On-Screen Keyboard - SiteKiosk Help

SiteKiosk allows you to display an on-screen keyboard on your machines. This option offers users a convenient way, particularly when using touchscreen terminals, to enter text without the need to use a hardware keyboard.

You can use the free trial version to test all features extensively. Please note that some demo version restrictions apply.

The following features have been implemented:

Dynamic change of (language) layout
SiteKiosk comes with keyboards that let you switch between all languages configured in Windows while SiteKiosk is running on the respective computer. These keyboards include the International and Natural varieties, which support nearly all world languages.

Custom keyboard layouts can be incorporated
On-screen technology is fully customizable. All you need are two .jpg images (pressed/unpressed) and a configuration file built using XML. Click here for documentation.

The keyboard will also work with other applications
The latest changes in SiteKiosk make it possible for the on-screen keyboard to work not only within the browser window but also with other applications and dialog boxes. All you have to do is launch SiteKiosk. The applications you want to use can then be run independently of SiteKiosk.

Docked and floating keyboards
You can choose between two different kinds of basic keyboard layouts.
Docked keyboards will always be docked at the bottom of the screen without overlapping with the browser. Instead, they will reduce the size of the browser window by the size of the keyboard.
Floating keyboards, in contrast, will be located on the browser surface and, consequently, overlap with the browser window. The advantage of floating keyboards is that they can be placed anywhere on the screen. You can even position them on the screen by using your finger or the mouse.

SiteKiosk versions 7.6 or higher include keyboards that combine the docked and floating capabilities, e.g. the International and Natural keyboards.

Scrolling in all windows
When used on framed pages, the on-screen keyboard is intelligent enough to automatically scroll all frames rather than just the active one.

Minimized/maximized keyboard
Each keyboard can be minimized (small) or maximized (full). The advantage of this features is that the keyboard will take up as little room as possible until an input field requires a keyboard for the user's input.

Note:
For correct positioning of external applications in relation to the minimized or maximized keyboard please use autostart with shell replacement under the restricted SiteKiosk user.

Minimizing/maximizing keyboard by script
You can call up a SiteKiosk Object Model script when navigating through web pages in order to minimize or maximize the keyboard. If you run this script within a regular browser, however, a JavaScript error will be displayed.

Maximizing/showing the on-screen keyboard:

SiteKiosk.Keyboard.Visible=true;

SiteKiosk.Keyboard.Full=true;

Minimizing/hiding the on-screen keyboard:

SiteKiosk.Keyboard.Visible=false;

SiteKiosk.Keyboard.Small=true;

For a detailed description of what you can do with the keyboard object, consult our SiteKiosk Object Model documentation.

Show/hide keyboard on specific pages only
The Configuration Wizard includes an option that allows you to specify individual URLs or local pages on which you want the keyboard to be displayed or hidden.

Keyboard response to input infield
You can configure SiteKiosk in such a way that the keyboard will not be shown/maximized unless the cursor is placed inside an input field.

Transparent keyboards
Floating keyboards can use transparency to increase the readability of underlying areas.

Multitouch
All keyboards can be used in multitouch environments. By default, the shift key will stay depressed until the key is touched again. The International and Natural keyboards that ship with SiteKiosk 7.6 and higher will automatically detect a multitouch environment and release the shift key again after it was pressed once.

1. Configuring the on-screen keyboard

If you enable this on-screen keyboard, the selected (blue frame) keyboard layout will be displayed constantly in the main window. Depending on which mode you selected, the keyboard will be displayed floating or docked.

Use the advanced setting options if you, for instance, want to display the keyboard on specific pages only or position the floating keyboards in a certain spot.

2. Advanced

2.1. General options
You will find a variety of different options in this category.

Hide mouse pointer
Use this option to hide the mouse pointer within SiteKiosk. However, the cursor will reappear for 1 to 1.5 seconds on every click or touch of the screen in order to give the user some feedback on where the screen was just touched. This option is especially helpful when used in connection with badly calibrated touch screens.
Enable character repeat
As long as this box is checked, the currently pressed key will be repeated until the key is released.
1. Repeat delay:
  You can set a delay time (value between 10 and 10,000 milliseconds) which will have to pass before character repeat sets in. This ensures that character repeat will not occur instantly. The default value is 500.
2. Repeat rate:
  This number defines the number of character repeats per second (value between 1 and 100). The default value is 4.
Afterglow
A press on a key (area within the keyboard layout) will reveal the pressed key for the defined area. You can use this feature to define for how long this area is supposed to glow after the key has been released. The default value is 250.
Show floating keyboard on the display (floating keyboards)
This option can be selected if the keyboard can be positioned anywhere on the screen. You can also freely place the default extended position of a floating keyboard at the desired coordinates.
1. Left:
  Position from the left of the screen.
2. Top:
  Position from the top of the screen.
You can also define the transparency of the keyboard. The higher the value you pick the more will be revealed of the area above which the keyboard is positioned
Show onscreen keyboard automatically when text input is required
This option enables or disables the automatic detection of input fields.
You can also hide the scroll buttons that are usually visible when the keyboard is minimized. The keyboard will then, in effect, be invisible as long as the cursor is not placed inside an input field.
Enable sound effects
Enables or disables the sound effects that provide feedback to the user while she is using the keyboard.
Display size of the keyboard
Allows to display the keyboard larger or smaller than the default size (100%). Note that the keyboard will not be stretched larger than the visible area of the screen. For most of the included keyboards 100% equals a width of about 1200px and a height of about 200px.

2.2. On-screen keyboard zones
Do you want the on-screen keyboard to pop up only when the user navigates to specific web pages, for instance, those containing a form? No problem!
Just as you can permit and ban certain websites in surfing areas, you can define pages on which you want the on-screen keyboard to be hidden and displayed, respectively. Simply enter the corresponding URL or local path. You can also use wildcard characters such as "*" and enter, for example, www.google.* to display the keyboard on all Google pages.

2.3. Keyboard language layouts (managing Windows keyboards)
In order to ensure that switching between languages and associated keyboard layouts will always work flawlessly, the languages supported by the on-screen keyboard and the languages/keyboard layouts selected under Windows must match.

Note that Windows language/keyboard layout settings may differ for different Windows users, please check the settings for the user under which you want to run SiteKiosk.