Build Your Own Arcade Controls Forum

Main => Software Forum => Topic started by: Visitor Q on July 15, 2009, 08:19:54 pm

Title: Touchscreen Help, Ditching The Keyboard
Post by: Visitor Q on July 15, 2009, 08:19:54 pm
So I got my new touchscreen all setup with PopCap games and it works great, even got the Mame Games working. SWEET!

With that said, the problem I keep running into is needing a damn keyboard to enter player's names etc..

Has anyone worked out a way to bring up a virtual on screen keyboard with a button press or something? I want to ditch my dang keyboard so freakin' bad! RRRrrrrrrr!!!!

Hoping someone has figure out a way to do this already... POST UP PLEASE!
Title: Re: Touchscreen Help, Ditching The Keyboard
Post by: Kevin Mullins on July 15, 2009, 08:22:41 pm
I ran into the same trouble with some games still requiring a keyboard for this or that.
I hadn't been working on any touchscreen projects lately, so I hadn't gotten past that point either. I had been working with SimpleTouchFE, but don't recall if it had an onscreen keyboard option or not.
Title: Re: Touchscreen Help, Ditching The Keyboard
Post by: Visitor Q on July 15, 2009, 08:26:25 pm
I ran into the same trouble with some games still requiring a keyboard for this or that.
I hadn't been working on any touchscreen projects lately, so I hadn't gotten past that point either. I had been working with SimpleTouchFE, but don't recall if it had an onscreen keyboard option or not.

I am using that Front End as well. It would be awesome if there was some way for it to put a little icon in the corner of all the games on top, you touch it and it brings up a keyboard.

I mean... How cool would that be?!
Title: Re: Touchscreen Help, Ditching The Keyboard
Post by: maddags on July 16, 2009, 12:22:11 am
I'm too having the same problem,  got jukebox with popcap games and using simpletouch FE.  I thought about activating the onscreen keyboard in VISTA (that's what i'm running), but have got around to trying it. I have a link to XM radio website but need to enter login info to access channel listings.  I'll give it a try and let you know.
Title: Re: Touchscreen Help, Ditching The Keyboard
Post by: Visitor Q on July 16, 2009, 07:22:51 am
I just wish there was an always on top little keyboard icon that sat down in the corner of my screen and by this, I mean even when games are launched full screen. I know it's a long shot but it is what is truly needed to get away from that keyboard.

I know there are a lot of smart people out there so hopefully someone here can help us figure it out.
Title: Re: Touchscreen Help, Ditching The Keyboard
Post by: Firebat138 on February 08, 2011, 12:35:43 pm
Did anyone ever get a solution to this...  Starting project soon....  Thanx all...
Title: Re: Touchscreen Help, Ditching The Keyboard
Post by: Hoopz on February 08, 2011, 01:29:43 pm
If it's a windows machine, you can create a shortcut to the onscreen keyboard and put it in the taskbar.  Not perfect but a start.  Or link to the file (osk.exe) in your front end?  I am at work so I can't play around with too many options but that looks to be an easy way to do it.

The app is found in Windows ->, System 32 folder as OSK.exe.
Title: Re: Touchscreen Help, Ditching The Keyboard
Post by: BobA on February 09, 2011, 10:04:37 am
Free virtual keyboard software.

Click N Type (http://cnt.lakefolks.com/)
Title: Re: Touchscreen Help, Ditching The Keyboard
Post by: BobbyG66 on February 09, 2011, 12:12:28 pm
The app is found in Windows ->, System 32 folder as OSK.exe.
Very cool, didn't know that was there.

How about adding a button and setting it up to launch osk.exe?
Maybe press the button once to launch it, press again to close it?
Title: Re: Touchscreen Help, Ditching The Keyboard
Post by: Hoopz on February 09, 2011, 12:16:03 pm
The app is found in Windows ->, System 32 folder as OSK.exe.
Very cool, didn't know that was there.

How about adding a button and setting it up to launch osk.exe?
Maybe press the button once to launch it, press again to close it?
That could work.  I think there are lots of ways to do this.
Title: Re: Touchscreen Help, Ditching The Keyboard
Post by: Firebat138 on February 09, 2011, 02:30:58 pm
I was thinking of something out of the future like a holographic pop up keyboard thing.... But if that is too complicated...  :-)
Title: Re: Touchscreen Help, Ditching The Keyboard
Post by: BadMouth on February 09, 2011, 02:50:01 pm
I was thinking of something out of the future like a holographic pop up keyboard thing.... But if that is too complicated...  :-)

Something like.....
(http://www.thinkgeek.com/images/products/zoom/virtual_keyboard.jpg)
http://www.thinkgeek.com/computing/keyboards-mice/8193/ (http://www.thinkgeek.com/computing/keyboards-mice/8193/)
(currently out of stock & I'm too lazy to look for another vendor)
Title: Re: Touchscreen Help, Ditching The Keyboard
Post by: Kevin Mullins on February 11, 2011, 10:17:10 pm
I have been using an onscreen keyboard called Touch-It (http://www.chessware.ch/virtual-keyboard/)
I'm running STFE as the frontend and the newer version will allow you to designate a spot on the screen, like top right corner or whatever, to double tap and call it up.
I liked Touch-It because it was simple, customizable and it had an easily accessible button to CLOSE it once you were done typing your name and such in.

The only problem I have (and this was with ANY onscreen keyboards) was that some of the games don't like it to be displayed "on top of" the game fully. So it will come up and be kind of translucent and flicker. Still usable, just a bit more difficult to read the keys.
Title: Re: Touchscreen Help, Ditching The Keyboard
Post by: drventure on February 11, 2011, 11:38:58 pm
here's one of those laser keyboard for 109

http://www.n1wireless.com/Bluetooth_Keyboard-I_Tech_Virtual_Keyboard.html (http://www.n1wireless.com/Bluetooth_Keyboard-I_Tech_Virtual_Keyboard.html)

I gotta figure out how to put one of those in...