Ukelele as sticky keyboard layers maker

[Manuel Navarro]

Hi, guys !!!

After reading all documentation about Ukelele, I didn't find how to create sticky dead keys for layers, i.e. press a combination of keys for getting access to a layer where I keep pressing keys until I press the same combination of keys for getting this layer out.

Really, I'm trying to make a 'Greek layer' as in mythic 'Cadet Space Keyboard'  where I can stay making keystrokes until I want, for getting greek characters.

And another layer for most used mathematical symbol characters for using in the same way.

Is this possible, guys ?

I would greatly appreciate any contribution of help.

Thanks everybody for your attention !!!

Have a great day !!!

[John Brownie]

In a word, no.

Sorry, that's not how Apple keyboard layouts work. Feel free to suggest it as a feature to Apple, though!

John

Manuel Navarro

16 October 2017 at 14:25

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John Brownie
SIL-PNG, Ukarumpa, Eastern Highlands, Papua New Guinea
Mussau-Emira language, New Ireland Province, Papua New Guinea

[Manuel Navarro]

Thanks John, 

That dispels a doubt that would not let me sleep.

Do you know any other program that allows defining sticky keyboard layers?

Thanks for your attention again !!!

[Gé van Gasteren]

Manuel, have you read the posts about High Sierra supporting switching between two keyboard layouts by pressing/releasing the CapsLock key?

To me that sounds like it would fit your dream perfectly, at least for two layouts, not more.

An alternative is of course the Control-space keyboard shortcut, that lets you switch between the two keyboard layouts you have used most recently, and if held down, lets you choose from all activated keyboard layouts.

This shortcut is also built in in older macOS versions, maybe from 10.6 (just guessing).

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[DavidP]

On Monday, October 16, 2017 at 3:10:12 AM UTC-4, Geke wrote:

An alternative is of course the Control-space keyboard shortcut, that lets you switch between the two keyboard layouts you have used most recently, and if held down, lets you choose from all activated keyboard layouts.

This shortcut is also built in in older macOS versions, maybe from 10.6 (just guessing).

IIRC it's Command-space (I'm not on my Mac now so I can't check) and the shortcut to cycle through all the layouts is Option-Command-space.   I know that these shortcuts in recent versions of Mac OS have been assigned to Spotlight, but you can put them back to keyboard switching -- I think this setting is in the keyboard preferences.

[Tom Gewecke]

> On Oct 16, 2017, at 5:55 AM, DavidP <hosp...@scholarsfonts.net> wrote:
>
> IIRC it's Command-space

Apple actually changed the default to Control-Space starting with MacOS 10.11. But some users will still have Command-Space carried over via their upgrade process.

[Gé van Gasteren]

Ah yes, I should have specified that this keyboard shortcut Control-space is available in El Capitan.

There seems to be a less noticeable enhancement over the Command-space in that, when you press Control-space and hold down the spacebar, a menu comes up with all activated layouts, through which one can cycle by pressing the spacebar repeatedly.

To make that clearer, maybe: It’s analogous to the App switch Command-Tab, where one holds down the Command key and presses the Tab key repeatedly to cycle through open Applications.

This feature might have been present in the earlier Command-space keyboard shortcut as well, but if so, I’ve overlooked it there.

[Aural Architect]

I believe Keyman, which is now owned by SIL, can be programmed in this way by creating a "locking" layer. 

However, the developer app used to create layouts only runs on Windows, and while there is a Mac app for using Keyman keyboards some of the advanced features do not work – I haven't tested it out at all so I don't know about the "locking" feature. 
Also, the development of Keyman keyboards with any complex features must be manually coded (no auto-complete or GUI for injecting templates/examples) in a custom scripting language for which I found the documentation to be rather vague and ambiguous and its vocabulary unintuitive.  I found it cumbersome and fairly labor intensive to use – of course, all of that is just my opinion and may be specific to me and due to my personal limitations. 
Ultimately I couldn't get various key features of my project working, and since I wasn't making headway I suspended those efforts.  At some point I plan to study the source code of existing Keyman keyboards in search of solutions.  The user/help forum was disappointing, hardly any content, none recent.  I didn't bother to post anything...

I admit this is not a very appealing alternative and I can't say that I would even recommend it...  But you may wish to investigate it and you could have a different experience with it.  There is at least one positive aspect. Since Keyman was acquired by SIL they have make all editions and packages available without charge  :)

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