Chromebook Linux keyboard support

This repository defines hwdb modules and keyd config files to give back the full keyboard support for the Chromebook under Linux.

Or rather, it's just a goal. Chromebooks have so many types. I don't know how to organize them, also don't have chances to test most of them.

Setup HWDB

The HWDB defined the physical key values at the very low level.
You can see hwdb/00-Specific.hwdb and ArchWiki as an example to write you match rule for your own device.

Create and put the content into /etc/udev/hwdb.d/61-chromebook.hwdb file.
And run these command to update database:

sudo systemd-hwdb update
sudo udevadm trigger

Generate keyd config

The keyd configurations is the most wanted thing of this project.
It maps the common and useful shortcuts in chromeOS. Especially the function keys.

Install it at first.

By default, config required this low level hwdb setup:

• Launch -> henkan
• (optional)Assistant -> leftmeta

If all is done, run ./make.sh in the repository root. It will ask you which function key layout would you want:

Type A starts with Back, Refresh, Fullscreen, Overview...
Type B starts with Back, Forward, Refresh, Fullscreen...

The output file is ./chromebook.conf, put it into /etc/keyd/ and run sudo keyd reload to reload the configs. That's it.

Shortcut list

Shortcuts	Target
alt+launch	capslock
alt+brightnessdown	backlit down
alt+brightnessup	backlit up
alt+up	pageup
alt+down	pagedown
launch+left	home
launch+right	end
altgr+backspace	delete

I don't know why GNOME doesn't recognize some of f12+ and KEY_ZOOM(== KEY_FULL_SCREEN), so I mapped the Fullscreen to f18, the Overview to f17. To use them, you must change the desktop environment setting.

Test environment

My test environment is Google Pixlebook Go, codename Atlas. If you find some issue of this project, please report them.

You can also contribute your DMI match rules or other ideas.

Q&A

• Why use henkan as launch key value?
  Because I'm a chinese, I prefer to use capslock to switch zh/en input methods. Although henkan has nothing to do with chinese chars, but it's funny.
  zenkakuhankaku is somatically more appropriate, but it seems doesn't work under wayland.
• Shortcuts not enough or I don't like it.
  I don't know... try using other native keycodes in /usr/include/linux/input-event-codes.h, or just use f1x key to implement them in the desktop layer.
• What does repository name come from?
  WeirdTreeThing/chromebook-linux-audio
  This project is more complicated than mine. awa