Virtual Keyboard Kubuntu 22.04

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1

Hej,

I know there are some other topics about Virtual Keyboards but: there are all quiete old I think.

I’m using an HP Probook x360 with an touchscreen and I’m looking for an installable (not Maliit) and working Virtual Keyboard.

Like I said: Maliit cant be installed.

I`m Using Kubuntu 22.04 with Kernel 6.5.

I Think “qtvirtualkeyboard-plugin” would be nice, I have all Packeges installed but I could’nt activate it as Virtual Keyboard in the settings-screen

Thank you guys!

  • J.P.
2

For 22.04, Onboard is probably the best choice. iirc qtvirtualkeyboard only works in SDDM for Plasma 5.24. Not sure if that is valid if one has upgraded Jammy to use kubuntu-backports-extra to get Plasma 5.27, since Qt stays the same.

But 22.04 is coming soon, which will have maliit-keyboard, as does the current non-LTS 23.10.

3

I was using corekeyboard all the time before having nothing equivalent in Wayland nowadays, out of curiosity does maliit-keyboard have a floating window option with its titlebar and such, or is it still the old big-stripe-taking-huge-screen-space one? /edit: nope it’s still the same, ok.

4

Hello, @Monokel777

Hej! To activate the qtvirtualkeyboard-plugin on Kubuntu 22.04, you’ll need to set the QT_IM_MODULE environment variable to qtvirtualkeyboard. This can be done by adding the following line to your shell’s configuration file (like .bashrc or .zshrc):

export QT_IM_MODULE=qtvirtualkeyboard

After adding this line, you’ll need to restart your shell or source the configuration file. Alternatively, you can set the environment variable temporarily in your current shell session with the same command minus export.

If you’re launching an application from a desktop shortcut, you can modify the application’s .desktop file by adding the following line to the Exec field:

Exec=env QT_IM_MODULE=qtvirtualkeyboard

Replace with the actual command used to start your application.

For a more permanent solution, you can add the environment variable globally by creating a file in /etc/profile.d/ with the export command.

Remember to log out and log back in or reboot your system for the changes to take effect.

5

Maliit doesn’t work with mouse on Wayland, like how Onboard worked fine on x11, I think from the start, it was designed to not be manually shown via mouse clicks, and only works via touch screens.

Having a virtual keyboard is really important, especially for persons with hands/fingers disability.