B4A Library CustomKeyboard-Library

I developed a hexeditor to change the contents of hex-files. During the work I found that editing a hex-file by using the standard-softkeyboard is horrible. So I decided to write a library for an own softkeyboard. This library needs at least API-level-15

Good for understanding how it works is a posting of Maarten Fampennings which you can find here.
Also useful is a guide on the xda-developers-page. You'll find it here.

After a lot of pitfalls I got it working and can share it now. Because I don't have much sparetime I can't give much support.

With this CustomKeyboard-library you can replace the standard-softkeyboard with your self-designed-CustomKeyboard. You can use different keyboards and also different styles (see example 3). You also can have popup-minikeyboards for keys with more than one value. Have a good look in the 3 included examples and into the xml-files of the example-projects. Each method have an online-explanation of it's use included. You can add the EditTextView which you want to use with the CustomKeyboard by designer or with xml-file. The only difference between the two methods is that if you use the xml-method you can implement your owen full styling (textSelectHandle for example). If you use the designer-method you always get the standard styling from B4A. You can register as much EditTextViews as you like for each CustomKeyboard.
Declare just one CustomKeyboard-instance in your activity and use the RegisterEditText, ChangeKeyboardLayout/ChangeKeyboardStyle-methods to switch between different keyboards and styles (see example 3).

HOW TO USE:

• put the CustomKeyboard.jar-file and the CustomKeyboard.xml-file into your AdditionalLibraries-folder
• put the xml-file for the KeyboardView into the layout-folder of your project and mark it as writeprotected
• put the xml-file(s) for the KeyboardLayout(s) into the xml-folder of your project and mark them as writeprotected
• put all the drawables you used in the KeyboardLayout into the drawable-folder(s) of your project and mark them as writeprotected
• put all your styling xml-files (if any) into the values-folder of your project and mark them as writeprotected
• from now chose version a) (add EditTextView by designer) or version b) (add EditTextView by xml)

a)

• place an EditTextView in the designer
• in Activity_Create-sub load the designer-created layout-file into your Activity
• initialize your CustomKeyboard with the Initialize-method of CustomKeyboard
• register your EditTextView with the RegisterEditText-method of CustomKeyboard

b)

• create an xml-file with an EditTextView, load it into the layout-folder of your project and mark it as writeprotected
• in Activity_Create-sub load the designer-created layout-file into your Activity (if any)
• with XmlLayoutBuilder load the EditTextView-xml-file into your Activity or any Panel
• get the EditTextView with the GetAllViewsRecursive-method of XmlLayoutBuilder, remove it from parent and add again with layoutvalues
• initialize your CustomKeyboard with the Initialize-method of CustomKeyboard
• register your EditTextView with the RegisterEditText-method of CustomKeyboard

SUPPORTED EVENTS:

Keyboard related:

• KeyboardEventName_KeyboardHeightChanged(NewHeight As Int, OldHeight As Int)
• KeyboardEventName_onKeyUp(ViewTag As Object, PrimaryKeyCode As Int)
• KeyboardEventName_KeyPressed (ViewTag As Object, PrimaryKeyCode As Int, AddKeyCodes() As Int) As Boolean
• KeyboardEventName_onKeyDown(ViewTag As Object, PrimaryKeyCode As Int)

This events are all self-explanatory. You can catch the EditTextView which fired the event via the ViewTag (see example2)

EditText related:

• eventName_Touch (Action As Int, X As Float, Y As Float, MotionEvent As Object) As Boolean, fires if the registered EditText is touched by the user
• eventName_FocusChanged (HasFocus As Boolean), fires if the registered EditText gets or looses focus
• eventName_Click(), fires if the registered EditText is clicked by the user
• eventName_TextChanged (Old As String, New As String), fires if the text of the registered EditText has changed
• eventName_HandleAction() As Boolean, fires if the CustomKeyboard of the registered EditText contains an Enter-key and this is pressed

AVAILABLE METHODS:

• IsOScompatible () As Boolean
• Initialize (KeyboardEventName As String, KeyboardViewFileName As String)
• IsIntialized () As Boolean
• RegisterEditText (editTextView As EditText, eventName As String, KeyboardLayoutFileName As String, showCursor As Boolean) As Boolean
• UnregisterEditText (et As EditText) As Boolean
• GetRegisteredStatus (et As EditText) As String
• SetCustomFilter (et As EditText, DefaultInputType As Integer, AcceptedCharacters As String)
• SetLengthFilter (et As EditText, MaxLength As Integer)
• ShowKeyboard (et As EditText)
• HideKeyboard ()
• IsSoftKeyboardVisible () As Boolean
• GetCurKeyboardStyle () As String
• GetCurLayoutFile () As String
• ChangeKeyboardLayout (et As EditText, KeyboardLayoutFileName As String) As Boolean
• ChangeKeyboardStyle (KeyboardViewFileName As String) As Boolean
• ChangeKeyValues (OldLabel As String, OldIsIcon As Boolean, NewLabel As String, NewIsIcon As Boolean, NewCodes() As Integer) As Boolean
• ShowPreviewPopup (show As Boolean)
• IsPreviewEnabled () As Boolean
• SetHapticFeedbackEnabled (boolean goEnabled)
• IsHapticFeedbackEnabled () As Boolean
• SetShifted (goShifted As Boolean)
• IsShifted () As Boolean
• HandleBack () As Boolean
• GetSelectionStart (et As EditText) As Integer
• GetSelectionEnd (et As EditText) As Integer
• SetSelection (et As EditText, start As Integer, stop As Integer)
• DeleteSelection (et As EditText)
• ExtendSelection (et As EditText, toIndex As Integer)
• InsertText (et As EditText, text As String, startIndex As Integer) As Boolean

 

[ivan.tellez]

Just to be clear, This Lib its for use only in the same app right? Can't be used to create an installable keyboard available to all the aps?

 

[watscho]

Hi Ivan,
yes you're right, it's not an installable keyboard. You've to load and configure it in each app you want to use it.

 

[Oswald]

there is no backspace on the keyboard. how can I add it?

 

[watscho]

Hallo bravox,
I updated the library, if you like you can use a keyboard from the new samples. Otherwise it's best adwise you design your owen keyboard-xml-file as you like it and then use it with the CustomKeyboard-library.

 

[watscho]

Hi,
first post updated. Complete redesign of CustomKeyboard-library. There are a lot of new methods inside the library for example styling-methods and edit-methods.

 

[watscho]

Hi,
sorry for uploading the wrong files. Changed the sample files - they are the correct ones now.

 

[Robert Valentino]

I made a custom keyboard using your example as a base.

How would I add a Drag Tab to the top of it? So the use can drag the keyboard around the screen if they want.
Also if I wanted to add a Field to the keyboard (so I can show what they are type - kind of like a calculator)

Sorry for these probably easy questions but I haven't done much with xml

Thanks

BobVal

 

[hears]

can you share this JAVA code ? i want make a full russian keyboard.not only numbers.
my email:[email protected]

 

[Robert Valentino]

Wasn't sure if you were talking to me or the person who created the base class.

If me, here is the Keyboard I created.

 

[hears]

Wasn't sure if you were talking to me or the person who created the base class.

If me, here is the Keyboard I created.

Wasn't sure if you were talking to me or the person who created the base class.

If me, here is the Keyboard I created.

thank you very much ,from your project ,i understand this libary now .

 

[Mwinsor]

I'm trying to use this library in my application but it shows no keyboard. I copied over all of the resource files but I cannot get this to work. It "acts" like it is working but the keyboard doesn't show. If I change to "standard" and use all the same calls it does show which leads me to think I have something else missing visually.

 

[Mwinsor]

I'm trying to use this library in my application but it shows no keyboard. I copied over all of the resource files but I cannot get this to work. It "acts" like it is working but the keyboard doesn't show. If I change to "standard" and use all the same calls it does show which leads me to think I have something else missing visually.

I actually found the problem. If the activity had a background color in the designer, the keyboard didn't show up.

 

[Lello1964]

I actually found the problem. If the activity had a background color in the designer, the keyboard didn't show up.

I use this lib and it work.
Please send an example of your problem.

 

[joko0124]

Wasn't sure if you were talking to me or the person who created the base class.

If me, here is the Keyboard I created.

Hi! Can I have your example project you have created using this library? Thanks in Advance!

 

[sigster]

Hi

How can I add NEXT button to the keyboard

 

[sigster]

NEXT was in CustomKeyboardSample2

        <Key android:codes="60005"    android:keyLabel="NEXT" android:keyWidth="20%p" android:keyEdgeFlags="right" />

 

[joko0124]

I actually found the problem. If the activity had a background color in the designer, the keyboard didn't show up.

Did your problem has been solved? Any solutions? I have also been experiencing it right now.

 

[joko0124]

C

I use this lib and it work.
Please send an example of your problem.

Can you help me with this problem?

 

[joko0124]

B4A Masters!
How can I move my modified custom keyboard to front? Master @Erel can you teach me please?