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[Keyboard]* How Come Gesture/Swipe Style Keyboard Typing Functionality Is Not Working With SkySafari 7? (Answer: SS7 Offers Its Own Keyboard - Read On!)

Hello

When using the Anysoftkeyboard, the gesture typing (it's like "swipe" mode in other keyboards) does not work.
The gesture icon in the bottom right hand corner of the keyboard is coloured red, which means that gestures are not being recognized by the current app. Note that key-by-key input does work, so SkySafari is recognizing the keyboard as a whole, but not the gestures. I use this facility all the time, so it is an important feature for me.

All my other apps allow the gesture typing to be used, so is there something in Skysafari 7 that is preventing this?
The only discussion that I've been able to find says that gestures caan be disabled if the phone is in battery saver mode, but (a) it's not in battery saver mode, and (b) all my other apps still work.

Another possible clue: Before I upgraded to SS7, I was using Microsoft Swiftkey with SS6. I switched away from that because I found that its own swipe typing facility had stopped working on SS7. So I suspect that it's something generic in SS7 that has disabled this type of function on multiple keyboards. I actually prefer AnySoftKeyboard over Swiftkey, but I think if you get one working, it will fix both.

Moto g(8) Power
Android 11
SkySafari Pro 7.0.3.2
AnySoftKeyboard 1.11.177

 

8 comments

  • Avatar
    Keiron Smith Official comment
  • 0
    Avatar
    Jamie Andrews

    Here's some more information that may help you to pin this down.

    In fact, I've found that the "swipe"/gesture typing facility DOES work when:

    - creating or editing an observation
    - creating or editing the name or comments of an observing session
    - entering the name for a new observing list, when creating a new observing list
    - entering notes for an observing list
    - entering the name of a new observing site

    but it is disabled when:

    - entering an object name in the "Search" dialog
    - entering text to filter the list of observations
    - entering text to filter the list of sessions
    - entering the name of a new piece of equipment

    and here's another behaviour that must be related to the above:

    The Anysoftkeyboard can display an extra row of keys at the top, for typing numbers. But in some places when using SS7, it doesn't display this extra row. In fact, it displays the extra row in precisely those circumstances in which the swipe/gesture typing is DISABLED, and it suppresses it in all the places where the swipe typing is enabled.

    I'm guessing that the various input fields in SS7 are defined programmatically in a couple of different ways, and the keyboard is responding to those definitions by presenting different options to the user.

    Ideally, all input fields would cause the keyboard to allow swipe typing, and to display the number row, if both of these can be configured simultaneously.

  • 0
    Avatar
    Keiron Smith

    Jamie, 

    SkySafari has it's own keyboard. 

    [UI Issue] Who To Fix Redden Keyboard Overlay Blocking Input? (Answer: Enable The SkySafari 7 Specific Keyboard - Read On!)

    Please enable the SS7 keyboard and retest the functionality in question.

    We can ask developers to improve or add functionality to the SS7 keyboard. 

    Developers are probably not going to fix functionality for all the other different keyboards available for Android.

    Thanks for your report.

  • 0
    Avatar
    Jamie Andrews

    Hi, yes I'm aware of the SkySafari keyboard, but it doesn't do what I need.

    As I say, the swipe typing on the other keyboards works just fine for some of your fields, but not for others. To me, that suggests that it's a lack of uniformity in SS rather than a problem with the keyboard.

  • 0
    Avatar
    Keiron Smith

    I will create a ticket for developers, but, if you want to see improvements it likely must come with SS7 keyboard.  So would help if you provide feedback regarding the keyboard that will likely be improved.

    Thanks!

  • 0
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    Jamie Andrews

    Thanks Keiron.

  • 0
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    Ros Hartigan

    Thank you for the detailed description Jamie, as that helped us track down the issue. It should be in an upcoming release.

  • 0
    Avatar
    Jamie Andrews

    That's great Ros, thanks for looking at this so quickly.

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