Windows 8.1 pop up touch keyboard in Desktop mode

By Mockingbird
in Microsoft (Windows)

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Grand Master

Mockingbird

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(Note: this concerns Windows 8.1 on the Surface Pro 3 and probably other Windows tablets)

 

It has been brought to my attention that, for whatever reason, on desktop apps, the touch keyboard doesn't appear automatically when an input box is selected unlike in Modern apps. (Google Chrome is the exception)

It's annoying to have to click the touch keyboard button 28954d1381335042t-windows-8-pop-up-keybo to bring up the touch keyboard then click X to close it after.

Does anyone have a solution for this?

Grand Master

zhangm Supervisor

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There has been some work done with AutoHotKey scripts to poll for text input fields and invoke the keyboard. It looks like the most successful versions are on pg 6 and 7 of this thread:

 

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1992361&page=7

Grand Master

Mockingbird

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  On 30/12/2014 at 18:54, zhangm said:

There has been some work done with AutoHotKey scripts to poll for text input fields and invoke the keyboard. It looks like the most successful versions are on pg 6 and 7 of this thread:

 

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1992361&page=7

 

Windows 8.1 doesn't have this capability by default?

 

It seem incredibly shortsighted that Microsoft hasn't implanted this capability into Windows 8.1.

Grand Master

Stokkolm

Posted
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  On 30/12/2014 at 19:02, illegaloperation said:

Windows 8.1 doesn't have this capability by default?

 

It seem incredibly shortsighted that Microsoft hasn't implanted this capability into Windows 8.1.

It's been a minor annoyance at times for me. I've gotten around it by using the metro version of IE when browsing without a keyboard attached. Admittedly, usually if I'm attempting to do something on the desktop I do have the SP3 keyboard attached.

Grand Master

Mockingbird

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  On 30/12/2014 at 20:03, SlasherKG said:
SlasherKG, on 30 Dec 2014 - 12:03, said:SlasherKG, on 30 Dec 2014 - 12:03, said:SlasherKG, on 30 Dec 2014 - 12:03, said:SlasherKG, on 30 Dec 2014 - 12:03, said:SlasherKG, on 30 Dec 2014 - 12:03, said:SlasherKG, on 30 Dec 2014 - 12:03, said:SlasherKG, on 30 Dec 2014 - 12:03, said:SlasherKG, on 30 Dec 2014 - 12:03, said:SlasherKG, on 30 Dec 2014 - 12:03, said:SlasherKG, on 30 Dec 2014 - 12:03, said:SlasherKG, on 30 Dec 2014 - 12:03, said:

They are addressing this with Windows 10.

The latest Technical Preview build the keyboard does show up automatically in normal desktop apps.

 

After reading other forums, I agree that in Windows 10, Microsoft has addressed the issue: http://www.windowscentral.com/more-new-features-discovered-new-windows-10-preview-build

 

I should note that this Surface Pro 3 is not mine so I am not going to install a pre-release version of Windows onto it.

 

Anyway, this is not a critical issue since I doubt that my cousin is going to type her school reports using the touch keyboard, but this is definitely something that needs to be fix.

 

  On 30/12/2014 at 19:31, remixedcat said:
remixedcat, on 30 Dec 2014 - 11:31, said:remixedcat, on 30 Dec 2014 - 11:31, said:remixedcat, on 30 Dec 2014 - 11:31, said:remixedcat, on 30 Dec 2014 - 11:31, said:remixedcat, on 30 Dec 2014 - 11:31, said:remixedcat, on 30 Dec 2014 - 11:31, said:remixedcat, on 30 Dec 2014 - 11:31, said:remixedcat, on 30 Dec 2014 - 11:31, said:remixedcat, on 30 Dec 2014 - 11:31, said:remixedcat, on 30 Dec 2014 - 11:31, said:remixedcat, on 30 Dec 2014 - 11:31, said:

I got the same annoyance with my tablet... and sometimes I gotta tap 3 x to get it to come up

 

I don't think I have ever seen this issue, but then I haven't spent a lot of time using the touch keyboard.

 

  On 30/12/2014 at 19:50, Stokkolm said:
Stokkolm, on 30 Dec 2014 - 11:50, said:Stokkolm, on 30 Dec 2014 - 11:50, said:Stokkolm, on 30 Dec 2014 - 11:50, said:Stokkolm, on 30 Dec 2014 - 11:50, said:Stokkolm, on 30 Dec 2014 - 11:50, said:Stokkolm, on 30 Dec 2014 - 11:50, said:Stokkolm, on 30 Dec 2014 - 11:50, said:Stokkolm, on 30 Dec 2014 - 11:50, said:Stokkolm, on 30 Dec 2014 - 11:50, said:Stokkolm, on 30 Dec 2014 - 11:50, said:Stokkolm, on 30 Dec 2014 - 11:50, said:

It's been a minor annoyance at times for me. I've gotten around it by using the metro version of IE when browsing without a keyboard attached. Admittedly, usually if I'm attempting to do something on the desktop I do have the SP3 keyboard attached.

 

Chrome on the desktop works fine with touch keyboard. That said, Chrome is a battery hog, but if you spent a lot of time near wall outlets (i.e. classrooms) then that's not an issue.

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