My custom configuration files for the Multiling-o keyboard.
Building upon the MessagEase keyboard, adapted for the Czech language.
- Messsagease-like layout based on swipe-to-insert,
- full support of Czech accented letters,
- single / double-handed mode,
- extra modes for inserting numbers & special characters,
- no autocorrect 😎 💛
I was a devoted user of the MessagEase keyboard. Unlike typical QWERTY keyboards, this keyboard allows to insert characters by swiping on the buttons. This made my typing much more pleasant, less error-prone, and most importantly – it allowed me to get rid of autocorrect.
However, the keyboard is not well supported anymore, so I decided to switch to Multiling-o, which is an extremely configurable Android keyboard.
I adopted the Messagease layout and did some custom tweaks to it. I believe it is a good starting point for anybody trying to build a custom swipable keyboard out of Multiling-o.
For more screenshots see below 😉
Cloning my setup is fairly simple:
- download Multiling-o from Google Play,
- go to
Layouts - DIY - (Space bar) Layouts... - [+ DIY]
, - paste the content of
messagease-cs-base.json
, - repeat the steps 2&3 with
messagease-cs-double.json
, - go to
Settings - Misc. - Import | Export - Theme
, - paste the content of
theme.cfg
.
If you wish to edit the layout, edit the JSON files externally and then paste it using the "Layouts..." button inside the app.
The structure of the JSON files is intuitive:
- for a simple pressable button just use the character itself,
- for a swipable button, use the format
[4D:abcdefghi]
in which:- for
a
press the button, - for
b
,c
,d
,e
swipe left, up, right, and down, - for
f
,g
,h
,i
swipe NE, NW, SW, SE.
- for
Some directions may be omitted using a " " (space).
My deep gratitude goes to Exideas, the creators of the original MessagEase keyboard. Without it, typing on touchscreens would be a pain in the a*s 🙈
And my admiration goes to Honso, who have made something which is very hard to find in today's software world – an app which is powerful, perfectly configurable, and completely free ❤️