Next release of kbmFMX will contain even more features for defining keyboard layouts.
Mobile small screen keyboards usually follow a different operating concept than workstation virtual keyboards running on self service like terminals or even 9 inch tablets.
Basically small screen keyboards operate with multiple “layers” of keyboards each holding a number of keys with exactly one base character on each + capital character for alpha characters. That means that the keyboard usually do not have AltGr or other “shift” type keys except for a capital shift key.
The small screen keyboard also have no navigation keys like arrow or tabulator keys, because it is assumed the user will move the caret (if needed) using touch within an editable field.
Instead the small screen keyboard comes with one or more layer selection keys, like 123 or ABC for shifting forth and back between defined keyboard layers.
kbmFMX’s virtual keyboard now supports 3 layers per keyboard layout. Non small screen keyboards typically only use the default layer 1. Further it supports custom virtual keycodes for selecting a layer.
A new keyboard layout (TkbmFMXMobileAlphaNumericKeyboardLayout) has been added, which fairly closely emulates a virtual keyboard on a small screen mobile phone and which currently uses two layers.
The following video show it in use on a 480×320 sized screen.
