# OpenBoard upgrade, WIP
This is an attempt to integrate changes / improvements into OpenBoard that have been sitting around for a long time due to low dev activity.
Might end up on F-Droid...
**This is mostly a development version. On updates there may be changes that reset some settings. Consider all releases as beta quality at best.**
## Features
* Allow loading Glide typing library
* not included in the app, as there is no compatible open source library
* can be extracted from GApps packages (_swypelibs_), or downloaded [here](https://github.com/erkserkserks/openboard/tree/master/app/src/main/jniLibs)
* Multilingual typing
* Load external dictionaries
* get them [here]( https://codeberg.org/Helium314/aosp-dictionaries#dictionaries), or in the [experimental](https://codeberg.org/Helium314/aosp-dictionaries#experimental-dictionaries) section (quality may vary)
* additional dictionaries for emojis or scientific symbols can be used to provide suggestions ("emoji search")
* note that for Korean layouts, suggestions only work using [this dictionary](https://github.com/openboard-team/openboard/commit/83fca9533c03b9fecc009fc632577226bbd6301f), the tools in the dictionary repository are not able to create working dictionaries
* Adjust keyboard themes (style and colors)
* can follow the system's day/night setting on Android 10+ (and on some versions of Android 9)
* Split keyboard (if the screen is large enough)
* Number row
* Number pad
* Show all available extra characters on long pressing a key
* Backup your learned word / history data
* Adjustable bottom padding
## Hidden functionality
Features that may go unnoticed
* Long-pressing the Clipboard Key (the optional one in the suggestion strip) pastes system clipboard contents.
* Long-pressing keys in the suggestion strip toolbar pins them to the suggestion strip.
* Long-press the Comma-key to access Clipboard View, Emoji View, One-handed Mode, Settings, or Switch Language:
* Emoji View and Language Switch will disappear if you have the corresponding key enabled;
* For some layouts it\'s not the Comma-key, but the key at the same position (e.g. it\'s `q` for Dvorak layout).
* Press the Incognito icon to access the toolbar.
* Sliding key input: Swipe from shift to another key to type a single uppercase key:
* This also works for the `?123` key to type a single symbol from the symbols keyboard, and for related keys.
* Long-press a suggestion in the suggestion strip to show more suggestions, and a delete button to remove this suggestion.
* Swipe up from a suggestion to open more suggestions, and release on the suggestion to select it.
* You can add dictionaries by opening them in a file explorer:
* This only works with _content-uris_ and not with _file-uris_, meaning that it may not work with some file explorers.
* _Debug APK only_
* Long-press a suggestion to show the source dictionary.
* The Debug Settings are located within the Advanced Preferences, though the usability is limited except for dumping dictionaries into the log.
* In the event of an application crash, you will be prompted whether you want the crash logs when you open the Settings.
* For users doing manual backups with root access: Starting at Android 7, the shared preferences file is not in the default location, because the app is using [device protected storage](https://developer.android.com/reference/android/content/Context#createDeviceProtectedStorageContext()). This is necessary so the settings can be read before the device is unlocked, e.g. at boot. The file is located in `/data/user_de/0/package_id/shared_prefs/`, though this may depend on the device and Android version.
## Important differences and changes to OpenBoard
* Debug version can be installed along OpenBoard
* Allow users to add and replace built-in dictionaries
* modified / improved from https://github.com/openboard-team/openboard/pull/569 and https://github.com/openboard-team/openboard/pull/578
* some AOSP dictionaries are available [here](https://codeberg.org/Helium314/aosp-dictionaries/src/branch/main/dictionaries)
* experimental dictionaries with next-word suggestions created from sentence lists [are also available](https://codeberg.org/Helium314/aosp-dictionaries/src/branch/main/dictionaries_experimental), but they may contain unwanted words, and may be missing other features
* dictionary files starting with "main_" replace the built-in dictionary for the language, all other names work as add-on dictionaries
* emoji dictionaries can be used to get emoji suggestions
* Fixes / improvements regarding suggestions
* Remove suggestions by long pressing on suggestion strip while the more suggestions popup is open (suggestions get re-added if they are entered again)
* Allow using contacts for suggestions
* several small adjustments and fixes
* Reduce amount of unwanted automatic space insertions, https://github.com/openboard-team/openboard/pull/576
* Add multi-lingual typing, slightly modified from https://github.com/openboard-team/openboard/pull/586, https://github.com/openboard-team/openboard/pull/593
* Allow loading an external library to enable gesture typing, https://github.com/openboard-team/openboard/issues/3
* based on [wordmage's work](https://github.com/openboard-team/openboard/tree/57d33791d7674e3fe0600eddb72f6b4317b5df00)
* tested with [Google libraries](https://github.com/erkserkserks/openboard/tree/master/app/src/main/jniLibs) and [others](https://github.com/openboard-team/openboard/issues/3#issuecomment-1200456262) (when building with the [rename](https://github.com/openboard-team/openboard/tree/57d33791d7674e3fe0600eddb72f6b4317b5df00))
* Theming: allow adjusting keyboard colors, https://github.com/openboard-team/openboard/issues/124
* Optionally make the navigation bar follow current theme, https://github.com/Helium314/openboard/issues/4
* Allow defining day/night themes
* Remove suggestions by long pressing on suggestion strip while the more suggestions popup is open, https://github.com/openboard-team/openboard/issues/106
* suggestions get re-added if they are entered again
* Optionally add typed words to system personal dictionary
* Improve issues with emoji deletion (still happens with delete gesture), https://github.com/Helium314/openboard/issues/22
* Add Unicode 15 emojis, https://github.com/Helium314/openboard/pull/25
* Better currency selection, https://github.com/Helium314/openboard/pull/21 / https://github.com/Helium314/openboard/commit/0d1106649f95ecbd7d8f6d950428547666059564
* Reduce space between keys, with option to use old values, https://github.com/Helium314/openboard/pull/8
* Fix number row not split in split keyboard view, https://github.com/Helium314/openboard/pull/27
* Fix issue with spell checker incorrectly flagging words before a period as wrong on newer Android versions, https://github.com/openboard-team/openboard/pull/679
* maybe not properly fixed, this causes some other issues
* Fix always-dark settings on some Android versions, https://github.com/Helium314/openboard/pull/69
* Fix bug with space before word being deleted in some apps / input fields, https://github.com/Helium314/openboard/commit/ce0bf06545c4547d3fc5791cc769508db0a89e87
* Allow using auto theme on some devices with Android 9
* Add number pad
* Overhauled language settings
* Updated translations
* Open dictionary files with the app
* Add more options to the language switch key
## The rough plan/todo before "full" release
* Add/update pre-defined themes
* Internal clean up (xml files, unused resources, some _todo_s in code)
* Solve some [issues](https://github.com/Helium314/openboard/milestone/1)
Once above is done, we can think about properly releasing the app:
* Work on issues with the [when ready](https://github.com/Helium314/openboard/labels/when%20ready) label
* Rename app, package and this repository
* New icon
* Use a translation tool (e.g. weblate)
* Release on F-Droid
* Maybe add a version that does not allow prodiving a glide typing library, for people concerned about security
## Further plan
* More customizable theming
* Improved / less bad suggestions in some cases
* Sliding key input for numpad and emojis (like `?123` and _shift_ sliding input)
-----
# readme for original version of OpenBoard below
-----
OpenBoard
100% FOSS keyboard, based on AOSP.
# Table of content
- [Community](#community)
- [Contribution ❤](#contribution-)
* [Issue reporting](#issue-reporting)
* [Translation](#translation)
* [Dictionary creation](#dictionary-creation)
* [Code contribution](#code-contribution)
+ [Getting started](#getting-started)
+ [Guidelines](#guidelines)
+ [Current TODO list](#current-todo-list)
+ [Project's side tools](#tooling)
- [License](#license)
- [Credits](#credits)
# Community
Join our [matrix] channel [here](https://matrix.to/#/#openboard:matrix.org?via=matrix.org).
# Contribution ❤
## Issue reporting
Whether you encountered a bug, or want to see a new feature in OpenBoard, you can contribute to the project by opening a new issue [here](https://github.com/openboard-team/openboard/issues). Your help is always welcomed !
Before opening a new issue, be sure to check the following :
- **Does the issue already exist ?** Make sure a similar issue has not been reported by browsing [existing issues](https://github.com/openboard-team/openboard/issues).
- **Is the issue still relevant ?** Make sure your issue is not already fixed in the latest version of OpenBoard.
- **Did you use the issue template ?** It is important to make life of our kind contributors easier by avoiding issues that miss key informations to their resolution.
*Please avoid opening issues to ask for a release date, for PR reviews/merges, for more activity on the project, or worth for more contributors. If you have any interrogations on these topics, read [this comment](https://github.com/openboard-team/openboard/issues/619#issuecomment-1179534276) from issue [#619](https://github.com/openboard-team/openboard/issues/619).*
## Translation
You can help in translating OpenBoard in your language through our [Weblate project](https://hosted.weblate.org/engage/openboard/).
[](https://hosted.weblate.org/engage/openboard/)
## Dictionary creation
To create or update a dictionary for your language, you can use [this tool](https://github.com/remi0s/aosp-dictionary-tools). You will need a wordlist, as described [here](dictionaries/sample.combined). The output .dict file must be put in [res/raw](app/src/main/res/raw), and its wordlist in [dictionaries](/dictionaries).
For your dictionary to be merged into OpenBoard, **you must provide the wordlist you used**, as well as its license if any.
## Code contribution
### Getting started
OpenBoard project is based on Gradle and Android Gradle Plugin. To get started, you'll just need to install [Android Studio](https://developer.android.com/studio), and import project 'from Version Control / Git / Github' by providing this git repository [URL](https://github.com/openboard-team/openboard) (or git SSH [URL](git@github.com:openboard-team/openboard.git)).
Once everything got setted up correctly, you're ready to go !
### Guidelines
OpenBoard is a complex application, when contributing, you must take a step back and make sure your contribution :
- **Uses already in-place mechanism and take advantage of them**. In other terms, does not reinvent the wheel or uses shortcuts that could alter the consistency of the existing code.
- **Has the lowest footprint possible**. OpenBoard code has been written by android experts (AOSP/Google engineers). It has been tested and runned on millions of devices. Thus, **existing code will always be safer than new code**. The less we alter existing code, the more OpenBoard will stay stable. Especially in the input logic scope.
- **Does not bring any non-free code or proprietary binary blobs**. This also applies to code/binaries with unknown licenses. Make sure you do not introduce any closed-source library from Google.
- **Complies with the user privacy principle OpenBoard follows**.
In addition to previous elements, OpenBoard must stick to [F-Droid inclusion guidelines](https://f-droid.org/docs/Inclusion_Policy/).
### Current TODO list
In no particular order, here is the non-exhaustive list of known wanted features :
- [x] ~~Updated emoji support~~
- [ ] MaterialYou ([M3](https://m3.material.io/)) support
- [x] ~~One-handed mode feature~~
- [ ] Android [autofill](https://developer.android.com/guide/topics/text/ime-autofill) support
- [x] ~~Clipboard history feature~~
- [ ] Text navigation/selection panel
- [ ] Multi-locale typing
- [ ] Emoji search
- [ ] Emoji variant saving
- [ ] Glide typing
### Tooling
#### Edit keyboards content
Keyboards content is often a complex concatenation of data from global to specific locales. For example, additional keys of a given key, also known as 'more keys' in code, are determined by concatenating infos from : common additional keys for a layout (eg. numbers), global locale (eg. common symbols) and specific locale (eg. accents or specific letters).
To edit these infos, you'll need to generate the [KeyboardTextsTable.java](app/src/main/java/org/dslul/openboard/inputmethod/keyboard/internal/KeyboardTextsTable.java) file.
To do so :
1. Make your modifications in [tools/make-keyboard-text/src/main/resources](tools/make-keyboard-text/src/main/resources)/values-YOUR LOCALE.
2. Generate the new version of [KeyboardTextsTable.java](app/src/main/java/org/dslul/openboard/inputmethod/keyboard/internal/KeyboardTextsTable.java) by running Gradle task 'makeText' :
```sh
./gradlew tools:make-keyboard-text:makeText
```
#### Update emojis
See make-emoji-keys tool [README](tools/make-emoji-keys/README.md).
# License
OpenBoard project is licensed under GNU General Public License v3.0.
> Permissions of this strong copyleft license are conditioned on making available complete source code of licensed works and modifications, which include larger works using a licensed work, under the same license. Copyright and license notices must be preserved. Contributors provide an express grant of patent rights.
See repo's [LICENSE](/LICENSE) file.
# Credits
- Icon by [Marco TLS](https://www.marcotls.eu)
- [AOSP Keyboard](https://android.googlesource.com/platform/packages/inputmethods/LatinIME/)
- [LineageOS](https://review.lineageos.org/admin/repos/LineageOS/android_packages_inputmethods_LatinIME)
- [Simple Keyboard](https://github.com/rkkr/simple-keyboard)
- [Indic Keyboard](https://gitlab.com/indicproject/indic-keyboard)
- Our [contributors](https://github.com/openboard-team/openboard/graphs/contributors)