How to use a real Keyboard with lr-Caprice32 (Amstrad CPC) ?

[yserra]

Pi model: Raspberry Pi 4B, 4GB
Power Supply: Meanwell 5V 5A
Retropie version: 4.7.19
lr-caprice32 version : installed from binary built September, 14th 2021
USB devices connected : USB Keyboard, USB Mouse, USB Joypad-PS3 clone

Hello all,
How can I use my real keyboard to type text in lr-caprice32?
At the moment, only a few keys are working correctly (numpad, number keys, only d, g, j, c, v and b letters...)

It can't type the regular QWERTY characters. Even the Return key doesn't work.
Functions keys do nothing.

I try to find a solution within the RGUI menu (Select + X), but I'm lost in the Retroarch nonsense keys/options/inputs.

Thanks in advance.

[mitu]

Have you tried using the Game Focus mode in RetroArch ? Press Scroll Lock and RetroArch's input processing (hotkeys) will be removed and the keyboard input is sent directly to the emulator.

[yserra]

@mitu Thank you for your answer.
I have no Scroll Lock key on the keyboard I use (An Amiga 1000 keyboard with an USB adaptator). Is it possible to remove the RetroArch's input processing in another manner?

(to mention, I just tried with Apple Mac keyboards, where you have F13, F14, F15 keys at the position where PC keyboards usually have the Scroll Lock key, and it doesn't work either).

[mitu]

You can change the key needed to enter Game Focus mode to another key.
Depending on your RetroArch version, you can even enable Game Focus mode by default (though you'd need to switch it off in order to be able to exit Retroarch).

[yserra]

@mitu Thank you.
Could you please share with me how to change the key needed to enter Game Focus mode? Let's say I would like it to be the F12 key (like the menu key in Amiberry). What should I write to which line of which file in which directory?

Is it possible to have this Game Focus switched off (to keep everything working on the Joypad, especially Select + Start) and, at the same time, to prevent RetroArch modifying any key of a real keyboard?

A personal thought: I don't see the point to emulate some joypad shortcuts on the keyboard when you emulate a computer, a machine that permanently needs a keyboard.

[yserra]

Sooooo.
I finally managed to change the activate/deactive Game Focus key.
For International users, you have to press Select+x then go to Settings > Input > Hotkeys > Game Focus Toggle.

For French speaking people like me, you have to go to Réglages > Entrées > Raccourcis > Jouer au premier plan/en arrière plan

I don't know who translated these menus in French, but I must tell you it means : "Settings > Inputs > Shortcuts > Play in foreground/background " (?!!?)

The RGUI menus are very confusing by nature (too many entries), but with this kind of translations it is becoming a nightmare.

[yserra]

Weeks later...

Since this "Game Focus Mode" feature was definitely not practical (the user has to press a key to use the keyboard, and then press a key again to access the shortcut to return to EmulationStation, it's a pain...), I found it much more useful to remove all the shortcuts that RetroArch assigned to the keyboard keys.

(Honestly, I wonder WHO thought it would be a good idea to use all the keys on a keyboard to provide shortcuts that nobody ever uses... when you're emulating a machine that needs a keyboard to work)

(especially when one of those shortcuts is used to display... a virtual keyboard).

So, I edited the /opt/retropie/configs/amstradcpc/retroarch.cfg file, and changed (or added) all the following 'input' lines to 'null':

input_exit_emulator = "nul"
input_player1_l = "nul"
input_player1_r = "nul"
input_hold_slowmotion = "nul"
input_rewind = "nul"
input_cheat_index_minus = "nul"
input_cheat_index_plus = "nul"
input_cheat_toggle = "nul"
input_netplay_game_watch = "nul"
input_movie_record_toggle = "nul"
input_pause_toggle = "nul"
input_player1_y = "nul"
input_player1_x = "nul"
input_toggle_fullscreen = "nul"
input_reset = "nul"
input_frame_advance = "nul"
input_hold_fast_forward = "nul"
input_player1_start = "nul"
input_player1_b = "nul"
input_player1_a = "nul"
input_shader_prev = "nul"
input_shader_next = "nul"
input_player1_select = "nul"
input_toggle_fast_forward = "nul"
input_player1_up = "nul"
input_player1_left = "nul"
input_player1_right = "nul"
input_player1_down = "nul"
input_volume_down = "nul"
input_volume_up = "nul"

I'm now doing the same for all the other emulators that have the exact same problem (all the libretto cores that emulate a computer: lr-atari800, lr-bluemsx, lr-fuse, lr-theodore, lr-vice...)