Google has already told everyone to stop using hardware menu buttons and to instead use the built-in software ones in the apps.
Unfortunately there's quite a few devices, the Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 included, that still have a menu button.
My goal is to successfully remap that button to a Recents button, and enable the built-in software ones. I'm using Hyperdrive RLS5.1 on my device, but this technique should work with any other ROM too - if it doesn't, there is either a conflict or you might need to change other keylayout files as well.
I fairly easily remapped the key.
You just use a root file explorer like FX to go to "/system/usr/keylayout/Generic.kl" and find the line that looks like "key 139 MENU" and change it to "key 139 APP_SWITCH". Then reboot the device. When you press the button, it will open the task switcher - but there's a nasty caveat. When you do this, the device still has the menu key in it. So if you go into an app like Firefox or Viper4AndroidFX and try and change settings, you can't. The menu button is inaccessible.
But, no fear: the solution is the Xposed Framework, combined with MenuBeGone, which can be found at http://repo.xposed.info/module/ro.epb.menubegone. I've checked the source code and it's completely benign - the key here is that you have to force every app to return "false" when it checks if the device "hasPermanentMenuKey".
It doesn't matter how much remapping you do, the device still technically has a physical menu key. Lil' blighter.
Related
Is any useful way to remap the Green and Red Phone button and the volume slider button? I mean for launch application or any function. Thanx.
There are some such programs for volume slider.
The most simple I prefer is attached here.
Just put it to the \Windows\Startup folder. It just "unbind" slider but not remaps it to another buttons. This will allow to use slider as F6/F7 buttons in programs able to hook them e.g. Haali Reader...
Thanx
It seems to be ok but where did you attach it? On my MDA is no offered file to download at this time. ThankU.
I've got it
Ok. Now is the sheet with uploaded file appeared. I've got it and extracted it. After i run the *.exe file it does nothing. Why?
because it should do nothing
This utility just frees slider buttons from default binding to volume control.
If you have an application that understands F6/F7 hardware key pressings (slider up/slider down) you may bind these key in the program.
As for me - I use them to scroll text up and down in Haali Reader text reader program.
But (as I said above) there are another programs to use slider up/down control. Unfortunately I don't remeber where I saw these utilities - but they really exists
And, as far as I'm back to the Andes from (Blue Angel) - I think I will write another one specially for Himalaya/Andes.
Ok, let's wait some days. If there are any results - I'll post the report here
P.S.: BlueAngel is the best HW keys equipped device i've ever saw But...
Thanx once again
Thank you 4 ur help. Now i understand that. And what about the Phone buttons? Any ideas? Ex.I want to use red button as Ok/Close simulation. Any ideas how to do that? Thanks.
Nobody unmaps phone buttons. It is possible but unresonable because of HTC is a phone device also. But I'll implement this feature too.
OK
I will wait for it.
The very first (and buggy) try of HW remapping utility is done. The application setup is available HERE
After installing .CAB file go to Start -> Settings -> Buttons and see the changes...
DO NOT INSTALL THIS APPLICATION ON BLUE ANGEL!!!
It will hide four lower hardware buttons until hard reset!
1. This app was tested on Andes with WM2003se, but should work on Himalaya/Magican with WM2003 and above
2. You will lose the possibility to use hardware key mapping in other applications forl remapped buttons. I need to re-grab buttons from time to time because the system tries to thieve them from me
3. Currently I don't now how to emulate green and reed buttons functionality after unbinding them from the system.
4. I can count any number of button pressings (3,4,5...), but -
5. WinCE reserve codes for only 15 hardware buttons (40C1..40CF)
There are some ideas for future improvement. But it would be nice to know your thoughts.
Just to "stimulate": I can create settings screen during setup to allow flexible configuration where you will
- choose which buttons to handle and how many key pressings to detect;
- choose option to unbind and/or re-map volume and phone buttons
- ???
And let me take a time-brake for 2 days before next programming session
The utility is ready. It allows you to:
remap each standard hardware button to 2 or 3 "virtual", simulated via double or triple clicks;
use volume slider to simulate Up/Down direction keys or create additional "virtual" hardware buttons;
remap Red and Green phone buttons to 1,2 or 3 hardware buttons each.
In a result you may create up to 15 hardware buttons (system limit)
Just install program and check Start -> Settings -> Buttons.
Here is Oficial AEBPlus home page, full desktop-based setup (~27K) and Direct link to CAB file (~30K)
Well done!
Excellent software! Thank you once again for your work. Works very very well!
man this is great really like it
works perfect :lol:
Seems to work great. Haven't had it running long enough to see if the camera button will get stolen back (big problem for me on XDA IIi), but being able to map the volume is great.
In the next version any chance of adding an <enter> option like Vito Button Mapper which I think just sends a <carriage return> to select whatever is highlighted.
Is "<Ok/Close>" option in button settings applet not the same?
NO, <OK/Close> generally tends to close the current window rather than selecting whatever is highlighted.
Also whatever application keeps on stealing back the camera button is still doing it. I don't know if it is part of the UK O2 customisations or the core PocketPC Rom, but eventually whatever function is mapped to the Camera button gets re-mapped back to the camera. This also happened to me with the standard button mapper and Vito button manager. It's a little annoying since the camera button is the most usefully positioned, and it is also easily knocked, starting the camera at awkward times.
Ok, I'll add this option for camera button (a bit later, in a case other suggestions arrives).
As for the re-hooking button by camera application: AEBPlus initializes all of the buttons from time to time. Currently this take place every 30 seconds. So if you will wait a bit - all buttons should be re-grabbed again
This does not seem to help because whatever application that is resetting the camera does it in the same place as you are storing the button mappings. When I go into the Buttons Setup it will now say that the Camera button is mapped to the Camera.
Yes,I see... It looks like Camera application is a pushy application . The solution is to remap "normal" Camera HW button to 3 press instead of one, but I don't like this.
Anyway - utility was released.
New features: added option to emulate Enter key with Camera button.
Hi AE, your utility is great. It is very useful but SIMPLE and SMALL.
I used it instead of other button mapper software.
There're some issues need tobe improved:
1) Mapping "Green" and "Red" button:
Enable mapping when they're iddle only (phone function does not work).
E.g: I'd like using Red button to close running app. But in phone function, Red button is still used to hang-up the phone as original its function. Anytime I have a phone call, I can use Red button to cancel a outgoing/incoming call.
You can refer the program of mamaich in this web site.
2) Single press is too low:
I press a key one time and wait 5 secs or more until it works. It's too slow. Can you improve? Double-press is OK.
3) Press n hold:
Can you add "single press n hold" for all hardware-keys? I think "single press n hold (after 3-3.5 secs)" is more convenient than "double press" or "tribble press". Do you think so?
Hi AE, very usefull application! Is there any way that we can have an options screen, where we can change the key options we get after installing the app? That would be easier to edit our preferences if we want to make changes to our initial choices. Furthermore I added a Mortbutton to one of your simulated hard keys. Each Mortbutton can show a list of 12 apps for a buttonpress. That means That I can now bind more than 60 apps to the buttons in total! Very good for one-handed use of my Magician, thanks!
Hey, if youre running a custom ROM, and want to use the on-screen buttons, having your capacitive buttons still functioning the same can be pretty redundant, so I came up with a way to remap them to open any app that you choose. All that is required is Tasker and root access.
First off, what you need: Tasker, Root, and a text-editing program
Get your keylayout file. There are multiple ways to do this, but since all phones use different names for them, its best to just open up an app like Root Explorer and move to the file itself, and then copy and paste it. The files name is synaptics-rmi-touchscreen.kl, so if youd prefer to adb pull it, its located inside the /system/usr/keylayout folder.
Edit your button IDs. After getting your .kl file, open it with a regular text editor, and find the keys that you want to change. For mine, I used the home and back keys. Locate where they are; it wont be hard as the keys have their actions next to them, and change one key to CAMERA, and the other the SEARCH.
Map button actions in Tasker. Finally, open Tasker (turn off Beginners view in settings), and hit New > Event > Hardware > and then your button of choice. You can either select the Camera button first, or the Search button. Inside the Event screen, set the priority to Highest, and if youre editing the Camera button, check the Stop Event button. Create a new task in the profile for your button, and create a new action. After, click App > Load app, and then select which application you would like to launch on that button. Do the same thing for the Search button, but you have to long press the search button to access it, as regularly clicking it will open Google Now.
Hope this helps anyone with hardware keys that wanted to switch over to the nav buttons.
Hallo, the new Recent Apps button is annoying me. So i tried to rebind the button to menu. This worked. I changed the /system/usr/keylayout/Generic.kl. (Swapped key 254 (APP_SWITCH) and key 127 (MENU). But I don't know how to rebind the APP-SWITCH key to the hold home key, wich brings me to Google Now. Google Now would be nice on hold MENU, but if I hold the changed button S Finder appears.. I don't need it. So could you tell me, how to bind APP-SWITCH to hold HOME, and Google Now to hold MENU please?
The change I made was inspired by this thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2337229
Thanks, Colin P
You can use the xposed framwork additions module to remap hardware keys. Or any number of other Play store apps will also endeavor to do so for you.
Or you could directly edit the the /system/usr/keylayout files. As you aren't already doing this though, I can only presume that you aren't familiar with the syntax. In which case, xposed will be your best option.
.
I have a question that involves keylayout, since this is a similar thread, I thought I should ask here. I've added on-screen navigation buttons, and want to disable the soft touch keys (I accidentally press them a lot...). I found out through a Note 2 forum that I need to put a # sign in front of keys 158 and 139, but I think it might be different for Galaxy S5. Can someone help me disable the two soft touch keys (back and recent apps keys). Thanks a lot
You should start your own thread, rather than hijack an existing one.
In short, you can either use an app like Xposed to reassign the keys or edit the keylayout files directly. Simply leave the keys in question unassigned. If you find that the keys still light up, that can be disabled in the Settings menu with the touch key duration setting = always off.
.
While transitioning some old Apps (FuelLog Pro) from my other Android phones onto my S6 Edge, I discovered that some of the apps needed to use a 'menu' key to backup/export. Obviously no way to add a menu softkey without root, SO I figured out how to do it from ADB.
Once you connect your phone to ADB enter the following command for the 'menu' softkey:
Code:
adb shell input keyevent 82
The 'keyevent' relates to various keymappings, annoyingly, the keymappings for the Samsung are a little different from standard Android, which is why I'm making a record of it here.
So far it looks like HOME, BACK, CALL, and Volume follow standard keymappings. I'll update this list if I spend more time digging and find other differences.
You can find the complete list here:
http://developer.android.com/reference/android/view/KeyEvent.html
This is super useful for running batch commands on Apps from the computer as well.
Use wisely.
Thanks, can we replace the long press on the recent apps button from dual windows to menu key?
I really don't understand where the problem is with just pressing the menu overlay button?
For old Apps without the new Material UI I always get a round overlay button which is acting as a Menu button.
The new one don't have these as they integrate this button themself.
I have not found any app yet where I'm not able to open the menu.
There is no way (as far as I know) but also no need to replace the long press with the menu button.
Menu button is not needed anymore.
I have several apps that don't have the round overlay Menu button (including the aforementioned app, FuellogPro). Mostly it is apps that were written about 2 years ago that got stuck between KitKat and JB. I have quite a few paid apps, so I keep using them (and modifying them) even after support has ended.
You can only reassign the button to 'menu' if you have root.
I'm rooted and am a bit weary of flashing/installing Xposed (because of the fear of random reboots and what not) but want the ability to have Hold Back Button to Kill App mod/feature, among the ability to remap other hardware keys.
The All in one Gestures app works for remapping my hardware keys, if you deny the app root access. The hold back to kill app works, but when I set 'Menu' for long press recent apps key it says 'Your device is not supported'.
Basically, is there a known working key remapper app/mod that works for a rooted S7. I want the ability to remap my keys, like the long press back to kill and long press recent used apps button to open menu instead of multi-window.