Added sxmo_keyboard script that acts as an intermediary to opening and closing the keyboard

scripts/core/sxmo_dmenu_with_kb.sh

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env sh
 
-pidof "$KEYBOARD" >&2 || "$KEYBOARD" &
+sxmo_keyboard.sh open
 OUTPUT="$(cat | dmenu "$@")"
-pkill "$KEYBOARD" >&2
+sxmo_keyboard.sh close
 echo "$OUTPUT"

scripts/core/sxmo_gesturehandler.sh

@@ -75,10 +75,10 @@ if [ "$HANDLE" -ne 0 ]; then
 			sxmo_vol.sh down &
 			;;
 		"showkeyboard")
-			pidof "$KEYBOARD" || "$KEYBOARD" &
+			sxmo_keyboard.sh open
 			;;
 		"hidekeyboard")
-			pkill -9 "$KEYBOARD"
+			sxmo_keyboard.sh close
 			;;
 		"showmenu")
 			pidof dmenu || setsid -f sxmo_appmenu.sh &

scripts/core/sxmo_keyboard.sh

@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env sh
+
+# shellcheck disable=SC2034
+SXMO_NO_ICONS=1 #just to make it a bit faster
+# include common definitions
+# shellcheck source=scripts/core/sxmo_common.sh
+. "$(dirname "$0")/sxmo_common.sh"
+
+open() {
+	#Note: KEYBOARD_ARGS is not quoted by design as it may includes a pipe and further tools
+	# shellcheck disable=SC2086
+	pidof -q "$KEYBOARD" || "$KEYBOARD" $KEYBOARD_ARGS &
+}
+
+close() {
+	pkill "$KEYBOARD"
+}
+
+if [ "$1" = "close" ]; then
+	close
+else
+	open
+fi

scripts/core/sxmo_pipecomplete.sh

@@ -3,14 +3,14 @@ INPUT="$(cat)"
 STWIN="$(xprop -root | sed -n '/^_NET_ACTIVE_WINDOW/ s/.* //p')"
 
 menu() {
-	pidof "$KEYBOARD" || "$KEYBOARD" &
+	sxmo_keyboard.sh open
 	RESULT="$(
 		printf %b "$(
 		echo "Close Menu";
 			echo "$INPUT" | grep -Eo '\S+' | tr -d '[:blank:]' | sort | uniq
 		)" | dmenu -p "$PROMPT" -l 10 -i -c
 	)"
-	pkill "$KEYBOARD"
+	sxmo_keyboard.sh close
 }
 
 copy() {

scripts/core/sxmo_rotate.sh

@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ isrotated() {
 }
 
 rotnormal() {
-	pkill "$KEYBOARD"
+	sxmo_keyboard.sh close
 	xrandr -o normal
 	applyptrmatrix 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
 	pidof lisgd && pkill lisgd | sxmo_lisgdstart.sh -o 0 &
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ rotnormal() {
 }
 
 rotright() {
-	pkill "$KEYBOARD"
+	sxmo_keyboard.sh close
 	xrandr -o right
 	applyptrmatrix 0 1 0 -1 0 1 0 0 1
 	pidof lisgd && pkill lisgd | sxmo_lisgdstart.sh -o 1 &
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ rotright() {
 }
 
 rotleft() {
-	pkill "$KEYBOARD"
+	sxmo_keyboard.sh close
 	xrandr -o left
 	applyptrmatrix 0 -1 1 1 0 0 0 0 1
 	pidof lisgd && pkill lisgd | sxmo_lisgdstart.sh -o -1 &

scripts/core/sxmo_surf_linkselect.sh

@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@ link_select() {
 		link_normalize "$(xprop -id "$SURF_WINDOW" _SURF_URI | cut -d '"' -f 2)"
 }
 
-pidof "$KEYBOARD" || "$KEYBOARD" &
+sxmo_keyboard.sh open
 VAL="$(link_select)"
-pkill "$KEYBOARD"
+sxmo_keyboard.sh close
 echo "$VAL"

scripts/core/sxmo_xinit.sh

@@ -45,10 +45,14 @@ xdefaults() {
 defaultkeyboard() {
 	if command -v svkbd-mobile-intl; then
 		export KEYBOARD=svkbd-mobile-intl
+		export KEYBOARD_ARGS=
 	elif command -v svkbd-mobile-plain; then
 		export KEYBOARD=svkbd-mobile-plain
+		export KEYBOARD_ARGS=
 	else
+		#legacy
 		export KEYBOARD=svkbd-sxmo
+		export KEYBOARD_ARGS=
 	fi
 }