FYI: custom skins for Samsung XT9 |
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 Sep 30 2008, 18:05
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#1
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 Professional  Group: Posters Posts: 673 Joined: 1st January 2006 Member No.: 165,239 Device(s): Samsung i900  |
Just so you know, you can create custom skins for Samsung own XT9 keyboards.
Its pretty easy, in the Windows directory there is: 1) Key image files - both released and pressed Samsung_i900.<keyboard type>.<language>.<orientation>.image.[subtype.]bmp 2) Map files, that define shape and location of actual keys by color codes Samsung_i900.<keyboard type>.<language>.<orientation>.map.[subtype.]bmp 3) Layout files, that actually define which keys produce what effect (colors from map files are used to define which key is which). Samsung_i900.<keyboard type>.<language>.<orientation>.[subtype.]xml By editing these files you can pretty easely do almost any keyboard layout & appearance. Without any third party software installation, and using all poweful input options XT9 allows. |
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Sep 30 2008, 18:09
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#2
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 The Main Man  Group: Admin Team Posts: 20,961 Joined: 6th November 2002 From: Norwich, UK Member No.: 1 Device(s): HTC Advantage |
That's pretty cool! We could do the diamond keyboards with the actual underlying samsung software ;-)
P -------------------- Paul O'Brien - Microsoft MVP, Mobile Devices, MoDaCo.network Founder. Check out my Blog! £10 off a £20 spend at eXpansys - click for details |
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Sep 30 2008, 18:26
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#3
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Newbie  Group: Posters Posts: 39 Joined: 2nd September 2008 From: Pattaya Member No.: 422,281 Device(s): Omnia i900 |
but I guess there will never be the option to have the pop up letter on the display after pressing a letter on the samsung keyboard, or do you think that would be possible to add this function somehow?
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Sep 30 2008, 18:34
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#4
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Professional Group: Posters Posts: 673 Joined: 1st January 2006 Member No.: 165,239 Device(s): Samsung i900 |
QUOTE(gil71 @ Sep 30 2008, 21:26)  but I guess there will never be the option to have the pop up letter on the display after pressing a letter on the samsung keyboard, or do you think that would be possible to add this function somehow? honestly I dont understand the use of these letters. firstly, finger pretty much covers them. secondly, if you will confirm every time what letter you holding down, your typing slows down to crawl. XT9 uses intelligent correction, its not actually necessary to press correct letters every time, it corrects most of the misses anyway. |
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Sep 30 2008, 18:35
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#5
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The Main Man Group: Admin Team Posts: 20,961 Joined: 6th November 2002 From: Norwich, UK Member No.: 1 Device(s): HTC Advantage |
No, that won't be possible to add I wouldn't think.
Pointless too IMHO  P -------------------- Paul O'Brien - Microsoft MVP, Mobile Devices, MoDaCo.network Founder. Check out my Blog! £10 off a £20 spend at eXpansys - click for details |
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Sep 30 2008, 19:22
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#6
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 Enthusiast  Group: Posters Posts: 178 Joined: 15th September 2008 Member No.: 426,598 Device(s): Samsung Omnia i900 |
the question is anyone have tried? and if you can post your modified keyboard here? and whats "common" and map file for?
anyway, with a help of some simple photoediting software, we can actually make the keys a little fatter and shorter in portrait mode, just like those Resco keyboard, but doing it manually is a big job. the most thing i can do now is change the color of the keys to black, photoshop can do the trick This post has been edited by Massive Attack: Sep 30 2008, 19:34 --------------------   I'm not suffering from insanity, I'm enjoying it. |
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Sep 30 2008, 20:41
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#7
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Professional Group: Posters Posts: 673 Joined: 1st January 2006 Member No.: 165,239 Device(s): Samsung i900 |
QUOTE(Massive Attack @ Sep 30 2008, 22:22) anyway, with a help of some simple photoediting software, we can actually make the keys a little fatter and shorter in portrait mode, just like those Resco keyboard, but doing it manually is a big job. I don't see how you can make them *fatter* (if you mean wider). In default samsung skin they are as wide as possible - if you try to make them any wider, the complete upper row (ie qwertyuiop) simply won't fit. You can make them only less tall, decreasing overall keyboard height and making individual keys somewhat more square-shaped. But this will only decrease the key area. |
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Sep 30 2008, 21:05
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#8
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Newbie Group: Posters Posts: 3 Joined: 22nd June 2007 Member No.: 269,505 |
The thing about the Resco keyboard is, that the letters are not connected but there is a little space between them. The keys are smaller, but u hit the wrong neighbouring key less often. At least thats my experience.
But as its only a skin, the way the samsung keyboard is layout and responds cant be changed?! This post has been edited by ollip: Sep 30 2008, 21:08 |
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Sep 30 2008, 21:50
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#9
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Professional Group: Posters Posts: 673 Joined: 1st January 2006 Member No.: 165,239 Device(s): Samsung i900 |
QUOTE(ollip @ Oct 1 2008, 00:05) The thing about the Resco keyboard is, that the letters are not connected but there is a little space between them. The keys are smaller, but u hit the wrong neighbouring key less often. At least thats my experience. But as its only a skin, the way the samsung keyboard is layout and responds cant be changed?! Well, as I wrote, the actual contours for the keys is in the map file, so the actual shape that reacts to the presses can be done to match (reduced) key image. |
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Oct 1 2008, 05:46
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#10
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Regular  Group: Posters Posts: 97 Joined: 20th September 2008 Member No.: 428,267 Device(s): OMNIA i900 |
Now only find a way to change the keys of the phonepad... Any1 found out where to change them?
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Oct 2 2008, 01:48
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#11
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Newbie Group: Posters Posts: 25 Joined: 26th May 2004 Member No.: 44,562 |
Actually i pretty much like to have numbers with the alpha keys...also to make the entire keyboard panel like iphone so its easier to press and also to lower the height to gain back more viewing space at the top.
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Oct 2 2008, 14:51
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#12
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Newbie Group: Posters Posts: 24 Joined: 18th September 2008 Member No.: 427,656 |
QUOTE(Ingvarr @ Sep 30 2008, 18:05) Just so you know, you can create custom skins for Samsung own XT9 keyboards. Its pretty easy, in the Windows directory there is: 1) Key image files - both released and pressed Samsung_i900.<keyboard type>.<language>.<orientation>.image.[subtype.]bmp 2) Map files, that define shape and location of actual keys by color codes Samsung_i900.<keyboard type>.<language>.<orientation>.map.[subtype.]bmp 3) Layout files, that actually define which keys produce what effect (colors from map files are used to define which key is which). Samsung_i900.<keyboard type>.<language>.<orientation>.[subtype.]xml By editing these files you can pretty easely do almost any keyboard layout & appearance. Without any third party software installation, and using all poweful input options XT9 allows. I am not an expert so can you post in .cab file or some sample for us to use? I like the idea not to use third party software.. |
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Oct 2 2008, 16:47
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#13
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Professional Group: Posters Posts: 673 Joined: 1st January 2006 Member No.: 165,239 Device(s): Samsung i900 |
Sorry, I don't have enough of designer skills to make anything even better than Samsung default one, I only technically looked how to do it
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Oct 2 2008, 17:05
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#14
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Regular Group: Posters Posts: 107 Joined: 25th May 2007 Member No.: 259,724 |
Only just saw this thread. A few days ago I modded the first symbol screen to include the Swedish characters å, ä and ö. Works like a charm.
Still would like to figure a way to add a column of buttons to the Samsung keyboard to get these characters on the actual keyboard screen. |
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Oct 2 2008, 17:22
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#15
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Professional Group: Posters Posts: 673 Joined: 1st January 2006 Member No.: 165,239 Device(s): Samsung i900 |
QUOTE(Quist09 @ Oct 2 2008, 20:05) Still would like to figure a way to add a column of buttons to the Samsung keyboard to get these characters on the actual keyboard screen. Edit a map file, add buttons with diff colors. Put new entries in the xml schema which correspond to color values you've added. |
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Oct 4 2008, 23:23
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#16
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Regular Group: Posters Posts: 107 Joined: 25th May 2007 Member No.: 259,724 |
QUOTE(Ingvarr @ Oct 2 2008, 19:22) Edit a map file, add buttons with diff colors. Put new entries in the xml schema which correspond to color values you've added. I've now adjusted my initial ambitions to adding a giant, single row space bar to the bottom of the existing landscape keyboard (to help me avoid accidently hitting the send button in Messenger). But I'm getting stuck at the firs hurdle. The map files don't appear to be standard bitmaps. I haven't been able to even open one with a regular image viewer/editor. Any suggestions as to how to go about it? Edit: Just realized you are only referring to the ...map.bmp files and not the ....map files. So what is the purpose of the .map files or the .kbd files if all that is needed is the image.bmp, map.bmp and .xml files? This post has been edited by Quist09: Oct 4 2008, 23:31 |
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Oct 5 2008, 00:42
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#17
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Regular Group: Posters Posts: 107 Joined: 25th May 2007 Member No.: 259,724 |
Just ran a test. I altered the .bmp files refered to in the first post and copied them to my Windows directory. There was no change in the keyboard.
The change I made was adding an extra row with a single button. I tried to define this area with a color, but MSpaint would only fill it with a color already on the keyboard. Assuming I was dead in the water here, I figured that if the assumption on how to mod these keyboards is right, if I saved the bmp files, without altering the xml file, it should still present a dead button at the bottom of the keyboard. It didn't. Now I'm thinking that in order to add or remove keys, you need to be able to modify the .map files and the .kbd files too. |
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Oct 5 2008, 03:04
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#18
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Regular Group: Posters Posts: 61 Joined: 3rd May 2006 Member No.: 188,273 Device(s): Samsung Omnia |
Only manage to change the bmp but not the keys layout. Probably need to edit .map...
This post has been edited by kaer: Oct 5 2008, 05:11 -------------------- Samsung Omnia 16GB HJ1
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Oct 5 2008, 05:14
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#19
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Enthusiast Group: Posters Posts: 178 Joined: 15th September 2008 Member No.: 426,598 Device(s): Samsung Omnia i900 |
yeah, it seems you cant change the places of the keys, unless you can crack the kbd and map file, the most we can do is skin the keyboard and/or exchange keys
-------------------- I'm not suffering from insanity, I'm enjoying it. |
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Oct 5 2008, 13:01
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#20
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Professional Group: Posters Posts: 673 Joined: 1st January 2006 Member No.: 165,239 Device(s): Samsung i900 |
There are no .kbd files. There are .kdb files, but these are instructions to XT9 on how to process letters, there are no layout here.
.map files are build automatically from .map.bmp and .xml files. You may try to delete .map files and soft-reset, it should rebuild them. Or just rename them so you can restore them if anything goes wrong. To edit .map.bmp, get a decent editor and not this MSPaint crap These are bitmaps with palette, you can use for example, GIMP to edit them properly and add new colors. |
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