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    Website forcing an input locale

    • Started by makarov
    • 4 Replies:
    • Reputation: 0
    • Registered: 06-May-2019
    • Posts: 7

    I've discovered a weird feature that should not be happening... A website is forcing my keyboard input to be in English locale regardless of the currently selected locale. That's not a problem in itself but the next problem is, the website is then using the English locale input to populate a field in a different language (it does a conversion itself) and it assumes I am using QWERTY layout. So the input in the different language is all wrong. How the hell is forcing an input locale even enabled in a modern web browser? I thought once I select a locale in the OS, an application should not be able to switch it at will, let alone a website...

    This is not so much a request for help but an expression of frustration, as I'm forced to switch to QWERTY to be able to enter anything on this website.

    Full technical details: Windows 10, Colemak installed through a package generated via MS keyboard creator, Firefox, https://www.tinkoffinsurance.ru/ , try to buy a travel insurance there and once you get to the form field to enter your name, you will see the above shit happening. It's assuming you are typing on QWERTY and is substituting Russian letters accordingly. Attempts to switch the keyboard to Russian are ignored by the website, though they work in any other application on the computer.

    I guess another possibility is that the website is reading VK codes, which I have previously changed to Colemak in my Russian keyboard layout. I really don't know what technicality to blame here. I'm doing single key presses, so why would that generate VK codes?

    Last edited by makarov (07-Sep-2019 12:40:07)
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    • From: Viken, Norway
    • Registered: 13-Dec-2006
    • Posts: 5,360

    All key events generate a VK code. So maybe if you used a Colemak layout with QWERTY VK it could work for you, but then you'd run into other troubles with hotkeys etc.

    Since you're on Windows, maybe EPKL could bring you joy? I wouldn't be without it, myself, not the least because it gives me Extend. If your problem requires changing layouts you could do so quite smoothly with a hot key.

    Last edited by DreymaR (09-Sep-2019 10:33:38)

    *** Learn Colemak in 2–5 steps with Tarmak! ***
    *** Check out my Big Bag of Keyboard Tricks for Win/Linux/TMK... ***

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    Okay, so the design of binding application control keys to VK codes in Windows is conceptually flawed. They should have instead been bound to letter keys of an installed layout that corresponds to the language of the application interface.

    That's a limitation.

    So we don't have the mechanical typewriters anymore, but Windows still bakes QWERTY rigidly in the software. Of course that works well for games that need a geometric layout of keys rather than letter-based binding, and who wants to deal with two kinds of layout (geometric and letter-based) when for 99+% of the users they are the same. The world is still imperfect :).

    Last edited by makarov (13-Sep-2019 23:50:24)
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    • From: Viken, Norway
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    I don't think it's Windows that's flawed here but the web site and maybe your understanding? Windows does not, as you say, "bake QWERTY into the software".

    Last edited by DreymaR (16-Sep-2019 09:23:23)

    *** Learn Colemak in 2–5 steps with Tarmak! ***
    *** Check out my Big Bag of Keyboard Tricks for Win/Linux/TMK... ***

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    • Registered: 21-Apr-2010
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    Website, browser, OS and reproducible steps please.

    Last edited by pinkyache (26-Sep-2019 12:25:07)

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