Adobe AIR Development

[zezke]

Is there any way to open the keyboard from code? I have search this forum and the API, but I can't seem to find any method.

Thanks in advance.

[peter9477]

We used to be able to do it using an undocumented imfConnection approach (searching should find my post on that) but I'm pretty sure that option has been eliminated in 1.0.1.  It was never a good idea to use it in the first place.  For now, I don't believe there's any supported approach except putting focus into a text field.

[MauriceRice]

---

peter9477 wrote:

  For now, I don't believe there's any supported approach except putting focus into a text field.

---

Even this does not appear to work - at least with QNX TextInput.

 var pcInput:TextInput = new TextInput();

...

stage.focus = pcInput.textField;      // puts a caret in the field but does not pop up the keyboard

stage.focus = pcInput;     /'/puts a yellow focus box around the control

Do you have any suggestions?

[stephen_turner]

Anyone have a solution for this as of yet, Its a pretty ridiculous issue to be having. Why can't developers have the power to call the keyboard when they want it?

[jtegen]

Forcing the focus on the textField of the text input control does popup the virtual keyboard.

[stephen_turner]

I tried forcing the focus to the text input object. Still doesnt work. Maybe I could simulate the gesture that displays the keyboard?

[ytpete]

The next version of Adobe AIR (2.6) has APIs that let you programmatically show & hide the soft keyboard.  I assume these will work on the PlayBook once RIM rolls out AIR 2.6 support.

Here's a blog post listing all the new AIR features: http://blogs.adobe.com/cantrell/archives/2011/03/everything-new-in-adobe-air-2-6.html

- Peter

[shawnblais]

These are working fine in our app:

IMFConnection.imfConnection.showInput();

IMFConnection.imfConnection.hideInput();

[peter9477]

For @ytpete, I assumed the comment in that post that said "(Note that these APIs are Android-only and not supported on iOS.)" meant it wouldn't work for PlayBook either. Could be wrong...

@shawnblais, do those still work in 1.0.1? I thought perhaps along with them blocking the PPSChannel approach to detecting the keyboard status, they'd blocked control of it.

[shawnblais · Accepted solution]

They work on the device which is all that matters

To avoid runtime errors on Desktop, just enclose these in a function;

if(onDevice){

showKeyboard(true);

}

protected function showKeyboard(value:Boolean):void {

(value)? IMFConnection.imfConnection.showInput() : IMFConnection.imfConnection.hideInput();

}