---
title: IKeymanKeyboard Interface
---

## Introduction

The `IKeymanKeyboard` interface describes a keyboard in Keyman Engine
for Windows API. It is a base class and describes both installed
keyboards and keyboard files.

## Interface Hierarchy

`IDispatch`  

> [`IKeymanObject`](../IKeymanObject)  
>
> > **`IKeymanKeyboard`**  
> >
> > > [`IKeymanKeyboardFile`](../IKeymanKeyboardFile)  
> > >
> > > > [`IKeymanKeyboardFile2`](../IKeymanKeyboardFile2)  
> > >
> > > [`IKeymanKeyboardInstalled`](../IKeymanKeyboardInstalled)  

## Properties

[`Bitmap`](Bitmap) <span class="readonly">read only</span>
:   Returns the [`&bitmap`](/developer/language/reference/bitmap) icon
    from the keyboard file as an `IPicture`.

[`Copyright`](Copyright) <span class="readonly">read only</span>
:   Returns the [`&copyright`](/developer/language/reference/copyright)
    string from the keyboard file.

[`DefaultBCP47Languages`](DefaultBCP47Languages) <span class="readonly">read only</span>
:   Returns the set of default language ids for the keyboard as a
    space-separated list of BCP 47 codes. The first code in the list is
    the primary language.

[`DefaultHotkey`](DefaultHotkey) <span class="readonly">read only</span>
:   Returns the default hotkey for the keyboard.

[`DefaultPrimaryLanguage`](DefaultPrimaryLanguage) <span class="readonly">read only</span>
:   Returns the default primary language id for the keyboard.

[`DefaultWindowsLanguages`](DefaultWindowsLanguages) <span class="readonly">read only</span>
:   Returns the set of default language ids for the keyboard as a
    space-separated list of hexadecimal strings.

[`Encodings`](Encodings) <span class="readonly">read only</span>
:   Returns the set of encodings supported by the keyboard layout.

[`Filename`](Filename) <span class="readonly">read only</span>
:   Returns the fully-qualified filename of the keyboard file.

[`ID`](ID) <span class="readonly">read only</span>
:   Returns the identifier for the keyboard, which is the base name of
    the keyboard file without extension.

[`LayoutType`](LayoutType) <span class="readonly">read only</span>
:   Returns the layout type of the keyboard as specified by the
    [`&mnemoniclayout`](/developer/language/reference/mnemoniclayout)
    store.

[`Message`](Message) <span class="readonly">read only</span>
:   Returns the [`&message`](/developer/language/reference/message)
    string from the keyboard file.

[`Name`](Name) <span class="readonly">read only</span>
:   Returns the [`&name`](/developer/language/reference/name) from the
    keyboard file.

[`Version`](Version) <span class="readonly">read only</span>
:   Returns the
    [`&keyboardversion`](/developer/language/reference/keyboardversion)
    string from the keyboard file.

## Methods

[`GetCharsUsed()`](GetCharsUsed)
:   Returns a string with every Unicode character used or generated by
    the keyboard.