How can you make a custom keyboard in Android? - Stack ...

System keyboard. This answer tells how to make a custom system keyboard that can be used in any app that a user has installed on their phone. Home Public Questions Tags Users Collectives ExploreCollectives FindaJob Jobs Companies Teams StackOverflowforTeams –Collaborateandshareknowledgewithaprivategroup. CreateafreeTeam WhatisTeams? Teams CreatefreeTeam CollectivesonStackOverflow Findcentralized,trustedcontentandcollaboratearoundthetechnologiesyouusemost. Learnmore Teams Q&Aforwork Connectandshareknowledgewithinasinglelocationthatisstructuredandeasytosearch. Learnmore HowcanyoumakeacustomkeyboardinAndroid? AskQuestion Asked 9years,8monthsago Active 1year,1monthago Viewed 227ktimes 133 104 Iwanttomakeacustomkeyboard.Idon'tknowhowtodoitusingXMLandJava.ThefollowingpictureisamodelofthekeyboardIwanttomake.Itonlyneedsnumbers. androidkeyboard Share Follow editedJul6'19at13:03 DogLover 55811goldbadge55silverbadges1818bronzebadges askedMar6'12at2:57 XX_brotherXX_brother 1,49744goldbadges1717silverbadges1515bronzebadges 3 6 [CreateYourOwnCustomKeyboardusingXMLLayoutsforAndroidDevices](tutorials-android.blogspot.com/2011/06/…) – Jorgesys Mar6'12at3:14 1 ThereisagoodtutorialatTuts:link – HamedGhadirian Nov11'15at20:21 Googlehasasample"SoftKeyboard"project,ortherearequitealotofresourceslinkedhere:customkeyboarddetails.blogspot.com/2019/02/… – oliversisson Feb1'19at20:00 Addacomment  |  9Answers 9 Active Oldest Votes 109 Systemkeyboard Thisanswertellshowtomakeacustomsystemkeyboardthatcanbeusedinanyappthatauserhasinstalledontheirphone.Ifyouwanttomakeakeyboardthatwillonlybeusedwithinyourownapp,thenseemyotheranswer. Theexamplebelowwilllooklikethis.Youcanmodifyitforanykeyboardlayout. Thefollowingstepsshowhowtocreateaworkingcustomsystemkeyboard.AsmuchaspossibleItriedtoremoveanyunnecessarycode.Ifthereareotherfeaturesthatyouneed,Iprovidedlinkstomorehelpattheend. 1.StartanewAndroidproject Inamedmyproject"CustomKeyboard".Callitwhateveryouwant.Thereisnothingelsespecialhere.IwilljustleavetheMainActivityand"HelloWorld!"layoutasitis. 2.Addthelayoutfiles Addthefollowingtwofilestoyourapp'sres/layoutfolder: keyboard_view.xml key_preview.xml keyboard_view.xml Thisviewislikeacontainerthatwillholdourkeyboard.Inthisexamplethereisonlyonekeyboard,butyoucouldaddotherkeyboardsandswaptheminandoutofthisKeyboardView. key_preview.xml Thekeypreviewisalayoutthatpopsupwhenyoupressakeyboardkey.Itjustshowswhatkeyyouarepressing(incaseyourbig,fatfingersarecoveringit).Thisisn'tamultiplechoicepopup.ForthatyoushouldcheckouttheCandidatesview. 3.Addsupportingxmlfiles Createanxmlfolderinyourresfolder.(RightclickresandchooseNew>Directory.) Thenaddthefollowingtwoxmlfilestoit.(RightclickthexmlfolderandchooseNew>XMLresourcefile.) number_pad.xml method.xml number_pad.xml Thisiswhereitstartstogetmoreinteresting.ThisKeyboarddefinesthelayoutofthekeys. Herearesomethingstonote: keyWidth:Thisisthedefaultwidthofeachkey.The20%pmeansthateachkeyshouldtakeup20%ofthewidthoftheparent.Itcanbeoverriddenbyindividualkeys,though,asyoucanseehappenedwiththeDeleteandEnterkeysinthethirdrow. keyHeight:Itishardcodedhere,butyoucouldusesomethinglike@dimen/key_heighttosetitdynamicallyfordifferentscreensizes. Gap:Thehorizontalandverticalgaptellshowmuchspacetoleavebetweenkeys.Evenifyousetitto0pxthereisstillasmallgap. codes:ThiscanbeaUnicodeorcustomcodevaluethatdetermineswhathappensorwhatisinputwhenthekeyispressed.SeekeyOutputTextifyouwanttoinputalongerUnicodestring. keyLabel:Thisisthetextthatisdisplayedonthekey. keyEdgeFlags:Thisindicateswhichedgethekeyshouldbealignedto. isRepeatable:Ifyouholddownthekeyitwillkeeprepeatingtheinput. method.xml Thisfiletellsthesystemtheinputmethodsubtypesthatareavailable.Iamjustincludingaminimalversionhere. 4.AddtheJavacodetohandlekeyinput CreateanewJavafile.Let'scallitMyInputMethodService.Thisfiletieseverythingtogether.Ithandlesinputreceivedfromthekeyboardandsendsitontowhateverviewisreceivingit(anEditText,forexample). publicclassMyInputMethodServiceextendsInputMethodServiceimplementsKeyboardView.OnKeyboardActionListener{ @Override publicViewonCreateInputView(){ //gettheKeyboardViewandaddourKeyboardlayouttoit KeyboardViewkeyboardView=(KeyboardView)getLayoutInflater().inflate(R.layout.keyboard_view,null); Keyboardkeyboard=newKeyboard(this,R.xml.number_pad); keyboardView.setKeyboard(keyboard); keyboardView.setOnKeyboardActionListener(this); returnkeyboardView; } @Override publicvoidonKey(intprimaryCode,int[]keyCodes){ InputConnectionic=getCurrentInputConnection(); if(ic==null)return; switch(primaryCode){ caseKeyboard.KEYCODE_DELETE: CharSequenceselectedText=ic.getSelectedText(0); if(TextUtils.isEmpty(selectedText)){ //noselection,sodeletepreviouscharacter ic.deleteSurroundingText(1,0); }else{ //deletetheselection ic.commitText("",1); } break; default: charcode=(char)primaryCode; ic.commitText(String.valueOf(code),1); } } @Override publicvoidonPress(intprimaryCode){} @Override publicvoidonRelease(intprimaryCode){} @Override publicvoidonText(CharSequencetext){} @Override publicvoidswipeLeft(){} @Override publicvoidswipeRight(){} @Override publicvoidswipeDown(){} @Override publicvoidswipeUp(){} } Notes: TheOnKeyboardActionListenerlistensforkeyboardinput.Itisalsorequiresallthoseemptymethodsinthisexample. TheInputConnectioniswhatisusedtosendinputtoanotherviewlikeanEditText. 5.Updatethemanifest Iputthislastratherthanfirstbecauseitreferstothefileswealreadyaddedabove.Toregisteryourcustomkeyboardasasystemkeyboard,youneedtoaddaservicesectiontoyourAndroidManifest.xmlfile.Putitintheapplicationsectionafteractivity. ... That'sit!Youshouldbeabletorunyourappnow.However,youwon'tseemuchuntilyouenableyourkeyboardinthesettings. 6.EnablethekeyboardinSettings EveryuserwhowantstouseyourkeyboardwillhavetoenableitintheAndroidsettings.Fordetailedinstructionsonhowtodothat,seethefollowinglink: HowtosetthedefaultkeyboardonyourAndroidphone Hereisasummary: GotoAndroidSettings>Languagesandinput>Currentkeyboard>Choosekeyboards. YoushouldseeyourCustomKeyboardonthelist.Enableit. GobackandchooseCurrentkeyboardagain.YoushouldseeyourCustomKeyboardonthelist.Chooseit. NowyoushouldbeabletouseyourkeyboardanywherethatyoucantypeinAndroid. Furtherstudy Thekeyboardaboveisusable,buttocreateakeyboardthatotherpeoplewillwanttouseyouwillprobablyhavetoaddmorefunctionality.Studythelinksbelowtolearnhow. CreatinganInputMethod(Androiddocumentation) SoftKeyboard(sourcecodefromAndroidforademocustomkeyboard) BuildingaCustomAndroidKeyboard(tutorial)(sourcecode) CreateaCustomKeyboardonAndroid(tutsplustutorial) Howtocreatecustomkeyboardforandroid(YouTubevideo:ItissoundlessbutfollowingalongishowIfirstlearnedhowtodothis.) GoingOn Don'tlikehowthestandardKeyboardViewlooksandbehaves?Icertainlydon't.Itlookslikeithasn'tbeenupdatedsinceAndroid2.0.HowaboutallthosecustomkeyboardsinthePlayStore?Theydon'tlookanythingliketheuglykeyboardabove. Thegoodnewsisthatyoucancompletelycustomizeyourownkeyboard'slookandbehavior.Youwillneedtodothefollowingthings: CreateyourowncustomkeyboardviewthatsubclassesViewGroup.YoucouldfillitwithButtonsorevenmakeyourowncustomkeyviewsthatsubclassView.Ifyouusepopupviews,thennotethis. Addacustomeventlistenerinterfaceinyourkeyboard.CallitsmethodsforthingslikeonKeyClicked(Stringtext)oronBackspace(). Youdon'tneedtoaddthekeyboard_view.xml,key_preview.xml,ornumber_pad.xmldescribedinthedirectionsabovesincetheseareallforthestandardKeyboardView.YouwillhandlealltheseUIaspectsinyourcustomview. InyourMyInputMethodServiceclass,implementthecustomkeyboardlistenerthatyoudefinedinyourkeyboardclass.ThisisinplaceofKeyboardView.OnKeyboardActionListener,whichisnolongerneeded. InyourMyInputMethodServiceclass'sonCreateInputView()method,createandreturnaninstanceofyourcustomkeyboard.Don'tforgettosetthekeyboard'scustomlistenertothis. Share Follow editedMay24'19at15:32 answeredJul6'17at4:27 SuragchSuragch 397k256256goldbadges12291229silverbadges12661266bronzebadges 0 Addacomment  |  91 Firstofallyouwillneedakeyboard.xmlfilewhichwillbeplacedintheres/xmlfolder(ifthefolderdoesnotexist,createdit). **Notethatyouwillhavetocreatethebackspacedrawableandplaceitintheres/drawable-ldpifolderwithaverysmallsize(like18x18pixels) Theninthexmlfilethatyouwantittobeused(whereyourTextViewisin)youshouldaddthefollowingcode: ..... ...... **Notethatthexmlfilethatyouwillplacetheandroid.inputmethodservice.KeyboardViewin,hastobeRelativeLayoutinordertobeabletosetthealignParentBottom="true"(Usuallythekeyboardsarepresentedinthebottomofthescreen) ThenyouneedtoaddthefollowingcodeintheonCreatefunctionoftheActivitythathandlestheTextViewyouwanttoattachthekeyboardto //CreatetheKeyboard mKeyboard=newKeyboard(this,R.xml.keyboard); //LookuptheKeyboardView mKeyboardView=(KeyboardView)findViewById(R.id.keyboardview); //Attachthekeyboardtotheview mKeyboardView.setKeyboard(mKeyboard); //Donotshowthepreviewballoons //mKeyboardView.setPreviewEnabled(false); //Installthekeyhandler mKeyboardView.setOnKeyboardActionListener(mOnKeyboardActionListener); **NotethatmKeyboardandmKeyboardViewareprivateclassvariablesthatyouhavetocreate. Thenyouneedthefollowingfunctionforopeningthekeyboard(youmustassociateitwiththeTextViewthroughtheonClickxmlproperty) publicvoidopenKeyboard(Viewv) { mKeyboardView.setVisibility(View.VISIBLE); mKeyboardView.setEnabled(true); if(v!=null)((InputMethodManager)getSystemService(Activity.INPUT_METHOD_SERVICE)).hideSoftInputFromWindow(v.getWindowToken(),0); } AndfinallyyouneedtheOnKeyboardActionListenerthatwillhandleyourevents privateOnKeyboardActionListenermOnKeyboardActionListener=newOnKeyboardActionListener(){ @OverridepublicvoidonKey(intprimaryCode,int[]keyCodes) { //HerechecktheprimaryCodetoseewhichkeyispressed //basedontheandroid:codesproperty if(primaryCode==1) { Log.i("Key","Youjustpressed1button"); } } @OverridepublicvoidonPress(intarg0){ } @OverridepublicvoidonRelease(intprimaryCode){ } @OverridepublicvoidonText(CharSequencetext){ } @OverridepublicvoidswipeDown(){ } @OverridepublicvoidswipeLeft(){ } @OverridepublicvoidswipeRight(){ } @OverridepublicvoidswipeUp(){ } }; Hopethathelps!!! Mostofthecodefoundhere ____________________________________________________________- EDIT: SinceKeyboardViewisdepreciatedsinceAPIlevel29,youcanfinditscodeinthiswebsiteandcreateaclassinyourcodebeforeimplementingthekeyboardasdescribedabove. Share Follow editedAug20'20at8:17 answeredJul27'14at9:50 PontiosPontios 2,0832121silverbadges2727bronzebadges 5 3 WhatifIdon'twantthekeyboardtobeonthebottomofthescreen?(e.g.Iwanttheusertobeabletodragitaround).IsthatsomethingIcancontrolviamykeyboardapporisithandledbytheandroidsystem? – user3294126 Mar2'16at21:05 thekeyboardwidthisnotfillingthescreenwhatshouldidotomakeitfillinallscreens – GeorgeThomas Aug9'16at7:31 whatistheparentlayoutthattheKeyboardViewisin?Alsohaveyoucheckedthelayout_widthoftheKeyboardView?? – Pontios Aug9'16at12:37 1 PleasebeawarethatKeyboardViewandKeyboardclassesaredeprecatedbyGooglesinceAPIlevel29.SothissolutionwillnotworkanymoreinfutureifyouhavetotargetanewerAPIlevel. – maex Nov14'19at7:03 3 keyboardViewisdeprecatedbygoogle.whatisnewsolution? – tohidmahmoudvand Jul25'20at3:04 Addacomment  |  47 In-AppKeyboard Thisanswertellshowtomakeacustomkeyboardtouseexclusivelywithinyourapp.Ifyouwanttomakeasystemkeyboardthatcanbeusedinanyapp,thenseemyotheranswer. Theexamplewilllooklikethis.Youcanmodifyitforanykeyboardlayout. 1.StartanewAndroidproject InamedmyprojectInAppKeyboard.Callyourswhateveryouwant. 2.Addthelayoutfiles Keyboardlayout Addalayoutfiletores/layoutfolder.Icalledminekeyboard.Thekeyboardwillbeacustomcompoundviewthatwewillinflatefromthisxmllayoutfile.Youcanusewhateverlayoutyouliketoarrangethekeys,butIamusingaLinearLayout.Notethemergetags. res/layout/keyboard.xml Activitylayout FordemonstrationpurposesouractivityhasasingleEditTextandthekeyboardisatthebottom.IcalledmycustomkeyboardviewMyKeyboard.(Wewilladdthiscodesoonsoignoretheerrorfornow.)Thebenefitofputtingallofourkeyboardcodeintoasingleviewisthatitmakesiteasytoreuseinanotheractivityorapp. res/layout/activity_main.xml 3.AddtheKeyboardJavafile AddanewJavafile.IcalledmineMyKeyboard. ThemostimportantthingtonotehereisthatthereisnohardlinktoanyEditTextorActivity.Thismakesiteasytoplugitintoanyapporactivitythatneedsit.ThiscustomkeyboardviewalsousesanInputConnection,whichmimicsthewayasystemkeyboardcommunicateswithanEditText.Thisishowweavoidthehardlinks. MyKeyboardisacompoundviewthatinflatestheviewlayoutwedefinedabove. MyKeyboard.java publicclassMyKeyboardextendsLinearLayoutimplementsView.OnClickListener{ //constructors publicMyKeyboard(Contextcontext){ this(context,null,0); } publicMyKeyboard(Contextcontext,AttributeSetattrs){ this(context,attrs,0); } publicMyKeyboard(Contextcontext,AttributeSetattrs,intdefStyleAttr){ super(context,attrs,defStyleAttr); init(context,attrs); } //keyboardkeys(buttons) privateButtonmButton1; privateButtonmButton2; privateButtonmButton3; privateButtonmButton4; privateButtonmButton5; privateButtonmButton6; privateButtonmButton7; privateButtonmButton8; privateButtonmButton9; privateButtonmButton0; privateButtonmButtonDelete; privateButtonmButtonEnter; //ThiswillmapthebuttonresourceidtotheStringvaluethatwewantto //inputwhenthatbuttonisclicked. SparseArraykeyValues=newSparseArray<>(); //OurcommunicationlinktotheEditText InputConnectioninputConnection; privatevoidinit(Contextcontext,AttributeSetattrs){ //initializebuttons LayoutInflater.from(context).inflate(R.layout.keyboard,this,true); mButton1=(Button)findViewById(R.id.button_1); mButton2=(Button)findViewById(R.id.button_2); mButton3=(Button)findViewById(R.id.button_3); mButton4=(Button)findViewById(R.id.button_4); mButton5=(Button)findViewById(R.id.button_5); mButton6=(Button)findViewById(R.id.button_6); mButton7=(Button)findViewById(R.id.button_7); mButton8=(Button)findViewById(R.id.button_8); mButton9=(Button)findViewById(R.id.button_9); mButton0=(Button)findViewById(R.id.button_0); mButtonDelete=(Button)findViewById(R.id.button_delete); mButtonEnter=(Button)findViewById(R.id.button_enter); //setbuttonclicklisteners mButton1.setOnClickListener(this); mButton2.setOnClickListener(this); mButton3.setOnClickListener(this); mButton4.setOnClickListener(this); mButton5.setOnClickListener(this); mButton6.setOnClickListener(this); mButton7.setOnClickListener(this); mButton8.setOnClickListener(this); mButton9.setOnClickListener(this); mButton0.setOnClickListener(this); mButtonDelete.setOnClickListener(this); mButtonEnter.setOnClickListener(this); //mapbuttonsIDstoinputstrings keyValues.put(R.id.button_1,"1"); keyValues.put(R.id.button_2,"2"); keyValues.put(R.id.button_3,"3"); keyValues.put(R.id.button_4,"4"); keyValues.put(R.id.button_5,"5"); keyValues.put(R.id.button_6,"6"); keyValues.put(R.id.button_7,"7"); keyValues.put(R.id.button_8,"8"); keyValues.put(R.id.button_9,"9"); keyValues.put(R.id.button_0,"0"); keyValues.put(R.id.button_enter,"\n"); } @Override publicvoidonClick(Viewv){ //donothingiftheInputConnectionhasnotbeensetyet if(inputConnection==null)return; //Deletetextorinputkeyvalue //AllcommunicationgoesthroughtheInputConnection if(v.getId()==R.id.button_delete){ CharSequenceselectedText=inputConnection.getSelectedText(0); if(TextUtils.isEmpty(selectedText)){ //noselection,sodeletepreviouscharacter inputConnection.deleteSurroundingText(1,0); }else{ //deletetheselection inputConnection.commitText("",1); } }else{ Stringvalue=keyValues.get(v.getId()); inputConnection.commitText(value,1); } } //Theactivity(orsomeparentorcontroller)mustgiveus //areferencetothecurrentEditText'sInputConnection publicvoidsetInputConnection(InputConnectionic){ this.inputConnection=ic; } } 4.PointthekeyboardtotheEditText Forsystemkeyboards,AndroidusesanInputMethodManagertopointthekeyboardtothefocusedEditText.Inthisexample,theactivitywilltakeitsplacebyprovidingthelinkfromtheEditTexttoourcustomkeyboardto. Sincewearen'tusingthesystemkeyboard,weneedtodisableittokeepitfrompoppingupwhenwetouchtheEditText.Second,weneedtogettheInputConnectionfromtheEditTextandgiveittoourkeyboard. MainActivity.java publicclassMainActivityextendsAppCompatActivity{ @Override protectedvoidonCreate(BundlesavedInstanceState){ super.onCreate(savedInstanceState); setContentView(R.layout.activity_main); EditTexteditText=(EditText)findViewById(R.id.editText); MyKeyboardkeyboard=(MyKeyboard)findViewById(R.id.keyboard); //preventsystemkeyboardfromappearingwhenEditTextistapped editText.setRawInputType(InputType.TYPE_CLASS_TEXT); editText.setTextIsSelectable(true); //passtheInputConnectionfromtheEditTexttothekeyboard InputConnectionic=editText.onCreateInputConnection(newEditorInfo()); keyboard.setInputConnection(ic); } } IfyourActivityhasmultipleEditTexts,thenyouwillneedtowritecodetopasstherightEditText'sInputConnectiontothekeyboard.(YoucandothisbyaddinganOnFocusChangeListenerandOnClickListenertotheEditTexts.Seethisarticleforadiscussionofthat.)Youmayalsowanttohideorshowyourkeyboardatappropriatetimes. Finished That'sit.Youshouldbeabletoruntheexampleappnowandinputordeletetextasdesired.Yournextstepistomodifyeverythingtofityourownneeds.Forexample,insomeofmykeyboardsI'veusedTextViewsratherthanButtonsbecauseitiseasiertocustomizethem. Notes Inthexmllayoutfile,youcouldalsouseaTextViewratheraButtonifyouwanttomakethekeyslookbetter.Thenjustmakethebackgroundbeadrawablethatchangestheappearancestatewhenpressed. Advancedcustomkeyboards:Formoreflexibilityinkeyboardappearanceandkeyboardswitching,IamnowmakingcustomkeyviewsthatsubclassViewandcustomkeyboardsthatsubclassViewGroup.Thekeyboardlaysoutallthekeysprogrammatically.Thekeysuseaninterfacetocommunicatewiththekeyboard(similartohowfragmentscommunicatewithanactivity).Thisisnotnecessaryifyouonlyneedasinglekeyboardlayoutsincethexmllayoutworksfineforthat.ButifyouwanttoseeanexampleofwhatIhavebeenworkingon,checkoutalltheKey*andKeyboard*classeshere.NotethatIalsouseacontainerviewtherewhosefunctionitistoswapkeyboardsinandout. Share Follow editedFeb7'18at16:28 answeredJul10'17at7:06 SuragchSuragch 397k256256goldbadges12291229silverbadges12661266bronzebadges 15 youranswerisgreat,buthowcanwesettogglingbetweenanoriginalkeyboardandthisnewkeyboard. – KishanDonga Mar20'18at6:35 @KishanDonga,Onyourkeyboardyoucanaddakeytoswitchkeyboards.WhentheuserpressesitcallInputMethodManager#showInputMethodPicker().Iftheoriginalkeyboarddoesnothavesuchakey,though,theonlywayuserscanswitchtoyourkeyboardistodoitmanuallyinthesystemsettings.AppleissuperiortoAndroidinthisarea,becauseApplerequiresallkeyboardstohaveakeyboardswitchingkey. – Suragch Mar20'18at7:56 @KishanDonga,Ijustrealizedthatthisanswerisaboutanin-appkeyboard,notthesystemkeyboard.Ifyouwanttoswapbetweentwocustomkeyboards,thenyoucanprogrammaticallyswaptheminandoutofacontainerview.Justaddaswapkeyboardskeyonbothkeyboards.Seemy"advancedcustomkeyboards"noteandlinkintheanswerabove. – Suragch Mar20'18at8:02 2 @MarekTakac,youwillneedtodisablethesystemkeyboardandaddyourcustomkeyboardineveryactivity.IfanactivityhasmultipleEditTextsthenyouwillneedtoaddanonFocusChangedListenertothemsothatwhentheyreceivefocusyoucanassigntheInputConnectionfromthecurrentEditTexttoyourcustomkeyboard. – Suragch Jul15'18at10:58 3 "preventsystemkeyboardfromappearingwhenEditTextistapped"isnotworking,thesystemkeyboardstillpopsup.editText.setShowSoftInputOnFocus(false);andnowworks – MiguelPynto Apr9at11:52  |  Show10morecomments 31 UseKeyboardView: KeyboardViewkbd=newKeyboardView(context); kbd.setKeyboard(newKeyboard(this,R.xml.custom)); kbd.setOnKeyboardActionListener(newOnKeyboardActionListener(){ .... } nowyouhavekbdwhichisanormalview. ThenicethingaboutthisisthatR.xml.customrefersto/res/xml/custom.xml,whichdefinesinxmlthelayoutofthekeyboard.Formoreinformationonthisfile,lookhere:Keyboard,Keyboard.Row,Keyboard.Key. Share Follow answeredAug12'12at16:20 bigstonesbigstones 14.7k66goldbadges6464silverbadges8181bronzebadges 1 4 IamusingKeyboardViewclass,butasofAPI29,itisnowdeprecated. – Abhijit May2'20at3:47 Addacomment  |  14 Hereisasampleprojectforasoftkeyboard. https://developer.android.com/guide/topics/text/creating-input-method.html Your'sshouldbeinthesamelineswithadifferentlayout. Edit: Ifyouneedthekeyboardonlyinyourapplication,itsverysimple! Createalinearlayoutwithverticalorientation,andcreate3linearlayoutsinsideitwithhorizontalorientation. Thenplacethebuttonsofeachrowineachofthosehorizontallinearlayouts,andassigntheweightpropertytothebuttons.Useandroid:layout_weight=1forallofthem,sotheygetequallyspaced. Thiswillsolve.Ifyoudidn'tgetwhatwasexpected,pleasepostthecodehere,andweareheretohelpyou! Share Follow editedMar6'14at22:32 FlorianBrucker 7,92933goldbadges3939silverbadges6464bronzebadges answeredMar6'12at3:11 nithinreddynithinreddy 6,06644goldbadges3636silverbadges4343bronzebadges 1 TheeditisactuallybadbecausethatwouldmeanthekeyboardisalwaysshownandwillnotbehavelikestockAndroidkeyboard. – m0skit0 Sep11'18at14:32 Addacomment  |  7 Oneofthebestwell-documentedexampleIfound. http://www.fampennings.nl/maarten/android/09keyboard/index.htm KeyboardViewrelatedXMLfileandsourcecodeareprovided. Share Follow answeredFeb9'14at8:30 YoungjaeYoungjae 22.4k1717goldbadges105105silverbadges186186bronzebadges 1 1 KeyboardViewisdeprecatednow – AlbertoM Jun22'20at14:34 Addacomment  |  6 IcameacrossthispostrecentlywhenIwastryingtodecidewhatmethodtousetocreatemyowncustomkeyboard.IfoundtheAndroidsystemAPItobeverylimited,soIdecidedtomakemyownin-appkeyboard.UsingSuragch'sanswerasthebasisformyresearch,Iwentontodesignmyownkeyboardcomponent.It'spostedonGitHubwithanMITlicense.Hopefullythiswillsavesomebodyelsealotoftimeandheadache. Thearchitectureisprettyflexible.Thereisonemainview(CustomKeyboardView)thatyoucaninjectwithwhateverkeyboardlayoutandcontrolleryouwant. YoujusthavetodeclaretheCustomKeyboardViewinyouactivityxml(youcandoitprogrammaticallyaswell): ThenregisteryourEditText'swithitandtellitwhattypeofkeyboardtheyshoulduse: overridefunonCreate(savedInstanceState:Bundle?){ super.onCreate(savedInstanceState) setContentView(R.layout.activity_main) valnumberField:EditText=findViewById(R.id.testNumberField) valnumberDecimalField:EditText=findViewById(R.id.testNumberDecimalField) valqwertyField:EditText=findViewById(R.id.testQwertyField) keyboard=findViewById(R.id.customKeyboardView) keyboard.registerEditText(CustomKeyboardView.KeyboardType.NUMBER,numberField) keyboard.registerEditText(CustomKeyboardView.KeyboardType.NUMBER_DECIMAL,numberDecimalField) keyboard.registerEditText(CustomKeyboardView.KeyboardType.QWERTY,qwertyField) } TheCustomKeyboardViewhandlestherest! I'vegottheballrollingwithaNumber,NumberDecimal,andQWERTYkeyboard.Feelfreetodownloaditandcreateyourownlayoutsandcontrollers.Itlookslikethis: Evenifthisisnotthearchitectureyoudecidetogowith,hopefullyit'llbehelpfultoseethesourcecodeforaworkingin-appkeyboard. Again,here'sthelinktotheproject:CustomIn-AppKeyboard EDIT:I'mnolongeranAndroiddeveloper,andInolongermaintainthisGitHubproject.Thereareprobablymoremodernapproachesandarchitecturesatthispoint,butpleasefeelfreetoreferencetheGitHubprojectifyou'dlikeandforkit. Share Follow editedOct17'20at13:26 answeredJul23'18at2:07 DonBrodyDonBrody 1,66722goldbadges1616silverbadges2828bronzebadges Addacomment  |  2 WellSuragchgavethebestanswersofarbutheskippedcertainminorstuffthatwasimportanttogettingtheappcompiled. IhopetomakeabetteranswerthanSuragchbyimprovingonhisanswer.Iwilladdallthemissingelementshedidntput. Icompiledmyapkusingtheandroidapp,APKBuilder1.1.0.Solet'sbegin. TobuildanAndroidappweneedcouplefilesandfoldersthatareorganizedinacertainformatandcapitalizedaccordingly. res layout->xmlfilesdepictinghowappwilllookon phone.Similartohowhtmlshapeshow webpagelooksonbrowser.Allowing yourapptofitonscreensaccordingly. values->constantdatasuchascolors.xml, strings.xml,styles.xml.Thesefilesmust beproperlyspelt. drawable->pics{jpeg,png,...};Namethem anything. mipmap->morepics.usedforappicon? xml->morexmlfiles. src ->actslikeJavaScriptinhtml.layout fileswillinitiatethestartingview andyourjavafilewilldynamically controlthetagelementsandtrigger events.Eventscanalsobeactivated directlyinthelayout.xmljustlikein html. AndroidManifest.xml-> Thisfileregisterswhatyourappisabout.Applicationname,Typeofprogram,permissionsneeded,etc.ThisseemstomakeAndroidrathersafe.ProgramsliterallycannotdowhattheydidntaskforintheManifest. Nowthereare4typesofAndroidprograms,anactivity,aservice,acontentprovider,andabroadcastreciever.Ourkeyboardwillbeaservice,whichallowsittoruninthebackground.Itwillnotappearinthelistofappstolaunch;butitcanbeuninstalled. Tocompileyourapp,involvesgradle,andapksigning.YoucanresearchthatoneoruseAPKBuilderforandroid.Itissupereasy. NowthatweunderstandAndroiddevelopment,letuscreatethefilesandfolders. CreatethefilesandfoldersasIdiscussedabove.Mydirectorywillookasfollows: NumPad AndroidManifest.xml src Saragch num_pad MyInputMethodService.java res drawable Suragch_NumPad_icon.png layout key_preview.xml keyboard_view.xml xml method.xml number_pad.xml values colors.xml strings.xml styles.xml RememberifyouareusinganidesuchasAndroidStudioitmayhaveaprojectfile. Writefiles. A:NumPad/res/layout/key_preview.xml B:NumPad/res/layout/keyboard_view.xml C:NumPad/res/xml/method.xml D:Numpad/res/xml/number_pad.xml Ofcoursethiscanbeeasilyeditedtoyourliking.Youcanevenuseimagesinsteadlfwordsforthelabel. SuragchdidntdemonstratethefilesinthevaluesfolderandassumedwehadaccesstoAndroidStudio;whichautomaticallycreatesthem.GoodthingIhaveAPKBuilder. E:NumPad/res/values/colors.xml #3F51B5 #303F9F #FF4081 F:NumPad/res/values/strings.xml SuragchNumPad G:NumPad/res/values/styles.xml H:Numpad/AndroidManifest.xml Thisisthefilethatwasreallyupforcontension.HereIfeltIwouldnevercompilemyprogram.sob.sob.IfyoucheckSuracgh'sansweryouseeheleavesthefirstsetoffieldsempty,andaddstheactivitytaginthisfile.AsIsaidtherearefourtypesofAndroidprograms.Anactivityisaregularappwithalaunchericon.Thisnumpadisnotanactivity!Furtherhedidntimplementanyactivity. Myfriendsdonotincludetheactivitytag.Yourprogramwillcompile,andwhenyoutrytolaunchitwillcrash!Asforxmlns:androidanduses-sdk;Icanthelpyouthere.Justtrymysettingsiftheywork. Asyoucanseethereisaservicetag,whichregisteritasaservice.Alsoservice.android:namemustbenameofpublicclassextendingserviceinourjavafile.ItMUSTbecapitalizedaccordingly.Alsopackageisthenameofthepackagewedeclaredinjavafile. I:NumPad/src/Saragch/num_pad/MyInputMethodService.java Note:Ithinkjavaisanalternativetosrc. Thiswasanotherproblemfilebutnotascontentiousasthemanifestfile.AsIknowJavagoodenoughtoknowwhatiswhat,whatisnot.IbarelyknowxmlandhowittiesinwithAndroiddevelopment! Theproblemherewashedidntimportanything!Imean,hegaveusa"complete"filewhichusesnamesthatcouldntberesolved!InputMethodService,Keyboard,etc.ThatisbadpracticeMr.Suragch.Thanksforhelpingmeoutbuthowdidyouexpectthecodetocompileifthenamescantberesolved? Followingisthecorrectlyeditedversion.Ijusthappenedtopounceuponcouplehintstodrovemetotherightplacetolearnwhatexactlytoimport. packageSaragch.num_pad; importandroid.inputmethodservice.InputMethodService; importandroid.inputmethodservice.KeyboardView; importandroid.inputmethodservice.Keyboard; importandroid.text.TextUtils; importandroid.view.inputmethod.InputConnection; importandroid.content.Context; importandroid.content.Intent; importandroid.content.pm.PackageManager; importandroid.os.Build; importandroid.os.Bundle; importandroid.view.View; importandroid.widget.ImageView; importandroid.widget.TextView; importandroid.widget.Toast; publicclassMyInputMethodServiceextendsInputMethodServiceimplementsKeyboardView.OnKeyboardActionListener { @Override publicViewonCreateInputView() { //gettheKeyboardViewandaddourKeyboardlayouttoit KeyboardViewkeyboardView=(KeyboardView)getLayoutInflater().inflate(R.layout.keyboard_view,null); Keyboardkeyboard=newKeyboard(this,R.xml.number_pad); keyboardView.setKeyboard(keyboard); keyboardView.setOnKeyboardActionListener(this); returnkeyboardView; } @Override publicvoidonKey(intprimaryCode,int[]keyCodes) { InputConnectionic=getCurrentInputConnection(); if(ic==null)return; switch(primaryCode) { caseKeyboard.KEYCODE_DELETE: CharSequenceselectedText=ic.getSelectedText(0); if(TextUtils.isEmpty(selectedText)) { //noselection,sodeletepreviouscharacter ic.deleteSurroundingText(1,0); } else { //deletetheselection ic.commitText("",1); } ic.deleteSurroundingText(1,0); break; default: charcode=(char)primaryCode; ic.commitText(String.valueOf(code),1); } } @Override publicvoidonPress(intprimaryCode){} @Override publicvoidonRelease(intprimaryCode){} @Override publicvoidonText(CharSequencetext){} @Override publicvoidswipeLeft(){} @Override publicvoidswipeRight(){} @Override publicvoidswipeDown(){} @Override publicvoidswipeUp(){} } Compileandsignyourproject. ThisiswhereIamcluelessasanewbyAndroiddeveloper.Iwouldliketolearnitmanually,asIbelieverealprogrammerscancompilemanually. Ithinkgradleisoneofthetoolsforcompilingandpackagingtoapk.apkseemstobelikeajarfileorararforzipfile.Therearethentwotypesofsigning.debugkeywhichisnotalllowedonplaystoreandprivatekey. WellletsgiveMr.Saragchahand.Andthankyouforwatchingmyvideo.Like,subscribe. Share Follow editedMay29'19at4:20 marc_s 691k163163goldbadges12821282silverbadges14061406bronzebadges answeredMay24'19at9:16 user9599745user9599745 Addacomment  |  1 Hadthesameproblem.Iusedtablelayoutatfirstbutthelayoutkeptchangingafterabuttonpress.Foundthispageveryusefulthough.http://mobile.tutsplus.com/tutorials/android/android-user-interface-design-creating-a-numeric-keypad-with-gridlayout/ Share Follow answeredAug26'13at9:23 jeydeejeydee 4933bronzebadges 1 3 Notsurewherespaghettiistobefound.Exampleonlyhaslike5linesofcodeimplementingonCreate. – Glenn Oct16'13at4:02 Addacomment  |  YourAnswer ThanksforcontributingananswertoStackOverflow!Pleasebesuretoanswerthequestion.Providedetailsandshareyourresearch!Butavoid…Askingforhelp,clarification,orrespondingtootheranswers.Makingstatementsbasedonopinion;backthemupwithreferencesorpersonalexperience.Tolearnmore,seeourtipsonwritinggreatanswers. Draftsaved Draftdiscarded Signuporlogin SignupusingGoogle SignupusingFacebook SignupusingEmailandPassword Submit Postasaguest Name Email Required,butnevershown PostYourAnswer Discard Byclicking“PostYourAnswer”,youagreetoourtermsofservice,privacypolicyandcookiepolicy Nottheansweryou'relookingfor?Browseotherquestionstaggedandroidkeyboardoraskyourownquestion. TheOverflowBlog Whoownsthisoutage?BuildingintelligentescalationchainsformodernSRE Podcast395:Whoisbuildingcloudsfortheindependentdeveloper? FeaturedonMeta Nowlive:Afullyresponsiveprofile Reducingtheweightofourfooter TwoBornottwoB-Farewell,BoltClockandBhargav! 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