Left-handed mode

[witcheslive]

• Did you check to see if this issue already exists?
• Is this only a single feature request? Do not put multiple feature requests in one issue.
• Is this a question or discussion? Don't use this, use https://lemmy.ml/c/thumbkey

Describe the feature request below
I really miss left-handed mode from messagease, as i am, well, left handed. Please consider implementing it.

[dessalines]

I spose it'd be possible to do a simple full-keyboard reverse for a left-handed mode. But I wouldn't be able to add anything more complicated than that.

[ghen2]

On ME, not the whole keyboard is reversed (mirrored), only the rightmost "toolbar" column is moved to the leftmost column.

[dessalines]

That's not something I'd be able to do, especially since there's no requirement that the keyboards right most column is the toolbar. There are various layouts where the toolbar column is elsewhere, or in the center.

[ghen2]

Ok, so a left handed ME layout can only be implemented as a separate layout?

[dessalines]

Correct.

[BlueDrink9]

I'm a righthander but used left hand mode because having the keys closest to my thumb is more comfortable. I'll have a look at converting some layouts to left hand mode.

[KraXen72]

i think it might me a good idea to mark layouts which have the rightmost colums as a toolbar to be lefthand-eligible, and have a lefthand toggle to swap the column.
it's going to be most standard-ish layouts anyway, and creating separate left/right handed layouts creates code duplication, makes it harder to maintain both for the app developer in case of some bigger changes, or the layout maintainer, and most importantly further populates the already exhaustingly long layout list - a new user would have an even harder time finding a suitable layout.

[dessalines]

Thumbkey is too flexible for that, all it demands is that your layout is a matrix. It lets you put settings and functions keys anywhere you like, in any configuration. So it wouldn't be a good idea to sacrifice that.

[BlueDrink9]

Elsewhere there is discussion about adding tags to variants; I already have a function to flip a standard layout. We might be able to have something that applies that function at runtime if the variant has a particular 'left-available' tag?

[dessalines]

I suppose that now with your function, it'd be easy to persist a setting for swap_edge_columns or left_hand_mode, with the caveat that this won't work well for many layouts.

If you need help adding a setting for this, lmk.

[dessalines]

No work done on this, but can re-open if someone wants to add it.

[mere-teresa]

Great thread, I was hoping to find this Issue.
I want to add a left-handed keyboard for the French MessagEase disposition. Can I use the work done by BlueDrink9?

[dessalines]

Sure, as long as its not too complicated.