Solved: swap period and comma on LG Mach QWERTY keyboard

[slimer666]

If you've successfully rooted your LG Mach you can solve another dumb problem some idiots decided to inflict on us: having the comma and period reversed on the keyboard. For the first few months I had this phone I was sending a lot of text messages of run-on sentences because I learned QWERTY 30 years ago and I'm not pleased with people who move the keys around for no reason.

Here's how I fixed it:
- root the phone (see my other LG Mach post here- http://androidforums.com/lg-mach/828855-solved-fixing-random-disconnects-4g.html )
- install ES File Explorer
- turn on Root Explorer mode and use the Mount R/W feature to switch /system to r/w

From your command line open an adb shell. ... i.e.
adb shell
su
cd /system/usr/keylayout
vi l2s-keypad.kl

Here are the VI commands to fix and save the file, in case you don't know VI:
/51

You should see:
key 51 COMMA WAKE_DROPPED
key 52 PERIOD WAKE_DROPPED

xx
i
52
[hit escape]
/52
xx
i
51
[hit escape]
dd
k
P
:w!

It should now look like:
key 51 PERIOD WAKE_DROPPED
key 52 COMMA WAKE_DROPPED

Now:
exit
exit

Here you should probably switch /system back to read only mode with ES File Explorer, although that doesn't affect these instructions. Now reboot.

Voila! The offending keys are swapped. Unfortunately the physical labels on them are now wrong, and also the ".com" feature is moved with the period. (That can surely be fixed too, but not in this file.)

 

[powerkane]

i dont understand the problem in fact i would strongly urge people to not going into mess with coding to swap the comma and period around so the physical label is not what it is, just deal with it some phones dont even have a comma, because i know there are going to be people out there that has no idea what they are doing will go in even though you gave clear instructions and **** everything up, so its cool that you did that and everything ... just wouldn't advise people to do it especially if someone else barrows your phone for something :/

 

[slimer666]

The problem is that the keyboard was designed with two characters reversed. What I propose is a customization and I'm only suggesting it to people who find this annoying.

I'm one of those 95wpm typists who doesn't take well to non-standard keyboard. If that isn't a problem, don't make the change, obviously. Clearly this is not a problem for someone who doesn't use commas or periods.

 

[powerkane]

no i understand, i was just saying someone might come along n try it just because it does bother them but i was advising if you really don't know what you are doing don't mess with the files just a warning is all... until at least we can get more development with the mach to be able to do restores and what not.

 

[mtstew]

Luckily I paid $38 for mine so I'll try it first as-is, and if I can't make the switch or if it's bugging me, I'll try to do software surgery lol. At least I already have the Transform Ultra to switch back to.