[Q] Make keyboard appear automatically when text box is in focus? - Galaxy Note 3 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

When a window or dialog box appears with a text field and a blinking cursor in it (awaiting keyboard input), the field has to be tapped to bring up the keyboard. Sometimes the keyboard does popup automatically, presumably because that function has been enabled by the developer of that particular app.
Can this be enabled system-wide as a default behavior?

barnabydog said:
When a window or dialog box appears with a text field and a blinking cursor in it (awaiting keyboard input), the field has to be tapped to bring up the keyboard. Sometimes the keyboard does popup automatically, presumably because that function has been enabled by the developer of that particular app.
Can this be enabled system-wide as a default behavior?
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Click to collapse
This cannot be done system wide. The application itself has been programmed to accept focus to the EditText property of the input dialog. If the developer has not programmed this into the application, website etc... your device will require that you tap on the field to give it focus and display your keyboard.
Hope this helps!

I figured the answer would be bad news, but thanks for breaking it to me gently anyway.

barnabydog said:
I figured the answer would be bad news, but thanks for breaking it to me gently anyway.
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No problem! Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. You think this would be standard programming technique. I remember back in the day when I took programming, at the very least, we would program input boxes and radio buttons to set focus. Guess this is the least of peoples worries now when developing applications which require user feedback.

Related

Skyfire question

Hi all,
Probably a simple thing I'm overlooking but when using skyfire with the HD and you need to input something in a text box i.e. username/password, how do you do it? Don't know if it's supposed to, but my soft keyboard does not pop up when I select the text box to input something so I have no way of inputting anything. Any ideas?
Thanks,
Ho'okani
Press the keybord key low in the middle and it will pop up
Thanks but that keyboard icon doesn't always appear when I click in a form field. What do you do if it doesn't appear?
Thanks,
Ho'okani
+1
instead of keyboard icon apears a loading bar.
Have you tried using HDTweak. Should be an option for Keyboard automatic display popup
Have you tried using HDTweak. Should be an option for Keyboard automatic display popup
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, it is enabled.
Thanks,
Ho'okani
The same thing is happening for me. Is there a version for touch screen phones that i need to d/l. I have a HTC Diamond, and the keyboard never pops up. I cannot type any url in, and cannot find anything in the settings. Any help would be appreciated.
I've read that Skyfire doesn't support flash based text boxes so I'm thinking that is my issue.
Ho'okani
I just tap again on input field...

How do I accurately select text?

After pressing the bottom left hardware botton to select text, I'm having problem placing the cursor to accurately indicate the starting and ending position of the selection. What is the big secret on how to do this operation right?
i have the exact same problem.. i wish the phone had arrows or a trackball.. and when you select text twards the far right of the text box, it auto moves the screen back to the center of the box.. its very difficult, the only advice i can offer is pinch zoom in very close, till the text takes up most of the screen, and highlight better. of course pinchzooming method will only work for email and web pages.. no help for texting..
If I zoom in, then either the beginning of end of the selection block is no longer in view, and dragging does not automatically scroll the screen like in iPhone.
eaglesteve said:
If I zoom in, then either the beginning of end of the selection block is no longer in view, and dragging does not automatically scroll the screen like in iPhone.
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Click to collapse
As someone who is coming from an iPhone I can tell you that this is something that I really miss.
Android needs to learn how to do proper copy and paste (this is not just a Samsung thing).
On a side note, I am really hating the email client on android, this is not a phone very usable in a corporate (Exchange) environment!
Perhaps it is a mistake to omit the trackball?? Looks like trackball is extremely crucial for any Android phone.
Kurtbee, you're right. Google has not thought through the design of copy and paste properly yet.
eaglesteve said:
Perhaps it is a mistake to omit the trackball?? Looks like trackball is extremely crucial for any Android phone.
Kurtbee, you're right. Google has not thought through the design of copy and paste properly yet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, trackballs are a step backwards. Android should simply implement a better way to select text - the iPhone does it beautifully.
I also am not in love with any of the email clients - even K-9 has a crappy/ugly interface. And why isn't there a way to force check email in the Integrated Mailbox?
MacGuy2006 said:
No, trackballs are a step backwards. Android should simply implement a better way to select text - the iPhone does it beautifully.
I also am not in love with any of the email clients - even K-9 has a crappy/ugly interface. And why isn't there a way to force check email in the Integrated Mailbox?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Totally agreeing with you. However, copying Apple might land Google into a law suit, so I think they'll be weary of that.
BTW, for INPUT field only, I accidentally discover a way to accurately do it. Here's how:
1) On the Swype keyboard (that's why it is only limited to input field, unfortunately), draw a North west to south east line going across the upper right corner of the Swipe key. In other word, from the upper case arrow position to the SYM key. This will change the keyboard to one that contacts cursor, home, select all, select, text, cut, copy, paste.
2) Then use the cursor key to move to the one end of the selection block.
3) Press the select text button
4) Move cursor to the other end of the selection box, followed by either a cut or paste key depending on what you want to do. This will copy the block to the clipboard.
Unfortunately, often I need to select from non-input field as well, and there is no solution for that yet.
Hope this little tip helps everyone. Cheers.
Same thing for the samsung keyborad if you press the 123 field for a long time.
Now we need to find a way to do the same on a web page ...
nicoloco said:
Same thing for the samsung keyborad if you press the 123 field for a long time.
Now we need to find a way to do the same on a web page ...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, but how do I change the keyboard from Swype to the Samsung keyboard? Is this keyboard from Samsung or from Google?
Just touch the text until you see a pop up.
Then you should have the possibility to change the keyboard
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App
Got it. Thank!
Wow, thanks guys, this will make typing a lot easier! You would think the arrowy keyboard thing would be more highlighted and easily accesible since it's making the experience much better. Well, maybe in the gingerbread, they didn't hire the Palm UI guy for nothing...
I find it a little difficult, but can usually get it after 2 or 3 tries max.
Maybe using fingernail is more accurate?
Finger nails do not work on capacity touchscreen though. Even if it does, how do you deal with situation where the selection block span outside the screen? There is no provision to scroll the screen during the selection process.
HTC Sense Androids have a great copy-paste feature identical to IPhone. Hopefully it can get ported to galaxy

[GUIDE] Using Tasker to switch your keyboard when docked/undocked

May not be neccessary for certain users, or devices running honeycomb 3.1 or higher.
For anyone like myself, who uses a different keyboard (I use thumb keyboard) from the default setup (which is the Asus keyboard), an app called Tasker can make it a bit easier for you to switch them on the fly. It's not a fantastic method and there's probably a better way to do it, but for now I thought I'd share what I did with you all. It might not be necessary for your device. It was for me because it wouldnt auto switch the input method or allow a quick change, I guess it depends on which language/model/SKU you have. Just do the following to get a popup allowing you to change the input method when docked/undocked:
----
-In tasker create a new profile called 'Keyboard', click 'ok'. Click 'state', then 'keyboard out'. Click 'Done'.
-Create a new task. Call it 'Docked'. Click 'Ok'. Click the '+' then 'Input' category, select 'Input Method Select'. Click 'Done'. Then 'Done' on the next screen. (This will bring up a screen when you dock your tablet to let you choose the Asus option)
-Click the new task you have created called 'Docked'. Select the task option 'Add Exit Task'. Click 'new task'. Name it 'Undock'. Click 'Ok'. Press the '+', 'Input', then 'Input Method Select' again. Click 'Done'. And 'Done' once more.
-Make sure at the bottom right of the main screen it shows 'On'. and click 'Apply' at the bottom left of the screen.
----
Exclude tasker from any task manager you may have installed.
*Tip* If you keep getting 'Active' popping up in the notification area, go into Tasker>Settings>Preferences>click the monitor tab, then uncheck 'run in foreground'.
Now when you plug the tablet into the dock it should get a popup with a box to let you select the Asus keyboard, so that your keypresses correspond to the letters printed on the keys. And when you undock from the keyboard, just wait about 10 seconds and you should get another popup allowing you to change the keyboard back to what it was before. If you dont get this popup then just press the tasker icon in the notifcation area and select the keyboard you want manually.
All done. Enjoy.
thanks for the heads up..Haven't used tasker yet, will give it a shot tonight.
Wait, what keys don't work when you're not using the asus default keyboard?
Thanks for the write-up. I'm a fellow tasker user and will be setting this up when I get home
daoist said:
Wait, what keys don't work when you're not using the asus default keyboard?
Thanks for the write-up. I'm a fellow tasker user and will be setting this up when I get home
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, they DO work if you have the Asus keyboard selected. So if you're already using the Asus one you don't need to do any of this. This guide is for people who aren't using the Asus input method and have chosen to use a different input method, such as the default honeycomb one, thumb keyboard, etc. I've never been good at putting my thoughts into words, so if it's not clear, spell it out for me what you're not understanding and I'll change the post. Cheers.
stuntdouble said:
No, they DO work if you have the Asus keyboard selected. So if you're already using the Asus one you don't need to do any of this. This guide is for people who aren't using the Asus input method and have chosen to use a different input method, such as the default honeycomb one, thumb keyboard, etc. I've never been good at putting my thoughts into words, so if it's not clear, spell it out for me what you're not understanding and I'll change the post. Cheers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I always have either the thumb keyboard and the stock android keyboard select and haven't noticed anything not working. What exactly doesn't work?
jratzo said:
I always have either the thumb keyboard and the stock android keyboard select and haven't noticed anything not working. What exactly doesn't work?
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Click to collapse
The numerical button 3 trying to make the £ symbol and the # key making a \ symbol, were a few I noticed. There might be others though.
stuntdouble said:
The numerical button 3 trying to make the £ symbol and the # key making a \ symbol, were a few I noticed. There might be others though.
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Click to collapse
Ahh gotcha, I'll have to check it out. I use tasker on my phone do i could easily use it on my TF
Thanks for this, makes the hassle of switching keyboards that much more fun and cool!
Wait. I don't understand. I use Thumbkeyboard and the dock. I switch back and forth with no problems. When I undock, it goes back to thumbkeyboard. When I dock, it uses the hardware keyboard. All of my keys work.
What exactly is the problem you're trying to fix with Tasker?
dmeehl said:
Wait. I don't understand. I use Thumbkeyboard and the dock. I switch back and forth with no problems. When I undock, it goes back to thumbkeyboard. When I dock, it uses the hardware keyboard. All of my keys work.
What exactly is the problem you're trying to fix with Tasker?
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Click to collapse
For those of us in the UK, the hardware keyboard defaults to US mode if you dont have the Asus keyboard selected in UK mode. (if that makes sense)
Using tasker gives you a quick visual reminder to switch to the right keyboard.
If you're in the US I guess this issue won't affect you?
i use better keyboard 8, and while it warns me when i put it on the dock, i have not found any issues
Must be a non US issue i have not noticed anything other then the warning. Off to try all the keys
Thanks for the writeup!
I use Swiftkey BETA. I just don't understand why Tasker doesn't give you the option to already select a keyboard to change to. Doesn't make sense to me!
does anyone know how to disable the popup when docking?
That would be good. I guess you'd just have to create a Go Home task for when it is docked to eliminate that initial popup. I added a "Go Home" property and moved it above the "Select Input Method" property and it seems to have removed that annoying "Asus Recommendation" popup.
Perhaps this should be added to the first post on this thread?!
BTW, a bit off topic but I figured everyone here has a dock so I thought I'd ask.
Anyone else's SPACEBAR key seem a bit "louder", as in, easier to press than the rest. Not that it is that much of an issue, but the other keys on my dock seem a bit quieter to press over the SPACEBAR.
akarol said:
That would be good. I guess you'd just have to create a Go Home task for when it is docked to eliminate that initial popup. I added a "Go Home" property and moved it above the "Select Input Method" property and it seems to have removed that annoying "Asus Recommendation" popup.
Perhaps this should be added to the first post on this thread?!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Will test this tomorrow when im not half asleep and add if necessary. Thx.
Edit: It appeared to do it the first time for me, but after that it still shows the Asus reminder box. Did you add any other lines maybe? Not sure if the first time was just a fluke or to do with tasker.
It would be nice if there could be better solution for this...
MaluNoPeleke said:
It would be nice if there could be better solution for this...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1118164
Thanks for this. I don't dock, but have a slideout which i love swiftkey to assist with, and prefer swype for portrait touchscreen on-the-fly. It'd be nicer if it was automatic, but it's definitely more friendly with this popup on keyboard out and task exit.

Emoticons on gesture typing??

Recently my phone started throwing out emoticons when I swipe type with the google keyboard. For example, when I type "right", it types a right arrow. Wtf? Is there a way I can disable this?
Thanks
eepyikes said:
Recently my phone started throwing out emoticons when I swipe type with the google keyboard. For example, when I type "right", it types a right arrow. Wtf? Is there a way I can disable this?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Answer here appears to work: go into system settings->language and input->google keyboard settings gear->text correction->add-on dictionaries->install emoji for english, then delete it.
I think this may have taken away my ability to actually make emoji on purpose though.

Software behind the hardware keyboard

So I have found the keyboard to be somewhat fraustrating. Not because it is virtual, but because of the software behind it.
First of all, it is rather strange that you cannot set more than one keybaord. Essentially, the device can have two keyboards that you might regularly swap between: the hardware keyboard and the one screen keyboard one might use while in tablet mode. The hardware keyboard uses the autocorrect of the keyboard you have set as your software keyboard. You cannot set seperate keyboard engines for the hardware and software keyboard.
As I said, the autocorrect/engine behind the hardware keyboard is dependant on your choice of software keybaord. However, as far as I can tell, only the defualt TouchPal keyboard provides any autocorrect for the hardware keybaord. The stock android keyboard offers no autocorrect with the hardware keyboard.
On a related note, TouchPal is awful. The autocorrect works pretty badly and is basically very annoying to use. I won't bore you with the details, but things like autocorrecting to a new word when you go back to edit a mistake. This makes it almost unusable.
Also the touch pad is very bad. No two funger scrolling means that again, it is pretty much useless.
I think the Yoga Book is a great device in most respects. Its intersting that all of these problems relate to the software and could potentially be fixed by Lenovo or there may even be fixes out there now.
Has anyone found any solutions to these problems? Thanks, Liam
I completely agree with you and am having the same frustration with the software behind the keyboard. So far the best solution I have found is to use SwiftKey or Swiftkey Beta (not sure which is best yet). With a bit of tweaking you can get decent auto complete and auto correct using both the halo and on screen keyboard. Much better than Touchpal at least. A couple of issues I have found using Swiftkey and halo keyboard: 1) auto complete seems to turn off when resuming from sleep mode (tapping the keyboard button on the top row reactivates it) 2) in WhatsApp Tablet app, after pressing Enter to send a message, the next message gets double words - I. E. Auto correct adds to what you type, doesn't replace it.
I can confirm that switching to SwiftKey makes the hardware keyboard usable! I'm actually using the keyboard to type this now. Naturally, I'm making tons of mistakes but it is catching and correcting almost all of them!
Can confirm that SwiftKey easily switches between physical keyboard and on-screen keyboard when the physical keyboard is toggled on and off.
If anyone is still using the default software keyboard, switch now!!!
Thanks for the tip! This makes a big difference! Have either of you found a way to get auto capitalise to work? The setting is enabled but it doesn't do anythig.
My issue with SwiftKey is that there is no good ways to select a suggested word. You always have to click with your finger on the screen which completely ruins ten finger typing for my.
So I ended up with disabled word correction as it's faster to remove some mistyped words and type again, than to click on the screen.
How do you handle suggestions made by SwiftKey?
faeArai said:
My issue with SwiftKey is that there is no good ways to select a suggested word. You always have to click with your finger on the screen which completely ruins ten finger typing for my.
So I ended up with disabled word correction as it's faster to remove some mistyped words and type again, than to click on the screen.
How do you handle suggestions made by SwiftKey?
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Click to collapse
I have found that SwiftKey enters the main suggested word when I press space. This is good for most of the time, but annoying when:
-I want to select a suggestion that is not the main suggested word (particularly a new word that it doesn't recognise)
-I want to add punctuation directly after the main suggested word (here, because I input the punctuation rather than pressing space, the suggested word is not entered)
I have certainly found using SwiftKey to be the best experience. It's quite a passive autocorrect that doesn't get in the way too much. I got so sick of TouchPal which really gets in your face with its incorrect predictions.
But still there is a lot of room for improvement. It's such a shame that it's terrible software that lets down this keyboard. In particular I don't understand why:
- Some keyboards (like the Google Keyboard) don't offer any correction or prediction when enabled. Does Android maybe treat the Halo keyboard as an external keyboard (which I suppose you wouldn't want predictive features for)?
- Keyboards that do offer prediction don't seem to respond to changes to their settings (I can't get SwiftKey to auto capitalise the first letter of a sentence for example). @thespinner02 mentioned tweaking with SwiftKey settings- I assume they meant for the onscreen keyboard because these settings don't do anything for the Halo keybaord.
I wonder whether there is a keyboard out there in the Play Store that works better with the Yoga Book. I'll try a few and let you guys know if I find one.
I tried several solutions but couldn't find anything good. Hardware keyboards are not that common on Android platform, I guess.
Even using Swiftkey I sometimes get different results depending on the app being used. Auto capitalise is working OK for me, in Word for example.
There are specific options in Swiftkey for Physical Keyboard: in settings, Typing, Voice & Other Input. In Physical keyboard section I have Autocorrect and Auto capitalize on. Everything else off.
thespinner02 said:
Even using Swiftkey I sometimes get different results depending on the app being used. Auto capitalise is working OK for me, in Word for example.
There are specific options in Swiftkey for Physical Keyboard: in settings, Typing, Voice & Other Input. In Physical keyboard section I have Autocorrect and Auto capitalize on. Everything else off.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks! I didn't notice that- smart spacing etc makes a massive difference!
Pretty much my only problem with SwiftKey now is that it sometimes creates its own weird textbook instead of typing directly into the text field. But that's not a massive problem.
Also I sometimes accidentally change input method. Maybe I'm using a keyboard shortcut by mistake?
thespinner02 said:
Even using Swiftkey I sometimes get different results depending on the app being used. Auto capitalise is working OK for me, in Word for example.
There are specific options in Swiftkey for Physical Keyboard: in settings, Typing, Voice & Other Input. In Physical keyboard section I have Autocorrect and Auto capitalize on. Everything else off.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In settings for hardware keyword I get no harder key found?
Went into Swift settings in onscreen. How to get settings for Halo?
With Yoga Book in laptop mode. Settings / Language & input / SwiftKey Keyboard / Typing / Voice & Other Input
You also need to make sure 'show input method' is not enabled in the keyboard settings/selector popup.
Does anyone else experience a problem with SwiftKey where in some text fields your text goes into a little popup text box at the bottom of the screen as well as the intended text field? And then to get rid of the popup text box you have to tap 'next'. This occurs in the Facebook messenger app for example.
Any way to disable it?
It seems to do this when the text field is small, but other keyboards just expend the text field as you type. The popup text box it creates doesn't expand anyway, so it doesn't offer extra functionality and is just an annoyance.

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