Session 1: Creating and Testing the Basic Keyboard

Objective:

By the end of this session, students will have created a basic keyboard project in Keyman Developer and tested it in a browser.

1. Introduction to Keyman Developer (10 min)

  • Keyman Developer is a tool for creating custom keyboards for different languages.
  • Example: A pre-existing Dagbani keyboard (if available).
  • Our goal is to build a Dagbani keyboard from scratch.

2. Creating the Keyboard Project (20 min)

  1. Open Keyman Developer.
  2. In the Project menu, select New Project.
  3. Choose Basic Keyboard, then click OK.
  4. In the New Basic Keyboard Project dialog box:
    • Keyboard Name: DagbaniTutorial
    • Description: Can't be blank!
    • Author: Your Name
    • Copyright: Your Organization
    • Full Copyright: 2025 Your Organization
    • Version: Keep default (e.g., 1.0).
    • Targets: Set to any (supports all devices).
    • Languages: Add dag (Dagbani, BCP-47 Code).
  5. Click OK.
  6. Save the project by clicking the Save icon.

3. Testing in the Browser (20 min)

  1. Click on the Keyboard tab
  2. Open the keyboard by clicking on it
  3. In the Keyboard menu, click Test Keyboard.
  4. Type sample text to see the default layout (US keyboard).
  5. Explain that this will be modified to support Dagbani-specific characters in the next session.

4. Wrap-up and Q&A (10 min)

  • Recap the session’s key points.
  • Preview the next session: Adding Dagbani special characters.

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