Multiple keyboard layouts: shared key-permanent shortcuts

[Maciej Pilichowski]

Hello,

  This mail is the effect of discussion on the usability ML 
(subject: "National default shortcuts set").

The purpose is that if user had several layouts no matter what layout 
is chosen she/he would still press the same keys (as shortcuts). No 
matter what layout is chosen when user defines new shortcut it is 
shared with other layouts, so after a switch, shortcut is still 
there.

Proposed solution -- when adding layouts (sys.settings) the first 
layout would have special meaning as primary layout. This layout 
would be used to display shortcuts in menus, shortcut dialogs, etc. 

And for usage -- example from ML.

DK keyboard layout for further reference.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Nederlandse_toetsenbordindeling_-_tekst_als_paden.svg

User has US as primary layout and has to press US characters ctrl= 
(which in this example is the same as keys), after adding DK it is 
still US ctrl= (keys) despite the fact than in DK pressing US key = 
gives °.

Another example:

I have US keyboard, but not US layout in KDE.
When I press 
`
(left, upper corner key) I get
_

I set ctrl+_ as zoom in. This mean I have to press US KEYS 
ctrl and ` the KDE shows it as ctrl+_ (because I set this layout as 
primary). Now, I add DK layout and I switch to it.

To zoom in, I still have to press US KEYS ctrl+` and still KDE shows 
this shortcut as ctrl+_. But in DK when I press US KEY ` alone I get 
@.
 
So, in short -- shared key-permanent shorcuts:
a) shortcuts KEYS are not moved during layout switch, you use the same 
KEYS
b) it is up to user what layout KDE uses for displaying shortcuts (it 
does not have to be hardware keyboard layout)
c) shortcuts always are displayed the same, no matter the layout is 
used
d) shorcuts are shared

  The report for this on bugzilla:
http://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=176113

Cheers,

PS. Please keep Esben and me on CC when replying because we are not 
subscribed to this ML, thank you in advance.