virtual keyboard in qnx

QNX DEVELOPERS General Programming
1

hi all

does QNX provides a virtual keyboard, wherein a standard keyboard is simulated in an application and works when no actual keyboard is attached to the system.

If QNX doesn’t, can any one guide me on how to make one?

Thanks in Advance.

2

I love the way Microsoft now has everyone trained to misunderstand what an OS is.

The answer is no, not in Photon either, but it would be relatively easy to create one.

3

Yes. Have a look in the photon examples on the QNX site. There is a software keyboard application.

4

thanks ianc. can you please provide this link.

5

well the truth is they have created some expectations in the masses.

Yeah…can u give me some pointers where to start this relatively easy task. :wink:

6

Yeah…can u give me some pointers where to start this relatively easy task.

Have you developed a simple Photon Application before? That would be a good place to start. Once you have that under your belt the following would be a good place to start.

  1. Method 1, the keyboard is applicable if you want the keyboard to function with and as part of a single application

Create a dialog with a keyboard made up of buttons. You might want a toggle button on the application to go between the real keyboard if it is there and the virtual one. You will have to setup all your text widgets to check this toggle when they get focus. If they get focus, they bring up the dialog and collect text. When entry is complete, the data gets transferred into the text widget by the application.

  1. Method 2, you want a generic virtual keyboard that replaces the real keyboard.

In this application, the keyboard is a window. When you press a keyboard button with the mouse or via a touch screen, this application will have to emit a key-press event. Any application beneath this event may capture it. There is one complication that I don’t know the answer to which will be interesting to figure out. Most Photon events have a X,Y coordinates. Keyboard events are unique in that they do not have an X,Y location initially, but obtain one on the way through Photon space. This is why you can have two windows with text widgets up, but only one gets the event. You can read about this in the architecture manual. The tricky part is that the keyboard application will be active when you are pressing buttons, but you want there to be some other active application that receives the events.

7

try this, I know its for QNX4 but it should still work

quics.qnx.com/cgi-bin/dir_find.c … ton/utils/

8

I made a popup keypad, just the number keys. It was a royal PITA. I would HATE to have to do the full keyboard. VERY tedious.

-James Ingraham
Sage Automation, Inc.

9

I’m guessing you built it with the AppBuilder. This is one case where it might be smarter to assemble the keyboard in code. That would also make it possible to have different key maps fairly easily.

10

I’m excited…