IMG is pleased to announce that a maintenance update for Linux is now available as My-T-Soft for Linux 2.20 R22 (Release 22) for the following platforms: i386 (32-bit) and AMD64 (64-bit). You can download here.

Several items have popped up over the past year that needed updates (font selection, need to capture rendered layout image for online builder, and some performance / display issues). In digging into the image rendering code, it was decided to include caching of rendered images, so first time displays can be rapid once layouts have been fully rendered and saved in a cache location. In order to accomplish this in parallel, the ability to launch a second process that renders these cached images along side the user process required additional logic and capabilities. Additionally, a great deal of time was spent with valgrind (Linux development utility to track memory usage) to ensure all memory handling was optimized. There are also several command line options added (details below), as well as an opening splash screen.

When the My-T-Soft process is first launched, it now displays an opening splash screen (partially to indicate to the user the program is running, partially to show the version, and partially to allow first time image rendering). Because (in many deployed situations), the splash screen is not desirable, there are a couple of options to prevent its display. If a file (mytsoft.nosplash) exists, the splash screen will not be shown. (e.g. in location where mytsoft process is located, create the file "touch mytsoft.nosplash" - when this file exists, no splash screen will be shown. There is also a command line -nosplash option.

Command Line options

There are 4 options to save the KBF (Keyboard Image) as a file. Basically these render the layout, and then save the layout image as a file. These really are for development, and for creating the embedded image used in a KBF (and display for the online builder). It may also be helpful if documenting layouts. There are PNG and PNM format options.

-imgsave = paint window, save [KBF]PNG image, exit
-imgsavebuild = paint window, save embedded IMG99999.PNG, exit
-imgsavepnm = paint window, save as PNM binary IMG99999.PNM, exit
-imgsavepnmtxt = paint window, save PNM text IMG99999.PNM, exit

There are certain window managers (also called desktop environments) where certain environments can cause issues. The way the process checks the window manager is via a XLib "Atom" If running in a window manager where this "Atom" does not exist, it will generate an error. To bypass this error, you can pass the -skipwmcheck command line option.

-skipwmcheck = Skips Window Manager check (Virtual/Older/Atom error)

To bypass the opening splash screen, either create the mytsoft.nosplash file in the same folder as the mytsoft process, or pass in the -nosplash command line.

-nosplash = do not display opening splash screen (alt: mytsoft.nosplash file)

Once an image is rendered (or loaded from cache), it is stored in graphic memory. To prevent this internal approach (to save run-time memory), you can pass the -nographicmemory option. For almost all cases, this would not be recommended, as the reason for this memory is to speed up display when changing layouts.

-nographicmemory = bypass graphic buffers, force reload at KBF changes

Cache options. As each key image is rendered, the rendered image will be saved as pixel map (.pix file) in a cache location. In Linux, most caches are sub folders in the hidden .cache folder in the current user's home folder. The options are pretty well documented in the descriptions below. Note the parallel cache process is an instance of mytsoft run with the -createcache option. To bypass this, you can run with the -skipcache option. This does not stop the running process from creating cache files - to disable the second process, and not create cached files you need both -skipcache and -nocache. If -localcache is used, and directory named .cache will be created, then a subdirectory of mytsoft. The user must have the permissions to create directories in their home location. The -clearcache will expect the default location, use -localcache and -clearcache to clear the local cache.

-clearcache = deletes all cached files (typically ~/.cache/mytsoft)
-nocache = prevents runtime use of cached graphic files (but render as needed)
-skipcache = skips running cache sub-process always (use with -nocache for cache free run)
-localcache = uses current location to create (e.g. ./.cache/mytsoft)
-createcache = run creates cached keys for current KBF, no display, closes

There are a few more detailed logging options added (-verbose1/-verbose2). Logging will occur if the mytsoft.log file exists. This can also be a symbolic link (for details on this, see this Tech Item QU1123120984). The verbose options provide additional logging option details.
mytsoft.log used as a flag to log certain items if writable file exists
mytsoft.log must exist in same location as executable (can use symbolic link)
-verbose0 = this is minimal verbosity/default (not needed for basic logging)
-verbose1 = this is medium verbosity (more details logged)
-verbose2 = this is high verbosity (even more details logged)

Some known issues exist with the Wayland replacement to the X11 / Xorg due to security/changes with support. You will find the keyboard displays, but will not type. Since GNOME and KDE provide alternatives (GNOME on Xorg/KDE on X11), this (at the moment) is just a known issue. Also with Cinnamon.

About IMG

Since 1995, Innovation Management Group has been the primary supplier of onscreen keyboard user interfaces and designer utilities to major corporations, manufacturers, integrators, and users worldwide. IMG's products run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, on some of the most secure, advanced, and critical systems in the world.

The My-T-Soft® Family along with IMG's My-T-Soft Build-A-Board Keyboard Designer offers a consistent cross-platform onscreen user interface that is fully customizable and programmable for various hardware / software platforms. It allows customers to control user input in any field or any application and maintain a higher level of security than with a traditional physical keyboard or membrane panel. The My-T-Soft product family is ideal for use in environments such as automation, field service, food and beverage, instrumentation, in-vehicle, kiosk, laboratory, logistic, medical, military, mobile, pharmaceutical, point-of-sale, ruggedized, utility, warehousing, whiteboard, or other extremely clean, dirty, or hazardous interactive user environment.