DevTut

# Custom Keyboard

# Custom KeyBoard Example

Objective-C and Xib

Add a target to an existing XCode project

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In the Add Target select Custom KeyBoardenter image description here (opens new window)

Add the target like this:

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Your project file directory should look something like this

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Here myKeyBoard is the name of the added Target

Add new Cocoatouch file of type of type UIView and add an interface file

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Finally your project directory should look like this

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make the keyBoardView.xib a subclass of keyBoardView

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Make interface in the keyBoardView.xib file

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Make connections to from the keyBoardView.xib to keyBoardView.h file

keyBoardView.h should look like

#import <UIKit/UIKit.h>

@interface keyBoardView : UIView

@property (weak, nonatomic) IBOutlet UIButton *deleteKey;
//IBOutlet for the delete Key
@property (weak, nonatomic) IBOutlet UIButton *globe;
//Outlet for the key with title globe which changes the keyboard type
@property (strong, nonatomic) IBOutletCollection(UIButton) NSArray *keys;
//Contains a colloection of all the keys '0 to 9' '+' '-' and '.'

@end

In the keyBoardViewController.h file import #import "keyBoardView.h"

Declare a property for keyboard @property (strong, nonatomic)keyBoardView *keyboard;

Comment out the

@property (nonatomic, strong) UIButton *nextKeyboardButton and all the code associated with it

The KeyboardViewController.m file's viewDidLoad() function should look like this

- (void)viewDidLoad {
    [super viewDidLoad];
    self.keyboard=[[[NSBundle mainBundle]loadNibNamed:@"keyBoardView" owner:nil options:nil]objectAtIndex:0];
      self.inputView=self.keyboard;
    [self addGestureToKeyboard];

    // Perform custom UI setup here
//    self.nextKeyboardButton = [UIButton buttonWithType:UIButtonTypeSystem];
//    
//    [self.nextKeyboardButton setTitle:NSLocalizedString(@"Next Keyboard", @"Title for 'Next Keyboard' button") forState:UIControlStateNormal];
//    [self.nextKeyboardButton sizeToFit];
//    self.nextKeyboardButton.translatesAutoresizingMaskIntoConstraints = NO;
//    
//    [self.nextKeyboardButton addTarget:self action:@selector(advanceToNextInputMode) forControlEvents:UIControlEventTouchUpInside];
//    
//    [self.view addSubview:self.nextKeyboardButton];
//    
//    [self.nextKeyboardButton.leftAnchor constraintEqualToAnchor:self.view.leftAnchor].active = YES;
//    [self.nextKeyboardButton.bottomAnchor constraintEqualToAnchor:self.view.bottomAnchor].active = YES;
}

The functions addGestureToKeyboard, pressDeleteKey, keyPressed are defined below

-(void) addGestureToKeyboard
{
    [self.keyboard.deleteKey addTarget:self action:@selector(pressDeleteKey) forControlEvents:UIControlEventTouchUpInside];
    [self.keyboard.globe addTarget:self action:@selector(advanceToNextInputMode) forControlEvents:UIControlEventTouchUpInside];
    
    for (UIButton *key in self.keyboard.keys)
    {
        [key addTarget:self action:@selector(keyPressed:) forControlEvents:UIControlEventTouchUpInside];
    }
    
    
}
-(void) pressDeleteKey
{
    [self.textDocumentProxy deleteBackward];
}

-(void)keyPressed:(UIButton *)key
{
    [self.textDocumentProxy insertText:[key currentTitle]];
}

Run the Main Application and go to Settings->General->Keyboard->Add New Keyboard-> and add keyboard from the third party keyboard section (The displayed keyboardName would be keyBoardCustom)

The keyboard name can be changed by adding a key called Bundle display name and in the Value String Value enter the desired name for the keyboard of the main Project.

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You can also watch this Youtube Video (opens new window)

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