On Screen Keyboard Issue

[Earthdog]

So I am a little confused if this is a feature or bug.

First off I am new to the Surface. Sometimes when using the screen as a tablet (keyboard disconnected) and I go into a text input mode I get the onscreen keyboard other times no. I'm just confused in Android and IOS when ever you go into an input field the on screen keyboard opens or using a pen and selecting the text tool the on screen keyboard comes on. Am I missing a setting or something to make this consistent?

 

[leeshor]

Is it any specific app that is more of a problem than others.

 

[Earthdog]

IE, Outlook 2013 and One Note 2013 are my most used but I am rarely using just the tablet to nail it down.

 

[Mulligan]

For the most part... The keyboard pops up as expected when you are using a metro app but must be manually opened from desktop apps.

 

[Earthdog]

A rhetorical question... So MS why have a Tablet Mode device thats not smart enough to know how behave? Its not like IE 11 or Office 365 predate the PEN... Thats past frustrating it's dumb and unproductive. IMHO

 

[Katmandoo122]

Searched for this answer but couldn't find it. With my Type Cover attached and in desktop mode (usually in Chrome, I think), if I click in a text field in a webpage, the onscreen keyboard pops up. This is odd since I have the keyboard attached.

If there a good way to keep this from happening? I hardly need the on screen keyboard if a physical keyboard is attached.

Separately, I must say that the MS onscreen keyboard that sucked on my RT is awesomesauce on my SP3 because of the more flexible kickstand. With the KS deployed most of the way and using the SP3 in tablet mode, the onscreen is darn near as good as a physical keyboard.

Now if I could just keep the two from interfering with one another!

 

[malberttoo]

This is my reply from a different post where this same issue came up...

"As far as the keyboard not appearing... I'm no expert but here is the short story as I understand it. Desktop apps are different than their Metro counterparts. So Desktop Skype, is not the same as Metro Skype. As I understand it, the Metro apps all use the current APIs, but in order for Desktop apps to automatically summon the on-screen keyboard for instance, Microsoft would have had to back-port the API's to work with the Desktop app environment, and they didn't want to. So... Desktop apps don't have the ability to summon the keyboard.

I do understand Microsoft's basic goal, of getting everything switched over to Metro-style apps, as the Desktop style all rely on the same basic code that has been in existence since Windows XP, and Microsoft can't be chained to that forever. I just have no idea how they will ultimately pull it off."

So yeah it kind of blows, and threw me for a loop at first also. But if you're working in the Desktop at all, then get used to hitting your little keyboard button to bring the keyboard up.

 

[Katmandoo122]

This is my reply from a different post where this same issue came up...

So yeah it kind of blows, and threw me for a loop at first also. But if you're working in the Desktop at all, then get used to hitting your little keyboard button to bring the keyboard up.

That makes sense but unfortunately, it's not about getting the keyboard to show up that bugs me. It's having it show up when I don't want it... it pops up in Chrome (and elsewhere) even with the Type Cover attached.

 

[ctitanic]

This is my reply from a different post where this same issue came up...

"As far as the keyboard not appearing... I'm no expert but here is the short story as I understand it. Desktop apps are different than their Metro counterparts. So Desktop Skype, is not the same as Metro Skype. As I understand it, the Metro apps all use the current APIs, but in order for Desktop apps to automatically summon the on-screen keyboard for instance, Microsoft would have had to back-port the API's to work with the Desktop app environment, and they didn't want to. So... Desktop apps don't have the ability to summon the keyboard.

I do understand Microsoft's basic goal, of getting everything switched over to Metro-style apps, as the Desktop style all rely on the same basic code that has been in existence since Windows XP, and Microsoft can't be chained to that forever. I just have no idea how they will ultimately pull it off."

So yeah it kind of blows, and threw me for a loop at first also. But if you're working in the Desktop at all, then get used to hitting your little keyboard button to bring the keyboard up.

I could not have said it better. I hope that MS makes the OSK more consistent even in Desktop Mode.

 

[ipaq_101]

jnjroach explained this to me once:

http://www.surfaceforums.net/threads/on-screen-keyboard-not-popping-up-automatically.10028/

 

[kozak79]

I also wish they had autocorrect and autofill in desktop mode. After having an ipad for a few years, you realize how much you rely on those features on a tablet.

 

[malberttoo]

That makes sense but unfortunately, it's not about getting the keyboard to show up that bugs me. It's having it show up when I don't want it... it pops up in Chrome (and elsewhere) even with the Type Cover attached.

Not sure what to tell you about that. I use Chrome all the time in the Desktop, and have never had the on-screen keyboard appear.