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How to add Vietnamese Keyboard Layout - Printable Version

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How to add Vietnamese Keyboard Layout - usphil - 2023-04-08

Dear @ronie,

I am a user of your addon Global Search and I really appreciate your work. However, I have a problem with searching for tvshows that have names in Latin languages with accents (Spanish, French, Vietnamese). Kodi keyboard does not allow me to type accents so I cannot find the shows I want. Could you please add a feature that can recognize tvshow names without accents or suggest possible matches with accents? This would make your addon more useful and convenient for many users like me.
Thank you very much for your attention and support.

RE: GlobalSearch Script - Karellen - 2023-04-08

@usphil

Have you activated alternate keyboard layouts in Kodi settings?
Go to... https://kodi.wiki/view/Settings/Interface/Regional#Keyboard_layouts and select the keyboards you need.
Then in the pop-up Keyboard, click on the English-QWERTY button and change to an alternate keyboard.

RE: GlobalSearch Script - usphil - 2023-04-08

I appreciate you letting me know about this, I’ve never heard of it before. But I can’t see a Vietnamese keyboard on the list. How can I add the keyboard I need?

RE: GlobalSearch Script - Karellen - 2023-04-08

(2023-04-08, 03:55)usphil Wrote: But I can’t see a Vietnamese keyboard on the list
Looks like one has never been created for Vietnamese, unfortunately.
Here is what is available... https://github.com/xbmc/xbmc/tree/master/system/keyboardlayouts

I don't think we have any Vietnamese Team Members, so it most likely won't be created by the Team, so this is the sort of thing that is contributed by other users.
Using one of the keyboards in the above link as an example, maybe you or another member could investigate how it was created and submit a vietnamese keyboard layout?

RE: GlobalSearch Script - usphil - 2023-04-08

(2023-04-08, 04:19)Karellen Wrote:
(2023-04-08, 03:55)usphil Wrote: But I can’t see a Vietnamese keyboard on the list
Looks like one has never been created for Vietnamese, unfortunately.
Here is what is available... https://github.com/xbmc/xbmc/tree/master/system/keyboardlayouts

I don't think we have any Vietnamese Team Members, so it most likely won't be created by the Team, so this is the sort of thing that is contributed by other users.
Using one of the keyboards in the above link as an example, maybe you or another member could investigate how it was created and submit a vietnamese keyboard layout?
I figured creating a virtual keyboard was too hard, so I looked for a way to type Vietnamese without accents, like I’ve seen many programs do.
If Global Search addon can do this, it can help other Latin languages without switching keyboards.

RE: GlobalSearch Script - usphil - 2023-04-08

I've followed the link you gave me above. Now I get that I can copy one and change the characters. But how do I add it if I make an xml file?

RE: GlobalSearch Script - Karellen - 2023-04-08

(2023-04-08, 04:52)usphil Wrote: I've followed the link you gave me above. Now I get that I can copy one and change the characters. But how do I add it if I make an xml file?
I had a quick look and it is pretty easy. Hopefully you are using Windows so it is easy to access the program folders.

  1. Go to your Program Installation folder for Kodi. Usually it is in c:\Program Files (x86)\Kodi
  2. Then go to \system\keyboardlayouts\ which is your local version of the files from that Github link above.
  3. Edit your xml file and also make sure you change the language tag inside the xml file - should be around line 7.
  4. Drop that xml file into \keyboardlayouts\ and restart Kodi.
  5. You should be able to activate the new Vietnamese keyboard from Settings\Interface\Regional

Let us know if that works.

Keep a copy of that file, because every time you update Kodi, it will be deleted.

RE: GlobalSearch Script - usphil - 2023-04-08

(2023-04-08, 05:35)Karellen Wrote:  
  1. Go to your Program Installation folder for Kodi. Usually it is in c:\Program Files (x86)\Kodi
  2. Then go to \system\keyboardlayouts\ which is your local version of the files from that Github link above.
  3. Edit your xml file and also make sure you change the language tag inside the xml file - should be around line 7.
  4. Drop that xml file into \keyboardlayouts\ and restart Kodi.
On Windows Kodi, following the instructions, I copied the vietnamese.xml file to the folder "C:\Kodi20\system\keyboardlayouts\vietnamese.xml" and it worked fine. However on a Linux machine, I didn't find a keyboardlayouts folder in .kodi/system. I made a new folder and put vietnamese.xml in it and restarted Kodi. But Vietnamese is not on the list of Virtual keyboard layouts.

RE: GlobalSearch Script - izprtxqkft - 2023-04-08

/usr/share/kodi/system/keyboardlayouts/

RE: GlobalSearch Script - usphil - 2023-04-08

Cool, it works on Linux now. But there’s a problem:

    <keyboard modifiers="symbol">
      <row>áàảãạâấầẩẫậăắằẳẵặ</row>
      <row>éèẻẽẹêếềểễệíìỉĩị</row>
      <row>óòỏõọôốồổỗộơớờởỡợ</row>
      <row>đúùủũụưứừửữựýỳỷỹỵ</row>
    </keyboard>

These are all Vietnamese accented characters. A row has 17 characters, but Kodi’s keyboard only fits 12 characters. So how can I make it bigger?

RE: How to add Vietnamese Keyboard Layout - Karellen - 2023-04-08

@usphil

I have split you out of the Global Search addon thread and into your own dedicated thread.

As for your question about extending the keyboard, I am not really sure if it can be done. Maybe @enen92 or @da-anda might know?

RE: How to add Vietnamese Keyboard Layout - usphil - 2023-04-08

Some characters are never used for searching, I took them out and the remaining ones fit the keyboard layout.
So I probably don’t need to make the keyboard extended.
I’m really grateful to @Karellen.

RE: How to add Vietnamese Keyboard Layout - da-anda - 2023-04-08

sorry, no idea how our OSD keyboard is working internally. I also only ever added a xml file so far.

RE: How to add Vietnamese Keyboard Layout - usphil - 2023-04-08

Searching Vietnamese without accents is a normal thing for many Vietnamese apps or website, because search without accents will speed up the typing, especially with OSD keyboard.
For the Global Search addon, I would prefer to contact the author directly for help. This addon is not only useful for Vietnamese, but also for anyone who uses Latin characters in their searches.
@Karellen
I wonder if you can put my first post back in Global Search. Because even though I have created a Vietnamese keyboard, I still want to search without accents.

RE: How to add Vietnamese Keyboard Layout - Karellen - 2023-04-08

(2023-04-08, 19:51)usphil Wrote: I wonder if you can put my first post back in Global Search. Because even though I have created a Vietnamese keyboard, I still want to search without accents.
Easier if you just type up a new post in Global Search thread.