I’ve installed Debian 12.11 KDE on my Surface Pro 5 (and I’m loving it!), and added the surface.linux kernel (6.14.2-surface-1) from the surface.linux project. The only thing keeping me from being able to operate as a true tablet without keyboard is that I don’t get a screen keyboard when I first start Wayland after a cold boot or restart. I’ve installed maliit-keyboard, which got me a screen keyboard in session (appears when I use the touch screen to focus into a text field – and this works at the lock screen login), and I also installed the qtvirtualkeyboard-plugin, which according to a thread I found on this KDE Discuss should have gotten me a login screen keyboard – but no such thing occurs.
How can I get a screen keyboard at the cold-start login to the Plasma session, so I can use the computer in full tablet mode (i.e. leave the Type Cover behind and work with only fingertip and/or pen)?
sddm has one and i’m frankly surprised it’s not on be default on debian.
most ppl are trying to find out how to get rid of it… from my notes
# to remove giant virtual keyboard on SDDM screen install this package
sddm-conf
# and under the general tab, leave the input method field blank
# change the numlock state to "on" in order to trigger the save button
you will need to provide something in the input method field to trigger the virtual keyboard… i don’t remember what was there that i erased.
This has had no effect. Perhaps if I install the package that other “solution” didn’t mention was needed for that file to have any effect…
I find the sddm package already installed, but I notice that Synaptic lists sddm as a display manager for X11, but I have Wayland selected (though apparently Wayland isn’t active before I log into my desktop).
sddm-conf is a package… install via apt or synaptic.
it has a gui, you can use to provide the input method for SDDM which runs before either X11 or wayland and there is no need to create any files, the gui takes care of it.
see this post for discussion of different input method options
“Just” need to build it. Yep. I’ve never built anything bigger than a single-file ANSI C program (for which gcc output the executable binary) unless it was with the automatic build utility that installs kernels – which happens automatically. I’m neither a guru nor a developer.
Okay, apparently I don’t need to build sddm-conf – creating /etc/sddm.conf and filling it as I noted before is sufficient, except I needed to have better eyes.
I just noticed that at startup I’m now getting a very small (on a 12.3" 2k screen) item in the lower left next to the Wayland/X11 selection, marked “Virtual Keyboard” and tapping it (I used the Surface Pen but a fingertip will likely also work) brings up the screen keyboard. And it doesn’t quite cover the login field. Problem solved!!!
if you don’t mind editing your solution post by pasting exactly what you put into /etc/sddm.conf for future reference by others, that would make it complete.