Little Wacom as keyboard ?

**BartDP** · 12-05-2006, 06:41 PM

Hello all,

I am bulding my cpc with a Lilliput 7' touchscreen.
I want to use this for the mouse function.

Can I transform my small Wacom (USB) tablet to a virtual keyboard without having a keyboard layout on the screen ?

The idee is to stick a keyboard layout on the Wacom tablet and maybe to add some pre-programmed keys (locations on the Wacom) for the f.e. CTRL-ALT-DEL or other combinations.

So finaly the Wacom has to react as a USB keyboard

All help welcome ! Thanks.

**Genesisfactor** · 12-05-2006, 07:02 PM

don't. as a user of a pocket pc, which does the same thing with a soft keyboard, it gets annoying fingerpeckying all the time. Get a keyboard. Plus you are restricted to that little stylus. the wacom woudl be better used as a gesture pad where you an make gestures control your programs.

**BartDP** · 12-17-2006, 04:33 PM

OK, but, if I wan't to give it a try, what (and where) do I need to let it work as keyboard.

As mentioned, I don't want a keyboard on screen (and won't let jump my mouse pointer on screen when touching the wacom)

I want to print a keyboard layout en stick it on my little wacom.
Maybe I need some special key combinations in one buttom (as CTRL-ALT-DEL)

KR

**2k1Toaster** · 12-17-2006, 05:55 PM

Originally Posted by BartDP

OK, but, if I wan't to give it a try, what (and where) do I need to let it work as keyboard.

As mentioned, I don't want a keyboard on screen (and won't let jump my mouse pointer on screen when touching the wacom)

I want to print a keyboard layout en stick it on my little wacom.
Maybe I need some special key combinations in one buttom (as CTRL-ALT-DEL)

KR

Well to start, you DO NOT want a WACOM. If you want something like this, get a USB touchscreen overlay such as on your lilli. Because the WACOM will not work with your finger. That is the great part of a wacom, tablets where your wrist doesn't make the screen go.

You want just a regular resistive/capacitive TS.

And it will get annoying with no tactile feel for the buttons. Go for it if you want.

My thinking would be just take the input from the 2nd mouse (this keyboard TS) and take the location (x,y) and compare to a 2 dimension array with hardcoded values for each of the "keys" that would scale with the resolution in the form of Array[x][y] = Key_x_y

Good Luck.

**tom61** · 12-18-2006, 04:24 PM

My thinking would be just take the input from the 2nd mouse (this keyboard TS) and take the location (x,y) and compare to a 2 dimension array with hardcoded values for each of the "keys" that would scale with the resolution in the form of Array[x][y] = Key_x_y

It won't be that simple, as Windows binds all mice together, so you'd end up touching all over the screen when typing. You need some way for the tablet to not be seen as a mouse device, but still be accessible to programs, then write a program, as above, to listen for input from the tablet and interpret it to keystrokes.

Additionally, if Ctrl-Alt-Delete is really needed to regain control of the system, likely the program interpreting the tablet input will likely be unresponsive as well.

**2k1Toaster** · 12-18-2006, 04:28 PM

Originally Posted by tom61

It won't be that simple, as Windows binds all mice together, so you'd end up touching all over the screen when typing. You need some way for the tablet to not be seen as a mouse device, but still be accessible to programs, then write a program, as above, to listen for input from the tablet and interpret it to keystrokes.

Additionally, if Ctrl-Alt-Delete is really needed to regain control of the system, likely the program interpreting the tablet input will likely be unresponsive as well.

That's true... Stupid M$! Well, what about calibrating the screen so that it is off the viewable screen area. That way it clicks nothing, and then you could have the program over there on the extended "virtual screen" and it should work.