Virtual keyboard
As an on-screen keyboard (also tight. On-Screen Keyboard ) refers to a displayed only on the visual output and operated by mouse, joystick or touch screen keyboard.
Applications
An on-screen keyboard is mostly used where too little space for a hardware keyboard, saves weight, is to be blocked access to certain buttons, the operation of a hardware keyboard the user is impossible due to motor limitations, or to protect against keyloggers. However, the hardware keyboard input is often preferred because the buttons can operate there more pleasant by users.
On info-portals at railway stations or airports often -screen keyboards are used to restrict the user to the info and software to prevent the theft of the keyboard.
Console games often use virtual keyboards to allow the player to type its name or other short texts, as to the console no keyboard is connected.
Meanwhile, many smartphones support entering text using the onscreen keyboard, hardware keyboard must be unfolded without. Some smartphones support type of construction (because pure touch- operated ) just typing on the onscreen keyboard.
On Tablet PCs, the user usually has the choice between an on-screen keyboard or the writing of the letter by Stylus with subsequent handwriting recognition.
On-screen keyboards, which are used to compensate for motor limitations are often equipped with additional functions such as a word prediction function or a word completion feature.
Virtual keyboards are used further to enter characters from other languages . In this way, a user can enter for example Cyrillic or Arabic characters with a German keyboard or using the mouse. It is possible to enter the text after the default layout of the target language keyboard or use the so-called phonetic input. In the phonetic input words of the target language with German letters have been entered, and subsequently converted into the target font.
Techniques
On PCs, the screen keyboards are usually displayed as an application window that can be operated via the mouse or a touch screen. Modern PC - screen keyboards also support the operation simultaneously with several fingers.
In brackets is the functionality, tailored to the specific application, firmly integrated in the game.
Smartphones open when the user selects a text field, either a keyboard pop -up or use the entire screen for text input ( depending on the screen size of the device ).