Configuring the Keyboard Driver Registry

In order for the Layout Manager to load your device layouts and input languages, several registry entries must describe the input languages and device layouts for the keyboards that your platform supports.

The Laymgr.reg file in %SystemDrive%\WINCE420\Public\Common\Oak\Drivers\Keybd sets up the registry settings for every sample PS/2 keyboard driver that Windows CE provides. Add all registry keys to the Platform.reg file for your platform.

There is one input language per locale. The input language for a standard US keyboard and a Dvorak US keyboard is the same. However, each PDD must have a device layout for a specific input locale. If there is a PS/2 PDD in addition to a matrix keyboard PDD, there are two device layout registry entries.

To set up the keyboard driver registry

  1. In the Platform.reg file for your platform, add the first registry key generated by the Kbdgen.exe tool.

    The Kbdgen.exe tool generates a registry key template based on your keyboard device layout and your keyboard input locale. The following table shows the subkeys of the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Layouts\<input locale> registry key.

    Subkey Description
    Layout file Name of DLL with the input language for this input locale
    Layout Text Description of this input locale
    "<Device Layout prefix 1>" Name of DLL with a device layout for this input locale
    "<Device Layout prefix 2>" Name of DLL with a device layout for this input locale
    "<Device Layout prefix N>" Name of DLL with a device layout for this input locale

    The following registry key example for a Korean keyboard driver is the first registry key generated by Kbdgen.exe.

    [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Layouts\00000412]
        "Layout File"="kbdmouse.dll"
        "Layout Text"="Korean"
        "PS2_AT"="kbdmouse.dll"
    
  2. In the Platform.reg file, add the second registry key generated by Kbdgen.exe. This registry key specifies the input locale to the HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Keyboard Layout\Preload key.

    The following registry key example for a Korean keyboard driver is the second registry key generated by Kbdgen.exe.

    [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Keyboard Layout\Preload\4]
        @="00000412"
    

See Also

How to Migrate a Keyboard Driver to Conform to the Layout Manager Interface | Keyboard Drivers | Layout Manager

 Last updated on Tuesday, May 18, 2004

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