Question

I want to get user input for my OpenGL ES 2.0 application, but there are 2 problems:

• 1) How can I bring the software keyboard to the front of my app?
• 2) How can I catch input from it?

I tried to use this:

//OpenGL ES 2.0 view class
public class OGLES2View extends GLSurfaceView 
{
    private static final int OGLES_VERSION = 2;
    private static Handler softKeyboardHandler;
    private final static int SHOW_IME_KEYBOARD = 0;
    private final static int HIDE_IME_KEYBOARD = 1;
    private static EditText textEdit;
    private static  InputMethodManager imm;

    private void setSoftKeyboardHandler()
    {
        softKeyboardHandler = new Handler()
        {
            public void handleMessage(Message msg)
            {
                switch(msg.what)
                {
                    case SHOW_IME_KEYBOARD:
                        textEdit.requestFocus();
                        imm.showSoftInput(textEdit,inputMethodManager.SHOW_IMPLICIT);//Nothing happens
                        Log.i("GLVIEW","SHOW KEYBOARD");
                        break;

                    case HIDE_IME_KEYBOARD:
                        imm.hideSoftInput(textEdit, 0);
                        Log.i("GLVIEW","HIDE KEYBOARD");
                        break;

                    default:
                        break;
                }
            }
        };
    }

    public OGLES2View(Context context) 
    {
        super(context);
        textEdit = new EditText(context);
        setEGLContextClientVersion(OGLES_VERSION);
        setRenderer(new OGLES2Renderer());
        imm = (InputMethodManager)context.getSystemService(Context.INPUT_METHOD_SERVICE);
        setSoftKeyboardHandler();
    }

    public static void showIMEKeyboard() 
    {
        softKeyboardHandler.sendEmptyMessage(SHOW_IME_KEYBOARD);
    }

    public static void hideIMEKeyboard()
    {
        softKeyboardHandler.sendEmptyMessage(HIDE_IME_KEYBOARD);
    }

    //In main activity class
    private GLSurfaceView ogles2SurfaceView = null;

    @Override
    public void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState)
    {
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
        //...
        ogles2SurfaceView = new OGLES2View(this);
        setContentView(ogles2SurfaceView);
    }

Handler gets messages, but I got no software keyboard.
To catch text, I wrote some class:

public class TextInputWatcher implements TextWatcher

and:

textEdit.addTextChangedListener(/*TextInputWatcher instance*/);

Or extend a TextEdit so it catches inputed text on back or enter key.

P.S. I got a tablet – transformer, so there is a hardware keyboard attached. I tried with it and without, but no difference. So bonus question – if there is a hardware keyboard will it prevent a software keyboard from popping up and how can input be gotten from it then?.

Answer 1

Show keyboard:

getWindow().setSoftInputMode(WindowManager.LayoutParams.SOFT_INPUT_STATE_ALWAYS_VISIBLE);

Hide keyboard:

getWindow().setSoftInputMode(WindowManager.LayoutParams.SOFT_INPUT_STATE_ALWAYS_HIDDEN);