[Localization] [UKids] Write Activity Updates (Tim Moody)

Sun Aug 2 12:09:41 EDT 2015

Hi Sarah,

french.xmodmap is the file I've create to match French keyboard keys to the
US XO-4 Keyboard.
You have to create your own arabic.xmodmap file with your key mapping to
Arabic Keyboard and put it in the /etc/X11 directory then update the file
xbd.xbd (launched at startup) to call xmodmap command with your
arabic.xmodmap file.
dokbfrupdate.sh mentioned on my mail is the script file I've created to
update easily all laptops.
Basically we just have to put this file (and others files needed) on an USB
key, boot each laptop, launch command line and launch the script. Then all
files are installed on the laptop automatically, the laptop is power down
and it will use the French keyboard at next boot. If you've have only few
laptops to upgrade you could ignore this script and do the process manually.

Hope these information could help.

Best regards from France.

          Lionel.

2015-08-01 21:31 GMT+02:00 Sarah Naguib <sanaguib at gmail.com>:

> Hi all,
>
> I got the Arabic to work on my computer (yay!) but it also didn’t survive
> reboot. Lionel, thank you for the links that you sent. I looked at them and
> am wondering of the commands that are listed in the February link can be
> changed to fit other languages. For example, I see the command xmodmap
> /etc/X11/french.xmodmap—would that be able to be changed to Arabic? At what
> step did you input these commands into the terminal? I apologize if I’m
> missing something (which I definitely have the tendency to do).
>
> Thanks all so much!
>
> Sarah
>
> On Jul 31, 2015, at 3:33 AM, Lionel Laské <lionel at olpc-france.org> wrote:
>
>
> Hi Tim,
>
> I've experimented a way to change the keyboard map on boot.
> My need was to update XO-4 to a French keyboard.
> See my exchanges here:
> http://lists.sugarlabs.org/archive/sugar-devel/2015-February/049555.html
> http://lists.sugarlabs.org/archive/sugar-devel/2014-December/049351.html
>
> Hope it could help.
>
> Best regards from France.
>
>         Lionel
>
>
> 2015-07-31 3:31 GMT+02:00 <support-gang-request at lists.laptop.org>:
>>
>> Date: Thu, 30 Jul 2015 21:31:32 -0400
>> From: Tim Moody <tim at timmoody.com>
>> To: "'Community Support Volunteers -- who help respond to \"help AT
>>         laptop.org\"'" <support-gang at lists.laptop.org>,  "'Gonzalo
>> Odiard'"
>>         <godiard at sugarlabs.org>
>> Cc: 'OLPC Localization list' <localization at lists.laptop.org>, 'Unleash
>>         Kids!' <unleashkids at googlegroups.com>, 'Jerry Vonau' <
>> me at jvonau.ca>
>> Subject: Re: [support-gang] [Localization] [UKids] Write Activity
>>         Updates
>> Message-ID: <BLU405-EAS9CEC730CEE22046E749AAC58A0 at phx.gbl>
>> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
>>
>> I just tested and this solution does not survive reboot.
>>
>>
>>
>> Can someone suggest the best way to do the setxkbmap ara command on boot
>> or a config file in which to declare the map.
>>
>>
>>
>> From: support-gang [mailto:support-gang-bounces at lists.laptop.org] On
>> Behalf Of Tim Moody
>> Sent: Thursday, July 30, 2015 12:43 PM
>> To: 'Community Support Volunteers -- who help respond to "help AT
>> laptop.org"' <support-gang at lists.laptop.org>; 'Gonzalo Odiard' <
>> godiard at sugarlabs.org>
>> Cc: 'OLPC Localization list' <localization at lists.laptop.org>; 'Unleash
>> Kids!' <unleashkids at googlegroups.com>; 'Jerry Vonau' <me at jvonau.ca>
>> Subject: Re: [support-gang] [Localization] [UKids] Write Activity Updates
>>
>>
>>
>> I should have mentioned, that we did not test exhaustively, but Khaled
>> says that the keys correspond to the standard Arabic keyboard layout.  The
>> only thing we noticed is that diacriticals like tanwin and damma followed
>> the character rather than being over it.
>>
>>
>>
>> From: unleashkids at googlegroups.com <mailto:unleashkids at googlegroups.com>
>> [mailto:unleashkids at googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Tim Moody
>> Sent: Thursday, July 30, 2015 12:38 PM
>> To: 'Community Support Volunteers -- who help respond to "help AT
>> laptop.org"' <support-gang at lists.laptop.org <mailto:
>> support-gang at lists.laptop.org> >; 'Gonzalo Odiard' <godiard at sugarlabs.org
>> <mailto:godiard at sugarlabs.org> >
>> Cc: 'OLPC Localization list' <localization at lists.laptop.org <mailto:
>> localization at lists.laptop.org> >; 'Unleash Kids!' <
>> unleashkids at googlegroups.com <mailto:unleashkids at googlegroups.com> >;
>> 'Jerry Vonau' <me at jvonau.ca <mailto:me at jvonau.ca> >
>> Subject: RE: [support-gang] [Localization] [UKids] Write Activity Updates
>>
>>
>>
>> So my son-in-law just typed my name in Arabic characters in the write
>> activity on an xo-4.
>>
>>
>>
>> I as I often do, I used a shot-gun approach to get this to work, so it
>> may be that not all of this is necessary or even the best approach, but
>> here is what I did:
>>
>>
>>
>> in terminal under Sugar
>>
>>
>>
>> yum groupinstall arabic-support
>>
>> yum groupinstall input-methods
>>
>>
>>
>> I went down the road of SCIM, but I think it was a dead end.
>>
>>
>>
>> yum install scim-tables-arabic
>>
>> yum install scim-m17n
>>
>> at this point the keyboard still did not give anything but Roman
>> characters.
>>
>>
>>
>> I switched to Gnome and under Applications->Other->Language I took
>> Arabic-Egypt
>>
>> Under Applications->Other->Input Methods I chose IBus
>>
>>
>>
>> In terminal I did the command setxkbmap ara
>>
>>
>>
>> (I previously ran setxkbmap -print and saw quite a few includes, many
>> with olpc in their names, so not sure if I lost control characters.)
>>
>>
>>
>> Now I went into the Abiword app under gnome, selected the KacstOffice
>> font, and I could type Arabic characters.
>>
>>
>>
>> I switched back to Sugar and started Write.  I was able to type Arabic
>> characters.
>>
>>
>>
>> Probably I should follow Gonzalo's suggestion and install the font
>> activity to get better font control for Write.
>>
>>
>>
>> I think there is a good chance that this will not survive a boot and that
>> it would have to be done again if I switched to English in XO Settings.
>>
>>
>>
>> BTW,
>>
>>
>>
>> You can avoid having to reflash to get out of Arabic, by clicking on the
>> world map icon (Language) and selecting the 4th item in the second column
>> from the right which is
>>
>>
>>
>> الإنجليزية
>>
>>
>>
>> and then click the option which looks like a power button.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> From: support-gang [mailto:support-gang-bounces at lists.laptop.org] On
>> Behalf Of Sarah Naguib
>> Sent: Monday, July 20, 2015 10:23 PM
>> To: Gonzalo Odiard <godiard at sugarlabs.org <mailto:godiard at sugarlabs.org>
>> >
>> Cc: OLPC Localization list <localization at lists.laptop.org <mailto:
>> localization at lists.laptop.org> >; Community Support Volunteers -- who
>> help respond to help AT laptop.org <support-gang at lists.laptop.org
>> <mailto:support-gang at lists.laptop.org> >; Unleash Kids! <
>> unleashkids at googlegroups.com <mailto:unleashkids at googlegroups.com> >;
>> Jerry Vonau <me at jvonau.ca <mailto:me at jvonau.ca> >
>> Subject: Re: [support-gang] [Localization] [UKids] Write Activity Updates
>>
>>
>>
>> Hi all,
>>
>>
>>
>> Thank you so much to those who have answered my email! I have tried some
>> of your suggestions--I will update you with the information that I have
>> now, and will continue to do so as I continue to try.
>>
>>
>>
>> Adam: you have correctly identified the SKU on the battery
>>
>>
>>
>> Gary/Adam: I tried switching the language into Arabic in the Control
>> Panel when my laptop was using the 13.2.2 OS and it didn’t work, even when
>> I folded the laptop down into the touch screen mode as one of you
>> suggested. I have yet to try it with the 13.2.5 OS, but I will do that soon
>> and keep you all posted.
>>
>>
>>
>> Gonzalo: Yes, the interface language was translated into Arabic on the
>> main screen of the laptop, however when I opened up the Write Activity, the
>> letters only appear in English. Funny enough, however, the buttons at the
>> top of the screen moved from the left side to the right side, as Arabic is
>> a language that is read from left to right. When I went through the list of
>> possible fonts, Arabic never came up—only English ones, despite the fact
>> that i had Arabic selected as the primary language of the laptop in the
>> Control Panel.
>>
>>
>>
>> Additionally, I did some more research online and followed
>> http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Customizing_NAND_images#Language which had
>> another set of instructions on changing the language in the terminal that I
>> had not previously tried, but it didn’t work either. It came up with an
>> error message saying that “key=language not an available option.” I’ve
>> never seen that error message before, so if any of you have experience with
>> that and would like to shed light on the issue, please let me know.
>>
>>
>>
>> Thank you all so much for your help! I will continue to keep you all
>> posted with my progress!
>>
>>
>>
>> Sarah
>>
>>
>>
>> On Jul 19, 2015, at 7:11 PM, Gonzalo Odiard <godiard at sugarlabs.org
>> <mailto:godiard at sugarlabs.org> > wrote:
>>
>>
>>
>> Adding to what Jerry said about the fonts, you need to know that
>>
>> recent versions of Write activity do not show all the fonts available
>>
>> in the system (There are many fonts installed by libraries
>>
>> that are not usable on Sugar)
>>
>> You can install the activity Fonts (
>> http://activities.sugarlabs.org/en-US/sugar/addon/4669)
>>
>> to select what fonts will be available on Write (and Paint and FotoToon)
>>
>> That activity also show a preview of the fonts, but using a English text.
>>
>>
>>
>> Gonzalo
>>
>>
>>
>>
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