Simplify keyboard layout switching - input language

[QubyTester]

Qubes OS version:

3.2, 4.0

Affected component(s):

Qube Manager, ibus-xxx?

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Steps to reproduce the behavior:

1. Select the target VM in Qube Manager,
2. Click on the Qube Manager's "Set keyboard layout" button
3. Scroll through MANY languages and apply
4. When done typing in a different language, return to Qube Manager
5. Click on the Qube Manager's "Set keyboard layout" button
6. Click "none"
7. Repeat these steps each time you need to switch the languages

Expected behavior:

Step 3. above: Click among JUST a FEW languages (previously selected)

Actual behavior:

General notes:

If Qube Manager is the place to quickly switch the keyboard layouts, then it should show only a few keyboard layouts previously narrowed down by a user. (Most OS'es offer selecting the few needed layout choices in the general settings, and then subsequently their user quick-switches only between the few chosen layouts.) Switching layouts in Qubes should be quick as well, and not just offer a long general list of layouts every time you switch.
The initial keyboard layout preference could be set via:

• A wizard / preference (during the installation? anytime after installation?), or
• Manually - document how users can edit down the Qube Manager's list of keyboard layouts.

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Related issues:

Allow assigning a hot-key combination for each VM's keyboard layout.
The current "Language Localization" doc [https://www.qubes-os.org/doc/language-localization/ ] is deceitful because it is merely "How to set up pinyin input" and leaves the rest of the world wondering. It offers to dive into the Big Bro Google's qubes-users thread, and even that to no avail.
What if the 2nd language is not Pinyin - can ibus-pinyin example still be used? Else, can the listed command(s) be changed to load a different language?

[ghost]

This is what I use and it works well for my needs:

I manually run im-chooser in my AppVMs (with fedora-28 as the TemplateVM) and then I can select the required keyboard layouts. I can cycle between the keyboard layouts with <super>+<space>.

[ghost]

@QubyTester:

Switching layouts in Qubes should be quick as well

This doc may help until there are better options...

[marmarta]

I've got a proposal how to fix this:

• enable propagating dom0 keyboard layout to all VMs by default
• in qube manager, change the switch keyboard layout menu to one that shows the following options:
  • use default (checked by default)
  • select layouts (that allows you to set a global list of quickly available layouts)
  • layouts selected above for quick switching between them

[marmarta]

also related: #1396

[tlaurion]

@marmarta

enable propagating dom0 keyboard layout to all VMs by default

Would be awesome. Having both ca and usa keyboard, switching keyboards in VM with alt-shift would behave the same way users normally expect keyboard layouts to switch.

[qubesos-bot]

Automated announcement from builder-github

The package python3-qubesadmin-4.1.9-1.fc32 has been pushed to the r4.1 stable repository for dom0.
To install this update, please use the standard update command:

sudo qubes-dom0-update

Or update dom0 via Qubes Manager.

Changes included in this update

[qubesos-bot]

Automated announcement from builder-github

The package qubes-core-admin-client_4.1.9-1+deb9u1 has been pushed to the r4.1 stable repository for the Debian template.
To install this update, please use the standard update command:

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get dist-upgrade

Changes included in this update