Completely hide the virtual keys in A70

arpruss · Jun 28, 2011

arpruss said:
Another option is to hide them mostly--edit the right board_properties file and set their width to something really small, like 10 pixels. Then they remain usable (though the label will be cut-off), but they take up very little screen space.

Here's what a thinned down button bar looks like on my A43:

To generate this, just do a search and replace on virtualkeys.A43, replacing 800:480:54 with 827:480:27 in the whole file. (Make sure you save a copy as a backup.)

This might give a nice compromise between usability and not cutting off apps too much. Or for a much moral radical thinning, one can do 840:480:14, but that'll only be usable with a stylus or fingernail.

You can also add other keys with other functionalities, but unfortunately they don't get labeled.

sibere · Jul 9, 2011

akmalhisyam said:
I dont know if you guys already know this.
But I just found out that you can completely hide the virtual keys completely, not moving it to the notification bar.

Here's how to do it:
1. Make sure your filesystem is r/w
2. Use root explorer, rename folder /system/board_properties to other name (i just put "z" in the end of the name)
3. Reboot!

I've test it in Urukdroid 1.1b2 and it works like charm. Buttons mode still can be used, but i prefer Button Savior. New version of Button Savior is perfect, no more bug like before.

Try it and tell me if it works!

Hum not working for me

I had a local.prop made by urukconfig.
I have deleted that file, renamed /system/board_properties to /system/board_propertiez, rebooted my uruk 1.0 and... The button bar is back !

EDIT:

Had to add ro.board.has_soft_keys=yes to /data/local.prop to get completely rid of the soft buttons.
I now have this in /data/local.prop

Code:

ro.board.has_buttonbar=no
ro.board.has_soft_keys=yes

Rockstar52 · Jul 9, 2011

sibere said:
Hum not working for me

I had a local.prop file with soft_keys set to no (to move soft keys to notification bar).
I have deleted that file, renamed /system/board_properties to /system/board_propertiez, rebooted my uruk 1.0 and... The button bar is back !

EDIT:

Had to add ro.board.has_soft_keys=yes to /data/local.prop to get completely rid of the soft buttons.
I now have this in /data/local.prop

Code:

ro.board.has_buttonbar=no ro.board.has_soft_keys=yes

I too am having this problem. I even have completely deleted the board_properties folder. Before installing URKDroid I could just rename the folder, but for some reason it still finding it somewhere else with in the system.

Edit:
Cool I'll give it a try.

Edit: Edit:

IT WORKED!! Thanks!!!

Tesla74 · Jul 13, 2011

Thanks!! It worked for my A101. I did have to move folder first, then rename and move back. Button Savior (Pro version) is so much better than the default soft buttons.

werzoo · Jul 13, 2011

msticninja said:
Anyone with Chulri's R/W root, try this:
Go into the board_properties folder, find the file that relates to your model(mine is an A101, so my file was virtualkeys.A101IT), and rename it(add .old to the end of it), and reboot.

Perfekt

thanks, this was for me the easiest way to do this. I did this in Chulri's root 2.3.81 using the Terminal Emulator.

wow finaly these ugly buttons are gone

jakkrith · Jul 14, 2011

@sibere

Thank you very much for your suggestion. I had done hide the virtual key in A101IT already.

1. Install app "Button Savior"
2. renamed folder /system/board_properties to /system/board_propertiez
3. edit file /data/local.prop (as you suggestion)
4. reboot my device
5. Install app "LCD Density Changer" and set density to 150 (Reduce size of status bar)

I'm very happy with full screen games.

Thanks to @akmalhisyam too for this thread.

sibere · Jul 14, 2011

Hi!

I know that you had done it already, but renaming the folder didn't work for me so I had to come with the other solution.

If one want to stick with standard LCD density, you can use a patched framework with 32px size icons. search for it on the dev threads, it shoud be quite easy to find and it worked really well on my A70it

wokker666 · Jul 15, 2011

Make very well sure....

sibere said:
Hum not working for me

I had a local.prop made by urukconfig.
I have deleted that file, renamed /system/board_properties to /system/board_propertiez, rebooted my uruk 1.0 and... The button bar is back !

EDIT:

Had to add ro.board.has_soft_keys=yes to /data/local.prop to get completely rid of the soft buttons.
I now have this in /data/local.prop

Code:

ro.board.has_buttonbar=no ro.board.has_soft_keys=yes

Just to let you guys know, if you DO NOT make the changes to /system/board_properties, and you make the ro.board.has_soft_keys=yes change to local.prop, it will fry the touchscreen.... Only way to recover is to do a fresh install thru SDE, or if you can get into /data WITHOUT the use of the screen....

Just a warning.......

sibere · Jul 16, 2011

Hum not working for me

I had a local.prop made by urukconfig.

I have deleted that file, renamed /system/board_properties to /system/board_propertiez, rebooted my uruk 1.0 and... The button bar is back !

EDIT:

Had to add ro.board.has_soft_keys=yes to /data/local.prop to get completely rid of the soft buttons.

I now have this in /data/local.prop

ro.board.has_buttonbar=no

ro.board.has_soft_keys=yes

Click to expand...

Click to collapse

Just to let you guys know, if you DO NOT make the changes to /system/board_properties, and you make the ro.board.has_soft_keys=yes change to local.prop, it will fry the touchscreen.... Only way to recover is to do a fresh install thru SDE, or if you can get into /data WITHOUT the use of the screen....

Just a warning.......

good to know!
didn't happened to me coz I renamed the relevant virtualkeys file before doing the ro tweak.

Sent from my A70S using the XDA mobile application powered by Tapatalk

Rockstar52 · Jul 16, 2011

wokker666 said:
Just to let you guys know, if you DO NOT make the changes to /system/board_properties, and you make the ro.board.has_soft_keys=yes change to local.prop, it will fry the touchscreen.... Only way to recover is to do a fresh install thru SDE, or if you can get into /data WITHOUT the use of the screen....

Just a warning.......

This did not happen to me. All I did was place the modified local.prop file in the /data/local folder and my keys were gone. I never renamed the board_properties. Although when the keyboard was active it only filled about 85% of the screen, once I changed the a101 file with in the board_properties folder by renaming it, the keyboard now fills the full screen along the bottom.

thedicemaster · Jul 17, 2011

doesn't work for me.
I tried moving and renaming the folder, and moving renaming and editing the a43 file.
editing the local.prop file didn't help much either.
I'm on urukdroid 1.0

wokker666 · Jul 17, 2011

Rockstar52 said:
This did not happen to me. All I did was place the modified local.prop file in the /data/local folder and my keys were gone. I never renamed the board_properties.

I think I see the difference - you say you put the local.prop in /data/local

I put mine in /data - this must create some kind of system freakout - I replicated the problem 3 times to make sure what the exact issue was.

Just be careful guys, if you dont have a linux box, you'll be reinstalling fresh to fix your mistake!

thedicemaster · Jul 18, 2011

got it working now.
I updated to urukdroid 1.1 rc1, and my soft buttons where gone.

I do recommend avoiding the use of local.prop.
it seems to disable the large button set(the one in the power-button menu) as well, which is best kept for emergencies (like when button savior crashes)

tabuser · Jul 20, 2011

Not directly related to the topic but somewhat related:

I had a weird experience with my A70IT 8 gig in that the virtual keys disappeared after uninstalling Flash 10.3.185.21 via settings/apps/manage apps.

I was using 2.1.08 FW, Zeam 2.9.6 launcher, and Dolphin Mini 2.1 browser apps. I had no prior problems for months prior uninstalling Flash.

I tried a number of reboots, power downs and restarts, re-installing 2.1.08 FW; all without success.

I finally did a full wipe and a 2.1.08 FW re-install which then resolved the problem.

topifone · Jul 22, 2011

I cannot do rename/remove the directory /system/board_properties
The A70IT keeps regenerate this directory and its content

Also, I don't see the file /data/local.prop

I'm on 2.3.20 with root.

sibere · Jul 22, 2011

topifone said:
I cannot do rename/remove the directory /system/board_properties
The A70IT keeps regenerate this directory and its content
Also, I don't see the file /data/local.prop

I'm on 2.3.20 with root.

You cannot delete on the stock system

local.prop has to be created manually.

Beuzel · Jul 27, 2011

Try to change board-properties with "sysroot" (market)
Worked for me.

Sent from my A101IT using XDA Premium App

DavidDivadman · Jan 4, 2012

Worked for me

Thanks for this tweak, it worked for me too

I'm on an Archos A101IT, permanent rooted firmware v2.4.81 using the [HOWTO] Root easily your Gen8 device [fw 2.0.71 - 2.4.81] + R/W FILESYSTEM form Chulri.

I first tried to rename the "board_properties" folder but after a reboot it was renamed back to "board_properties", so I moved it to the root and it worked.

Thanks again to you Akmalhisyam & Sibere

guaranajul · Jul 2, 2012

it works on A101 gen 8 too !!

akmalhisyam said:
I dont know if you guys already know this.
But I just found out that you can completely hide the virtual keys completely, not moving it to the notification bar.

Here's how to do it:
1. Make sure your filesystem is r/w
2. Use root explorer, rename folder /system/board_properties to other name (i just put "z" in the end of the name)
3. Reboot!

I've test it in Urukdroid 1.1b2 and it works like charm. Buttons mode still can be used, but i prefer Button Savior. New version of Button Savior is perfect, no more bug like before.

Try it and tell me if it works!

[UPDATE]
Sibere method (if my method doesnt work) [Post #22]

1. rename or move /system/board_properties folder
2. add this to /data/local.prop:

Code:

ro.board.has_buttonbar=no ro.board.has_soft_keys=yes

thanks sibere!
btw your kernel for uruk rocks!

great it works too with archos 101t gen 8 !!!

thanks !!

Completely hide the virtual keys in A70

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