[App request] Transparent keyboard

[surur]

When I first saw this picture of teksoft's new keyboard I thought they had finally made a transparent full screen keyboard, but on then I saw it was just a keyboard skin.

This brings me to my request - Can a developer make a transparent semi-opaque full screen keyboard that still let you see the text underneath, and that was quickly minimizable for navigation purposes. The typed text would pass through to the app underneath.

See mockup below:

http://img55.imageshack.us/img55/8774/keyboardupwv5.jpg

http://img300.imageshack.us/img300/743/keyboarddowntg1.jpg

Obviously a talented programmer would do the transparency better, but the idea is that it would combine the advantaged of a fullscreen keyboard with still being able to see everything that you are typing.

Any takers?

Surur

[knownboyofno]

No, they can't as of now many have been trying to figure that out.

[TheChampJT]

When the SIP loads, it does it in a new window, which is why you see your current window move up a bit, so even it was transparent, it would be on a black background. If anything, it would have to be a flash keyboard, that would take a snapshot of the current window, and make it a transparent background for the keyboard. But, even if that was accomplished, you would probably get frustrated with the load time.

[surur]

When the SIP loads, it does it in a new window, which is why you see your current window move up a bit, so even it was transparent, it would be on a black background. If anything, it would have to be a flash keyboard, that would take a snapshot of the current window, and make it a transparent background for the keyboard. But, even if that was accomplished, you would probably get frustrated with the load time.

Could the SIP (windows 2) (the part in my mock-up with the cursor and space bar keys) generate a 3rd windows, which would be a semi-transparent overlay over Window 1 (the original word document for example)?

Edit: here is an example of "click-through" code for the desktop. Can Windows Mobile do the same?
http://www.codeproject.com/KB/vb/ClickThroughWindows.aspx

Here is a microsoft article talking about doing transparency on Windows Mobile
http://www.ugimobile.org/blogs/articoli/archive/2008/05/14/implementing-transparency-gradients-and-3-d-glass-effects-on-net-compact-framework-controls.aspx

Look like .net CF 3.5 supports a function (transparencykey) that will do the job.
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.windows.forms.form.transparencykey.aspx

Surur

[surur]

It just occurred to me that HTC Home is semi-transparent (you can see the today screen wallpaper through it) so its clearly possible on the WM platform.

Surur

[TheChampJT]

It just occurred to me that HTC Home is semi-transparent (you can see the today screen wallpaper through it) so its clearly possible on the WM platform.

Surur

There are a lot of apps and plugins that have transparent items. The problem isn't with making something transparent, but with making the SIP transparent. How about you develop it?

[surur]

There are a lot of apps and plugins that have transparent items. The problem isn't with making something transparent, but with making the SIP transparent.

I think the SIP does not have to be transparent, but should call a 3rd window (with the QWERTY keys) which is.

How about you develop it?

I wish I could, but I cant justify £100 on Visual Studio (the student version), and the free solutions do not have enough hand-holding and code examples for a rank amateur like me.

[Mr_Gee]

If I were you i'd talk to "Tene'
If anyone knows he does..

(he is the creator of the PocketCM Keyboard )
Maybe his new version could/does support complete transparrency

[surur]

If I were you i'd talk to "Tene'
If anyone knows he does..

(he is the creator of the PocketCM Keyboard )
Maybe his new version could/does support complete transparency

I have now posted a message in the pocketcm forum, but I hope a less committed developer who have not already invested a lot of time in another app can step up.

[tene]

As already mentioned somewhere else, as far as I know, transparency isn't possible.

We are not talking here about making a screenshot and showing the keyboard on top (or anything else), like HTC home does, or like PocketCM Keyboard 0.16 does to support transparent feedback image.

The issue is to "refresh" the background behind, when you type for instance, and that's not possible: if the SIP is visible, it covers the screen, so underneath windows won't be painted (actually the OS won't ask the windows to paint themselves).

On Windows (non mobile), they added support for it in Windows 2000 and perfected it later, on windows mobile, the same feature isn't supported.

Anyway, even if it was possible, I don't really think it would make a usable SIP, but that's just my opinion.

[surur]

As already mentioned somewhere else, as far as I know, transparency isn't possible.

We are not talking here about making a screenshot and showing the keyboard on top (or anything else), like HTC home does, or like PocketCM Keyboard 0.16 does to support transparent feedback image.

The issue is to "refresh" the background behind, when you type for instance, and that's not possible: if the SIP is visible, it covers the screen, so underneath windows won't be painted (actually the OS won't ask the windows to paint themselves).

On Windows (non mobile), they added support for it in Windows 2000 and perfected it later, on windows mobile, the same feature isn't supported.

Anyway, even if it was possible, I don't really think it would make a usable SIP, but that's just my opinion.

So all windows transparency in windows mobile is fake? If this is the case obviously the project is doomed.

Does anyone else know different?

[Rudegar]

doubt .net would performe well enough not sure how even pure c++ would performe
doing this task
it's pretty easy to make something transparent
like htc home as the background is static
it's much harder if one have to be real transparent
as in the background is updated

[surur]

doubt .net would performe well enough not sure how even pure c++ would performe
doing this task
it's pretty easy to make something transparent
like htc home as the background is static
it's much harder if one have to be real transparent
as in the background is updated

Pretty hard but possible? When we are talking text entry one update a second or half a second would be fine. Because the keyboard is fullscreen one wont be able to interact with the background app except via the keyboard in any case.

Surur

[RedruM]

Ok I'm a programming noob but lets look at transcriber, you can have the sip open yet it still shows everything on the screen and you can write overtop, is it not possible to overlay an image in transcriber mode and "blend" them together. I'm sure there are problems in the transparent updating, but it just sounds like such a small issue to hold it back even though it most likely is quite complex. I personally believe having a transparent keyboard, or transparent controls in general on small touchscreens would be very useful if done right.

The key I believe is being able to access both the keyboard and the screen underneath at the same time, perhaps with touch and hold or double tap commands, but I totally think this is worth figuring out. Sometimes I really wish I took programming...