A little tip for the ones who hold the phone in their left hand and need to switch the .back button with the multitasking one. I am right handed but, as a long time user of Note series phones, I usually hold the phone in my left hand and the stylus with the right one...Now with the s7 edge I miss the stylus, but still the phone is in my left hand.
Root required..
With your favourite root browser navigate to /system/usr/keylayout and open Generic.kl as a text file.
Move to key 158 and replace BACK with APP_SWITCH, then look for APP_SWITCH , that is key 254, and replace APP_SWITCH with BACK.
Just save and reboot.
Obviously it is fully reversible.
Please note that this is not the same result you can get with all in one gestures app, both because it continuously runs in the background (while my tip remaps the keys once forever) and, once you switch the two keys with such app, you loose the screen you usually get when you long press the multitasking button. I mean the screen that displays the app you are using in the upper part of the screen and the choice for the other apps in the lower part.
Not to mention that this solution still is cleaner than installing xposed framework and any dedicated module.
Simple and useful
If your rom settings don't have the choice to remove keys backlight, look for galaxy button lights 2.
For lazy people.
Flash in recovery.
lucaoldb said:
A little tip for the ones who hold the phone in their left hand and need to switch the .back button with the multitasking one. I am right handed but, as a long time user of Note series phones, I usually hold the phone in my left hand and the stylus with the right one...Now with the s7 edge I miss the stylus, but still the phone is in my left hand.
Root required..
With your favourite root browser navigate to /system/usr/keylayout and open Generic.kl as a text file.
Move to key 158 and replace BACK with APP_SWITCH, then look for APP_SWITCH , that is key 254, and replace APP_SWITCH with BACK.
Just save and reboot.
Obviously it is fully reversible.
Please note that this is not the same result you can get with all in one gestures app, both because it continuously runs in the background (while my tip remaps the keys once forever) and, once you switch the two keys with such app, you loose the screen you usually get when you long press the multitasking button. I mean the screen that displays the app you are using in the upper part of the screen and the choice for the other apps in the lower part.
Not to mention that this solution still is cleaner than installing xposed framework and any dedicated module.
Simple and useful
If your rom settings don't have the choice to remove keys backlight, look for galaxy button lights 2.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks this working perfectly
Related
Im slowly going mad with Raphael, HTC didnt make this easy for me.
I only want simple things. Like, one hw-button on top panel of device, that really closes program. I mean REALLY, and EVERY TIME. Not casually, or just leave it hanging there on the background.
But no, this is a luxury I cant have. I always have to try to hit my big thumb into little X at right upper corner.
Lets have an example. Fire up File Explorer. Ok Im done with it and want to close program (by pressing nice and big hw-key, not aiming for small X). Options:
1. I press Home-button. I'm back at home screen and File Explorer running on background.
2. I press Back-button. I'm back at home screen and File Explorer running on background.
3. I press Endcall-button. I'm back at home screen and File Explorer running on background.
...Seriously, WTF??? Why do we have THREE hw-buttons in top panel of Raphael, that do exactly the same thing? And as far as I have observerd, there is no really good solutions yet for remapping these hw-keys.
All I want is:
1. Button that takes me back to Home-screen (obviously Home-button)
2. Button that changes from program to another (alt+tab, I could use Back-button for this)
3. Button that really closes program (obvious choise would be Endcall-button).
Goddommit.
The Back button is really the OK button from previous devices like the Hermes. I agree the Home button is probably useless, but I suppose it's a fast way to get to the Home screen when you're in a call, since pressing Hangup while you're in a call will... hangup the current call.
With all the RAM in the device, is there any reason to really close any apps?
AEBPlus can handle all of them,but the Back button not. Unfortunately the Home button can be handled,but after hitting it,it jumps to Todayscreen and makes the command defined in AEBPlus,so it is unusable. I want to use those 2 buttons for something different as well as some of the keys on keyboard(SMS to OK/Close). As I don't understant 3 buttons for same functions,I don't understand,why we have 2 hw-keys for entering the messaging on the keyboard.
Taajuus said:
All I want is:
1. Button that takes me back to Home-screen (obviously Home-button)
2. Button that changes from program to another (alt+tab, I could use Back-button for this)
3. Button that really closes program (obvious choise would be Endcall-button).
Goddommit.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Now that would be perfect in my eyes
I'm using Butler [ http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=464611 ] to use the extra functionality of the hardware keys ... the only thing missing for me now is the possibility to use the 2 top buttons of the touch pro [Home and Back] for the left and right softkey (that's the only thing I miss from the kaiser). Any ideas how to do it without AEB ?
And is there a program you can launch to go to the today screen?
I'd be interested in this also. Thus far Da_G's latest roms have been able to reprogram every button except volume, home, and back keys.
Unfortunately the Volume, Home, and Back keys give me the most trouble. I always keep my phone on vibrate and I never use the Home/Back buttons. Even a good way to simply disable these keys would be a start. I'd much rather be able to use my dpad without ending up at the today screen.
Although someone said they used AEB to remap the Home/Back buttons to ONLY function on a double tap.
i was just thinking about this. i noticed i could change long press for send and end as soft keys. not enough buttons on the device you know.
I also would love to be able to reprogram the home and back keys to be the left and right softkeys. There has to be some way to do it...
I did some more searching on this topic. Try DredSensor. It works for me so far.
drcursor said:
I'm using Butler [ http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=464611 ] to use the extra functionality of the hardware keys ... the only thing missing for me now is the possibility to use the 2 top buttons of the touch pro [Home and Back] for the left and right softkey (that's the only thing I miss from the kaiser). Any ideas how to do it without AEB ?
And is there a program you can launch to go to the today screen?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If we can get the home, back button, set as left and right softkeys as well as set pressing the center button in as OK button then i would have zero complaints about my att fuze. Sometimes i turn my tilt back on just to use programs such as opera mini, life is so much easier with softkeys!
DarrenUtd said:
I also would love to be able to reprogram the home and back keys to be the left and right softkeys. There has to be some way to do it...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes im sure everyone is aware of dredsensor which is what i have to use when running opera mini on my fuze. What we are talking about is setting the home and back button as softkeys for good for all apps by default and also having the center button as OK as well. Do we really need a home and back button anyways? I mean we have touch screen phones, i can drag my thumb to get to home screen and press the center button to go back if set to OK button.
No we don't need an Home and Back button. The home button works the exact same as the End key. The back button is iffy. While I don't use it much, I'm sure "some" people do. There are the occasional situations when the back button is useful.
If you make the Center button "Close/Ok", then you won't have a select button. What WOULD work is set the center button to default, but do an "Close/Ok" on Center Hold.
I wish we had all the buttons unlocked to do what we wish. Using Home/Back as softkeys aren't a big deal to me, BUT being able to at least disable them or remap them in games would be sweet. (yes I know about DredSensor... I'm talking about permanent).
Another thing I am aiming for is a "virtual D-pad" using the touch pad area around the center button. Allowing us to navigate simply by making contact to the "hotspots". This would at least fix the problem with using the Dpad in games without ending up at the today screen.
If we could offload the navigational functions to the touchpad... then we could remap the buttons up/down to launch programs or whatever (left and right too).
So Pressing the buttons on the touchpad could launch apps or be used as softkeys or whatever but touching the touchpad would navigate.
Here is the thread; http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=473023
The last couple of posts have been playing down my earlier suggestion to use dredsensor to remap the home and back buttons to be the left and right softkeys (the topic of this thread). I'm not affiliated with dredsensor in any way, but I wanted to clear up this issue.
Since version 1.1 was posted on 1/17, you can in fact remap the buttons as stated above. In your config.ini file, for the [Default] profile with WindowTitle=* and ClassName=*, you have the entries:
HardKey_Launch1=Key:SoftKey1and
HardKey_Launch3=Key:SoftKey2
I'm not sure what you guys mean by "permanent" or "for good for all apps by default", but with this configuration these rules should apply in any app, which would seem to be what you want. I've been using this for a few days now and it works for me in the applications I've used. Anyway, it's just a suggestion. Maybe give it a try and I hope it helps.
i followed your suggestion..but i find the behavior erratic..sometimes it looks like it just goes to sleep and the keys are back to normal, and then out of nowhere starts to run again :\
drcursor said:
i followed your suggestion..but i find the behavior erratic..sometimes it looks like it just goes to sleep and the keys are back to normal, and then out of nowhere starts to run again :\
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From what I've read, there could be problems if you have G-Scroll installed, or maybe on some specific ROMs. Maybe post the issues you are having so that the developer can fix it in the next version.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=472280&page=2
Alright, the Galaxy series, although awesome, suffers from some issues. None are as frustrating as when the damn capacitive (bottom) buttons stop working!
Normally it seems that all four bottom buttons don't fail at the same time, just one or two. This doesn't seem to be as much of a physical problem as a software one, probably an application running in the forefront that is blocking them. Now it is hard to do much of anything if the settings button (left side) fails, as you cannot access most settings for your apps. Both my outside buttons rarely work, the aforementioned settings button (left) and the search button (right). Search button doesn't matter to me, I can call up search on screen easily enough. The other two are home and back buttons. Back is more necessary than home. So to work around this Samsung-induced-pain-in-the-ass, I swapped the search button function for the home.
Here's how:
Make sure you are roted and have a rooted file manager. Root Explorer tends to work best.
1. Open Root Explorer, and make sure it is mounted r/w.
2. Navigate to /system, /usr, /keylayout.
3. Tap/hold Broadcom_Bluetooth_HID.kl, and select 'Open in Text Editor'. If you get a Warning message, that means you are mounted r/o so you just need to click the Mount R/W button above.
4. Change key 139 to read HOME instead of MENU.
Change key 102 to read MENU instead of HOME.
Hit the back capacitive button and choose to save. It will create a Broadcom_Bluetooth_HID.kl.bak file also so if you want to undo this then just erase the new Broadcom_Bluetooth_HID.kl file and then erase the .bak off the other file.
5. Now open the melfas_touchkey.kl file the same way by holding it until it allows you to select 'Open in Text Editor'.
Change key 139 to read HOME instead of MENU.
Change key 102 to read MENU instead of HOME.
Hit the back capacitive button and choose to save. It will also create a .bak file.
6. Open the qwerty.kl file by holding it until it allows you to select 'Open in Text Editor'.
Change key 102 to read MENU instead of HOME.
Change key 139 to read HOME instead of MENU.
Hit the back capacitive button and choose to save. It will again create a .bak file.
7. Back out of Root Explorer and restart your phone.
Now, when you push your home button it will bring up your settings menu in whatever application is open, and your settings button will do the home function (or nothing, as my outside buttons do as they don't usually work). I now use my back button to get me to home, it just takes a few more pushes as it goes one step at a time. Not as much of a pain as not being able to set program functions, that's for sure!
Note: Depending on your setup, the file names might be slightly different on other Android devices, but they will always be very similar. They'll all have a bluetooth.kl, touchkey.kl and qwerty.kl (or whatever your keyboard layout might be). You can also fool around with other key settings if you wish to experiment, depending on what is and is not working at the current time. Just save your original .bak files so you can put it back to normal easily. If you alter the .kl file more than once, it will overwrite the .bak file again (which is not used by the phone) so make sure you copy the .bak's to another directory (such as /sdcard/backups or your regular computer).
Hope this makes your lives easier and don't forget to thank me if I helped you.
Modified Home key acting up
So after using this mod for a little while, it has been working well except for some slight stalling of response from the capacitive buttons (which was happening before the mod) and an awfully annoying habit of backing out of programs by itself due to the modified left button which was originally Settings but I changed to Home with the above mod. When this happens, I can see the left button go dark as if it's been physically pressed, so obviously there is some electrical or software malfeasance happening there.
The fix to this problem is to navigate to your /system/usr/keylayout folder again and:
Delete: "key 139 HOME"
In each of these three folders we altered earlier:
Broadcom_Bluetooth_HID.kl
melfas_touchkey.kl
qwerty.kl
The result is that no action is associated with the leftmost capacitive button, which is fine because it wasn't working properly in the first place. This was becoming problematic as I typed in Terminal or while using my Ubuntu build on the phone.
Now, if there was also a problem with the search popping up by itself then you would just have to delete "key 217 SEARCH". Remember why I initially did this was because the outside capacitive buttons were not functioning properly and I needed the settings button more than home while in programs.
Fully Functioning Capacitive Button Workaround
I actually found a specific need for the home key.
When in Terminal Emulator, if I want to back out to the main screen and access another application, I have to use my back button. Trouble is, the back button also closes out the terminal session, which is a pain in the *ss if I want to just look up something in my browser and then go back to it. I have to then restart my session and retype on the small as hell keyboard. So I was thinking, how am I going to implement a home key function in my drop-down start menu which is always accessible and low-and-behold, here it is:
SoftKeys for Root Users
https://market.android.com/details?...EsIm5ldC5ob29wYWpvby5hbmRyb2lkLlNvZnRLZXlzIl0.
This is a great app. Solves the problem. Starts immediately on boot.
There's also this for just a home key in the start menu drop-down, no start on boot though:
BK Softhome
https://market.android.com/search?q=bk+softhome&c=apps
Problems solved! I now have disabled all 4 capacitive buttons while using Softkeys for Root Users for all functions. (Delete: key 102, key 139, key 158, and key 217 in all three folders listed in original post)
The capacitive buttons are garbage in my opinion and I constantly accidentally hit them. Not to mention they are backwards. I would like to disable them completely and enable the soft buttons like on the Nexus 5. Is this possible?
I found something for the note 2 in another forum, you might give a try.
Original thread: http://forums.androidcentral.com/samsung-galaxy-note-2/242120-disable-soft-capacitive-keys.html
Root your phone. Get a file explorer that can use the root to edit system files. Go to system, usr, keylayout, and open generic.kl with a text editor, find keys 158 and 139 and put a "#" sign in front of both. Save the file and reboot phone. Then go to settings and disable the light. They are now fully disabled.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you disable them, you can add software keys by simply editing your build.prop file. Add the following line to the end with root explorer and reboot. qemu.hw.mainkeys=0
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Click to collapse
I would think if you want backwards left handed buttons (back button on the left) and you want to waste screen space then there are solutions but why would you want to do that unless you're a leftie or you like to use a small screen?
Personally it is the best solution on a mobile with zero wasted screen space and the back button should always be on the right close to my right handed thumb.
drummr8 said:
The capacitive buttons are garbage in my opinion and I constantly accidentally hit them. Not to mention they are backwards. I would like to disable them completely and enable the soft buttons like on the Nexus 5. Is this possible?
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Click to collapse
What a waste of screen released that would be, why not try to adapt, after a few weeks you won't accidentally press them and you will be used to the position, which even is more logical and ergonomical.
Jonathan-H said:
I would think if you want backwards left handed buttons (back button on the left) and you want to waste screen space then there are solutions but why would you want to do that unless you're a leftie or you like to use a small screen?
Personally it is the best solution on a mobile with zero wasted screen space and the back button should always be on the right close to my right handed thumb.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I feel that the back button on the right is backwards left handed. It is much easier and more natural for my right thumb to reach to the left side of the screen rather than scrunching my thumb up to try and reach the back button in the very bottom right corner of the phone. Adding virtual buttons does not magically make the screen small, which you'd know if you were speaking from experience. Also they disappear whenever they are not needed (like when watching video)
godutch said:
What a waste of screen released that would be, why not try to adapt, after a few weeks you won't accidentally press them and you will be used to the position, which even is more logical and ergonomical.
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Click to collapse
I disagree. The buttons are very uncomfortable and a pita to use
drummr8 said:
I disagree. The buttons are very uncomfortable and a pita to use
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Click to collapse
I came from the moto x 2014, it took me a few days of getting used to the position and handling the phone. Lower left is the easiest to reach position so back is a bit harder but multitasking is easier. And on screen buttons do waste space. Now if you had a device withoutcapacitive buttons than that would be fine but now you will have unused capacitive buttons just wasting space....
Probably possible if you root.
Hello Everyone,
I don't know if I am missing something, but since the button on the Blu Pure XL do not light up... I wanted to add the bottom navigation bar with the back home and switch button but I can't!
I have installed Google Now Launcher... Nothing.
I have Nova Premium... Nothing.
Any suggestions?
Thank You
My buttons never light up even if I use another launcher .. if I hold the phone a certain way in the light - i can see them. But I have a general idea where they are so I just press the general area. Most times I hit it .. sometimes it takes a couple of taps.
jaybirdhawaii said:
My buttons never light up even if I use another launcher .. if I hold the phone a certain way in the light - i can see them. But I have a general idea where they are so I just press the general area. Most times I hit it .. sometimes it takes a couple of taps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am aware that the buttons do not light up... i am trying to add the navigation bar at the bottom of the screen (on screen, software), so I would not have to worry about the hardware buttons.
dkokkos said:
I am aware that the buttons do not light up... i am trying to add the navigation bar at the bottom of the screen (on screen, software), so I would not have to worry about the hardware buttons.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have just done this so it is confirmed working. First off you need to be rooted and have busybox installed. And if you are rooted you have twrp installed so I would recommend doing a backup. Anyway download a app called soft buttons from the play store. Open the app, open menu go down to capacitive keys menu open that and click on disable capacitive keys. Once all the permissions stuff stops popping up on the screen open menu and click on virtual keys menu then click on enable virtual keys. Wait till all the permissions stop popping up on the screen then reboot your phone. Once your rebooted you will have virtual menu buttons and your regular capacitive keys will be disabled so you don't hit them on accident.
There are also options to reverse the process a far as re enabling capacitive keys and disabling virtual keys as I have decided to do because I'd rather have the 1/4 inch or whatever of screen that it takes up.