xsize - _FONTWIDTH * LEN(out$)) / 2, top + (Ysize - _FONTHEIGHT) / 2), out$
  88.         NEXT
  89.     NEXT
  90.     Hardware_Keyboard_Image = _COPYIMAGE(keyboard_image, 33)
  91.     _FREEIMAGE keyboard_image
  92.  
  93.     oldmouse = -1
  94.     DO
  95.         _PUTIMAGE (Xpos, Ypos), Hardware_Keyboard_Image
  96.         WHILE _MOUSEINPUT: WEND
  97.         mb = _MOUSEBUTTON(1): mx = _MOUSEX: my = _MOUSEY
  98.  
  99.         Xon = INT((mx - Xpos) / Xsize) + 1
  100.         Yon = INT((my - Ypos) / Ysize) + l
  101.         'LOCATE 1, 1: PRINT Xon, Yon
  102.  
  103.  
  104.         IF mb AND NOT oldmouse THEN 'it's a click
  105.             IF Yon >= l AND Yon <= u THEN
  106.                 IF Xon > 0 AND Xon <= LEN(KB(Yon)) THEN
  107.                     k = ASC(KB(Yon), Xon)
  108.                     PCOPY 1, 0
  109.                     SELECT CASE k
  110.                         CASE 0 'we should only have a null value for the last row of special characters
  111.                             SELECT CASE Yon
  112.                                 CASE 0: KB_Input = 8: EXIT FUNCTION
  113.                                 CASE 1: KB_Input = 21248: EXIT FUNCTION
  114.                                 CASE 2: KB_Input = 13: EXIT FUNCTION
  115.                                 CASE 3: KB_Input = 13: EXIT FUNCTION
  116.                             END SELECT
  117.                         CASE 1 TO 31: KB = k: GOTO restart
  118.                         CASE ELSE
  119.                             KB_Input = k: EXIT FUNCTION
  120.                     END SELECT
  121.  
  122.                 END IF
  123.             END IF
  124.         END IF
  125.         _LIMIT 30
  126.         _DISPLAY
  127.         oldmouse = mb
  128.     LOOP

Much like Pete, I tend to sit down and just start coding, without really much thought  going into anything before I start working on it.  Unlike Pete, I try to make my code as modular as possible, and to only focus on one little thing at a time...

This is my first attempt at a virtual, customizable, pop-up keyboard.  At first, I was thinking that I might not need certain keys (and I won't, for all inputs, such as having a customer only enter a numeric entry for their phone number), but I still need to come up with some easy way to represent them, in case they are wanted (such as enter, space, and so on).

I want to keep the syntax simple enough that a new user could basically just sit down and write out what keys go where, like I've done above, but I need something a little more flexible and powerful as well.  For now, and for ease of testing/swapping, I'm using low ASCII codes as control characters to designate different keyboards, but I'll need to do them a little different as well...

Drawing the keyboard, making it a hardware image,  and reading it isn't really that hard to do.  Sorting out the proper data format in this case is a real head scratcher!!

Anyone with a good idea for a simple way to implement a string layout for a keyboard?

Right now, my thoughts are thinking of using CHR$(0) as a "Special character" and wrapping it around keys.  As far as I know, there's no easy/native way to insert a CHR$(0) character into the QB64 IDE (the ASCII chart doesn't insert 0 and neither does ALT-0 with the number keys, and you won't find a key on any keyboard for it), so it'd have to be manually placed and used, keeping if from being something that might accidently pop-up in a string, and if a person wants to print it, all they'd have to print is a normal CHR$(32) space...

So the next layout would tentatively look like:

KB(0) = "`1234567890-=" + CHR$(0) + "BSP" + CHR$(0)
KB(1) = CHR$(0) + "TAB" + CHR$(0) + "QWERTYUIOP[]\"

The bottom row would look like:
KB(5) = CHR$(0) + "CTR" + CHR$(0) + CHR$(0) + "WIN" + CHR$(0) + CHR$(0) + "ALT" + CHR$(0) + CHR$(0) + " " + ... (you get the point)

Which still seems relatively simple to me, and easy enough for others to learn...   Unless somebody has an idea for a better schematic?  I'm all ears, and willing to listen to all ideas and opinions.  :)
Title: Re: First Run at a virtual, customized keyboard routine
Post by: SMcNeill on February 03, 2021, 09:31:23 pm
Maybe CHR$(0) + “(the ASCII code)”  + CHR$(0)

So Enter would be CHR$(0) + “13” + CHR$(0)... 

Then all I have to do is return that value back to the user, and have a set of labels to automagically go with them.

Edit:

Maybe a hybrid approach: Value + comma + Display

Example for enter: CHR$(0) + “13, RET” + CHR$(0)

Returns code 13, displays RET if you’re making a compact keyboard.
Title: Re: First Run at a virtual, customized keyboard routine
Post by: SMcNeill on February 04, 2021, 05:04:28 am
So here's what my a new, full-sized, virtual keyboard might look like under my new system:

Code: QB64: [Select]
  1. DIM My_Keyboard(5) AS STRING
  2. My_Keyboard(0) = CHR$(0) + "27,ESC" + STRING$(2,0) + "15104,F1" + STRING$(2,0) + "15360,F2" + _
  3.     STRING$(2,0) + "15616,F3" + STRING$(2,0) + "15872,F4" + STRING$(2,0) + "16128,F5" + _
  4.     STRING$(2,0) + "16384,F6" + STRING$(2,0) + "16640,F7" + STRING$(2,0) + "16896,F8" + _
  5.     STRING$(2,0) + "17152,F9" + STRING$(2,0) + "17408,F10" + STRING$(2,0) + "34048,F11" + _
  6.     STRING$(2,0) + "34304,F12" + CHR$(0)
  7. My_Keyboard(1) = "`1234567890-=" + CHR$(0) + "19200,BKSP" + CHR$(0)
  8. My_Keyboard(2) = CHR$(0) + "9,TAB" + CHR$(0) + "QWERTYUIOP[]\"
  9. My_Keyboard(3) = CHR$(0) + "100301,CAPS" + CHR$(0) + "ASDFGHJKL;'" + CHR$(0) + "13,ENTER" + CHR$(0)
  10. My_Keyboard(4) = CHR$(0) + "100304,SHIFT" + CHR$(0) + "ZXCVBNM,./" + CHR$(0) + "100303,SHIFT" + CHR$(0)
  11. My_Keyboard(5) = CHR$(0) + "100306,CTRL" + STRING$(2,0) + "0,WIN" + STRING$(2,0) + "100308,ALT" + _
  12.     STRING$(2,0) + "32,SPACE" + STRING$(2,0) + "100307,ALT" + STRING$(2,0) + "0,WIN" + STRING$(2,0) + "0,MENU" + _
  13.     STRING$(2,0) + "100305,CTRL" +  CHR$(0)
  14.  
  15. SCREEN _NEWIMAGE(800, 600, 32)
  17.  
  18. k = KB_Input(My_Keyboard(), 50, 30, 50, 100)
  20.  
  21.  
  22. FUNCTION KB_Input (KB() AS STRING, Xsize, Ysize, Xpos, Ypos)
  23.  
  24.     l = LBOUND(KB): u = UBOUND(KB)
  25.     DIM Keyboard_Values(l TO u, 0 TO 256)
  26.     FOR i = l TO u 'get longest line
  27.         IF LEN(KB(i)) > LL THEN LL = LEN(KB(i))
  28.     NEXT
  29.     LL = LL + 1
  30.     keyboard_image = _NEWIMAGE((Xsize + 2) * LL, (Ysize + 2) * (u - l + 1), 32)
  31.     'now build the keyboard
  32.     FOR i = l TO u
  33.         top = (i - l) * Ysize + Ypos
  34.         count = 0
  35.         FOR j = 1 TO LEN(KB(i))
  36.             left = (count) * Xsize + Xpos
  37.             count = count + 1
  38.             repeat = 1
  39.             c = ASC(KB(i), j): out$ = ""
  40.             IF c = 0 THEN
  41.                 'look for the comma
  42.                 comma_position = INSTR(j, KB(i), ",")
  43.                 IF comma_position THEN 'we have a value, label
  44.                     value$ = MID$(KB(i), j + 1, comma_position - j - 1)
  45.                     c = VAL(value$)
  46.                     j = comma_position + 1
  47.                 ELSE 'cry loud and hard so we can sort it out while programming our keyboard layout
  48.                     scream_and_die:
  49.                     SLEEP
  50.                     CLS
  51.                     PRINT "You have an invalid keyboard layout!"
  52.                     END
  53.                 END IF
  54.  
  55.                 end_position = INSTR(j, KB(i), CHR$(0))
  56.                 IF end_position THEN 'we're extracting the label
  57.                     out$ = MID$(KB(i), j, end_position - j)
  58.                     repeat = ASC(out$, LEN(out$))
  59.                     IF repeat > 0 AND repeat < 9 THEN
  60.                         out$ = LEFT$(out$, LEN(out$) - 1)
  61.                     ELSE
  62.                         repeat = 1
  63.                     END IF
  64.                     j = end_position
  65.                 ELSE
  66.                     GOTO scream_and_die
  67.                 END IF
  68.             END IF
  69.             LINE (left, top)-STEP(Xsize * repeat, Ysize), -1, B
  70.             DO UNTIL repeat = 1
  71.                 Keyboard_Values(i, count) = c
  72.                 count = count + 1
  73.                 repeat = repeat - 1
  74.             LOOP
  75.             Keyboard_Values(i, count) = c
  76.             IF c < 256 AND out$ = "" THEN out$ = CHR$(c)
  77.             _PRINTSTRING (left + (Xsize - _FONTWIDTH * LEN(out$)) / 2, top + (Ysize - _FONTHEIGHT) / 2), out$
  78.         NEXT
  79.     NEXT
  80.     Hardware_Keyboard_Image = _COPYIMAGE(keyboard_image, 33)
  81.     _FREEIMAGE keyboard_image
  82.  
  83.     oldmouse = -1
  84.     DO
  85.         _PUTIMAGE (Xpos, Ypos), Hardware_Keyboard_Image
  86.         WHILE _MOUSEINPUT: WEND
  87.         mb = _MOUSEBUTTON(1): mx = _MOUSEX: my = _MOUSEY
  88.  
  89.         Xon = INT((mx - Xpos) / Xsize) + 1
  90.         Yon = INT((my - Ypos) / Ysize) + l
  91.         'LOCATE 1, 1: PRINT Xon, Yon
  92.  
  93.  
  94.         _LIMIT 30
  95.         _DISPLAY
  96.         oldmouse = mb
  97.     LOOP

  [ This attachment cannot be displayed inline in 'Print Page' view ]  

That's actually not looking so bad, if I do say so myself!

And the whole thing builds itself from scratch, once you give it your chosen layout.  The one which made the keyboard in the screen shot is this one:

DIM My_Keyboard(5) AS STRING
My_Keyboard(0) = CHR$(0) + "27,ESC" + STRING$(2,0) + "15104,F1" + STRING$(2,0) + "15360,F2" + _
    STRING$(2,0) + "15616,F3" + STRING$(2,0) + "15872,F4" + STRING$(2,0) + "16128,F5" + _
    STRING$(2,0) + "16384,F6" + STRING$(2,0) + "16640,F7" + STRING$(2,0) + "16896,F8" + _
    STRING$(2,0) + "17152,F9" + STRING$(2,0) + "17408,F10" + STRING$(2,0) + "34048,F11" + _
    STRING$(2,0) + "34304,F12" + CHR$(0)
My_Keyboard(1) = "`1234567890-=" + CHR$(0) + "19200,BKSP" + CHR$(0)
My_Keyboard(2) = CHR$(0) + "9,TAB" + CHR$(0) + "QWERTYUIOP[]\"
My_Keyboard(3) = CHR$(0) + "100301,CAPS" + CHR$(0) + "ASDFGHJKL;'" + CHR$(0) + "13,ENTER" + CHR$(0)
My_Keyboard(4) = CHR$(0) + "100304,SHIFT" + CHR$(0) + "ZXCVBNM,./" + CHR$(0) + "100303,SHIFT" + CHR$(0)
My_Keyboard(5) = CHR$(0) + "100306,CTRL" + STRING$(2,0) + "0,WIN" + STRING$(2,0) + "100308,ALT" + _
    STRING$(2,0) + "32,SPACE" + STRING$(2,0) + "100307,ALT" + STRING$(2,0) + "0,WIN" + STRING$(2,0) + "0,MENU" + _
    STRING$(2,0) + "100305,CTRL" +  CHR$(0)


It looks a little complicated when you first take a glance at it, but it's not.  It's basically using the syntax which I was talking about above.
For normal keys, you just put them in quotes.  "QWERTYUIOP[]\"
For any special keys, you identify them with CHR$(0) + "code_value,LABEL" + CHR$(0).
So the TAB key, for instance is: CHR$(0) + "9,TAB" + CHR$(0).

So that whole row becomes CHR$(0) + "9,TAB" + CHR$(0) + "QWERTYUIOP[]\"

And with that, you can build a keyboard of any layout which you might want for your programs, and then use the mouse to interact with it.  (Or a touchscreen.)
Title: Re: First Run at a virtual, customized keyboard routine
Post by: bplus on February 04, 2021, 12:54:21 pm
Yes that looks better than my Keyboard!

For comparison on a HP laptop Keyboard several years out, I have a fn key and my Windows Logo key on Left of Spacebar: ctrl fn Logo alt.  On right of spacebar it's: alt  ctrl 4 arrow keys in the space of 3 buttons, the Up and Down arrows split a normal sized key space into 2, really bad for gaming.

Probably doesn't mean a hill of beans but I like to b...

Come to think, way, way, way back to VB 2, I made a graphic keyboard so when mousing inputs I didn't have move my hands off to type something like a single letter and then go back to mouse. Ergonomically that's huge savings.
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