finding an on-screen keyboard

[programmindragon]

I have an application that runs on a touch screen where users have to input numbers.  I would like to use an on-screen keyboard, preferably just a numeric pad.

I've seen the on-screen keyboard that is built in Windows (way too small for my small touchscreen) and another application that uses an on-screen keyboard that I dont care for.  Is there a convenient program out there for LabVIEW?

[Darren]

Hello,

The first thing I thought of when reading your post was a really simple numeric keypad in one of the shipping examples with LabVIEW 7.1:  examples\sound\sound adv.llb\Sim Phone.vi.  Unfortunately, I can't seem to find that example in LabVIEW 8.0.

-D

[programmindragon]

The built in Windows keyboard would be great if it wasnt so small because all I have to do is click on the text box and that is where the text automatically goes.  I would like to have a subVI or something similar to do this.

[tst]

If you go to the search field on the very top of the page, change it from the forums to the entire site and search for "keyboard example" or "virtual keyboard" you should find a few useful examples you can modify.

Note that if you want to type into another application that will be more complex. I'm not sure what the details are, but maybe you will need to move window the window to the top to get the text into it. Another option is probably inserting a message into the window's message queue, but that's just a guess. In any case, winutil may be able to help you (you can find it on the site).

If you're doing this inside your own application, then you shouldn't have any problems - you can just get the string and then transfer it to your field.

[AnalogKid2DigitalMan]

I hacked this v7.1.1 snippet together in a couple minutes, it is not complete but should give you the idea. Disregard the enter key, using stop button should work to demo it as a sub vi.

Hope it helps

[Dennis_Knutson]

Here's another one. One thing that's missing is a check that you don't enter multiple decimal points.

Message Edited by Dennis Knutson on 12-07-2005 03:30 PM

[Bob_Y.]

I would also like to suggest looking at something similar in NI's own calculator interface in the Express Formula VI.  Maybe you could reuse some of the subVIs that it already uses.

The location is in LabVIEW\vi.lib\express\express arith-compare\FormulaConfig.llb\Configure Formula.vi

Hope that this helps,

Bob Young

[tst]

I assume that the examples posted should help the original poster, but this thread did get me thinking - I do use touchscreens fairly often and the windows OSK is very small for such uses.
Making a replacement would be a very good thing, but would run into one serious problem - keeping the keyboard window always on top is easy, but the question would be how to let the other window keep the focus while I'm typing and send the keys I'm typing to that window and to the selected field? I assume it can be done, but before I start searching for it - does anyone know how to do this?

[programmindragon]

Thank you very much for all your help.  I'll see what I can do with these.  That is exactly what I am looking for tst.  You would think that it would be a standard with LabVIEW.  I would be glad to stick with the Windows keyboard but it is just too small for my touchscreen, which is 10".

Again, thank you very much.