How to turn off the popup keyboard

[jgoff]

When using a BT ext. keyboard (Dell), is there a way to keep the popup keyboard from cluttering the screen. I obviously don't need it when I have a physical keyboard.

I'm using the BTstack Keyboard (because I'm also using BTstack Mouse).

I'm a IPAD newbie so I don't know where to look for a tweak that controls the behavior of the on screen keyboard popup.

I am quite pleased to be able to use a standard keyboard & mouse with my IPAD2. Removing this one last annoyance would really make my day.

Thanks for advice on this matter.

-Jim

P.S. Please avoid commenting on the morality of using a mouse with a tablet. Once one resorts to an external keyboard, it's a bit foolish to use anything but. Thanks.

 

[jsh1120]

Hmmm....Are you saying that both the bluetooth physical keyboard and the onscreen keyboard are simultaneously active? I haven't had this problem with either the Apple Wireless Keyboard or the Microsoft 6000 Bluetooth Portable keyboard. Once paired, the onscreen keyboard disappears when I turn the physical keyboard on.

This happens even if the onscreen keyboard is "up" when I'm in an app that expects entry. The onscreen keyboard simply disappears when I turn on the physical keyboard. So are you sure your physical keyboard is turned on when this happens? (Apologies if that's a more than obvious issue to you already.)

Don't have my iPad handy but I believe there is a key on the onscreen keyboard to "disappear" the keyboard, right? Have you tried touching that button to see if it solves your problem? Not ideal, I'll grant, but if your physical keyboard is active, you can at least eliminate the on screen keyboard.

P.S. It does occur to me that if you're using a combo keyboard and mouse the iPad may not be recognizing it as a keyboard even if the keyboard functionality works. If the iPad thinks your keyboard/mouse combo is simply a mouse, it may keep the virtual keyboard active.

 

[twerppoet]

On the Apple Keyboard the Eject key will pop the on screen keyboard up/down. It should be down by default.

If you don't have this handy eject key (and the touch keyboard appears for some reason), you should be able to get rid of it by taping the key at the bottom right of the touch keyboard. It looks like a little keyboard with down arrow under it.

 

[jsh1120]

If you don't have this handy eject key (and the touch keyboard appears for some reason), you should be able to get rid of it by taping the key at the bottom right of the touch keyboard. It looks like a little keyboard with down arrow under it.

Will duct tape work?

Sorry. I couldn't resist.

 

[twerppoet]

If you don't have this handy eject key (and the touch keyboard appears for some reason), you should be able to get rid of it by taping the key at the bottom right of the touch keyboard. It looks like a little keyboard with down arrow under it.

Will duct tape work?

Sorry. I couldn't resist.

So you stuck it to me?

With all due respect to Red Green, perhaps this is one project that duct tape will not fix. Then again, you never know with that show.

 

[jgoff]

I can get the popup keyboard down, but it won't stay down

I don't mind pressing the lower-right "pop-down" key once at the beginning of an application, but to have to press it 50 to 100 times is a bit much. There must be a tweak to disable it until further notice.

It's possible that the BTstack Mouse somehow obscures the proper messaging of the BTstack Keyboard. With not many users mousing around, I can see how a minor glitch has gone unnoticed. It's not that the the BT keyboard & mouse are working well, it's just that the constant popup activity is distracting and wasteful of valuable screen real-estate.

Thanks for all responses so far.

Jim Goff

P.S. I'd be grateful if the duct tape people would tell me exactly where to apply the tape to achieve the desired effect.

 

[twerppoet]

I can't help with the jailbreak tweak, except to say that the behavior you describe is not how my stock iPad behaves, so you are probably guessing in the right direction.

I'm still mulling over the best duct tape solution.

 

[jsh1120]

I don't mind pressing the lower-right "pop-down" key once at the beginning of an application, but to have to press it 50 to 100 times is a bit much. There must be a tweak to disable it until further notice.

It's possible that the BTstack Mouse somehow obscures the proper messaging of the BTstack Keyboard. With not many users mousing around, I can see how a minor glitch has gone unnoticed. It's not that the the BT keyboard & mouse are working well, it's just that the constant popup activity is distracting and wasteful of valuable screen real-estate.

Thanks for all responses so far.

Jim Goff

P.S. I'd be grateful if the duct tape people would tell me exactly where to apply the tape to achieve the desired effect.

Jim, I, too, am guessing that you're pointing in the right direction. I'm no expert about how devices are recognized in a bluetooth environment, but I did find that the separate number pad that came with my Microsoft Bluetooth keyboard could not be paired with the iPad while the keyboard itself works flawlessly. In contrast, on my PC, each is recognized and supported. It struck me as odd that the two closely related devices (with overlapping functionality) would be treated differently.

I'm guessing that the iPad doesn't truly "believe" that the Dell Stack keyboard is "really" a keyboard from time to time. And while it recognizes the mouse commands, it may at that point think that you're using a mouse but not a keyboard.