[nokia_e70]

Hi

How to deal with the numeric keypad in a canvas-based application? I want all the input features of text controls (like, switch between ABC/Abc/abc/123/T9, special chars input and stuff) without text controls.

[JOM]

Originally Posted by nokia_e70

How to deal with the numeric keypad in a canvas-based application? I want all the input features of text controls (like, switch between ABC/Abc/abc/123/T9, special chars input and stuff) without text controls.

You want to write your own Front End Processor in python? Seriously?

Try to use as much default components as possible. A simple "text input box" does sound so seductively easy, but it's full of special cases of special cases of special cases. After that comes the real special cases.

Good luck.

...if you really want to give it a try, remember that Chinese font is a bit higher than latin based fonts. Screen orientation can change. In right-to-left language numbers still go left to right, at least in Hebrew. Zooming text size might effect textbox size, too. If text string is too long, there is sometimes ellipses at end. Sometimes text strings scroll like marquee inside your box. You have to decide whether your text box is fixed size (then what size in which screen resolutions) or dynamic (vertical and/or horizontal)...

[nokia_e70]

Originally Posted by JOM

You want to write your own Front End Processor in python? Seriously?

What's a Front End Processor (seriously) ? The only thing that comes to my mind is "if You write that sort of thing You can get ALL-TCB capabilities"

If it handles the user's input on the keypad and the application sees the resulting text (instead of a sequences of repeated numbers), then I just want to use the default one. The question is: how do I ?

I don't want any "text input boxes", I have my own interface with my own boxes, I just want the system to handle the keypad (and give me the letters).

...if you really want to give it a try, remember that Chinese font is a bit higher than latin based fonts.

No, actually, I have an application for a specific language (and that is not chinese, neither hebrew ). Besides, I don't need ALL-TCB yet, so another time perhaps...

[JOM]

Originally Posted by nokia_e70

What's a Front End Processor (seriously)?

Sorry, just a quick link as short description:

http://www.symbian.com/Developer/tec...iew.guide.html

It means that if default input methods are not enough for you as-is, then you are able to develop your own on top of Symbian framework (using C++). The first and last time I had anything to do with it, it was ... not too nice Or maybe I can say an experiment to last for the lifetime

Btw how come you get only numeric input? Isn't it user's responsibility to switch into "abc" mode? Maybe you could just take input as-is, process it and give feedback, like dialog "Wrong input! Use alphabets"? Keep it simple, allocate some responsibility to users, too?

Cheers,

--jouni

[nokia_e70]

Originally Posted by JOM

Btw how come you get only numeric input?

Now I'm kind-of aware that in order for the canvas to receive the letters from the numeric keypad it would have to implement MCoeFepAwareTextEditor (and it doesn't). Not sure what I'll make out of this...