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Most requested feature for the iPad keyboard...

P

Photomax

macrumors regular
Original poster
Nov 26, 2007
137
0
Seattle
I am simply loving this iPad. The features, the apps, the size and the battery life are all way cool.

But you still have to type text on this thing. There is no mouse. What I really want is a way to navigate through previous typed text. With a mouse on a regular Mac you can place the curser wherever you want, easily. You can also use the keyboard arrow keys.

Say you type a whole bunch of text on the iPad. Navigating to an error is a royal pain. Its hard. There is no mouse. OK. But I long for arrow keys that lets you back up the cursor to where you want to edit your text.

Big time...
 
Yes, I can't understand why they didn't include arrow keys. The hold-down-til-it-magnifies thing works ok, but it's far too easy to wind up with the cursor one spot off from where you want it, and you have to repeat and repeat til you get it exactly right. And don't twitch at the last second as you remove your finger. When a single push of an arrow key would fix the issue immediately!
 
porcupine8 said:
Yes, I can't understand why they didn't include arrow keys. The hold-down-til-it-magnifies thing works ok, but it's far too easy to wind up with the cursor one spot off from where you want it, and you have to repeat and repeat til you get it exactly right. And don't twitch at the last second as you remove your finger. When a single push of an arrow key would fix the issue immediately!
Click to expand...

Coming from a smartphone that has arrow keys let me tell you that the magnifier is much better. By the time you navigate the cursor near the word you correct and then start tapping arrow keys, you could have already selected what you needed done with the magnifier.

I'm sure apple will come out with something soon that beats both of those options, though. Just wait. :)
 
The arrow keys that allow you to direct the cursor are what I miss the most. if an App like iA Writer can incorporate it into their keyboard, I don't see why Apple can't.
 
infamousjax said:
Coming from a smartphone that has arrow keys let me tell you that the magnifier is much better. By the time you navigate the cursor near the word you correct and then start tapping arrow keys, you could have already selected what you needed done with the magnifier.

I'm sure apple will come out with something soon that beats both of those options, though. Just wait. :)
Click to expand...

I see no reason why there can't be both. The magnifier works fine for getting the cursor in the right general place (particularly when lines of text are too small to always hit the right one accurately with a single tap), but for getting the cursor in one exact spot the precision of arrow keys would be a big help. Not to mention for scrolling within text boxes, which can be anywhere from annoying to nearly impossible.
 
main reason why i don't type alot on the ipad. all my responses are usually short and sweet.

less room for error
 
Number keys on the same layout as letter keys and (less importantly) arrow keys would be good.
I think both of these are available with (paid) Cydia apps but that is obviously of no help to iPad2 owners.
 
I noticed one other thing on this just today. I was filling out a comment on a web bulletin board (not this one) and then posted it. Realizing I had made an error I hit the edit comment button. This reopens the edit box. The issue was that only the top portion of my text would show in the box: there was no way to scroll down to the lower area where I wanted to correct my error. I had to access my real Mac to fix this.

We must get navigation keys on this virtual keyboard!
 
Photomax said:
I noticed one other thing on this just today. I was filling out a comment on a web bulletin board (not this one) and then posted it. Realizing I had made an error I hit the edit comment button. This reopens the edit box. The issue was that only the top portion of my text would show in the box: there was no way to scroll down to the lower area where I wanted to correct my error. I had to access my real Mac to fix this.

We must get navigation keys on this virtual keyboard!
Click to expand...

Definitely agreed with this. (Or put a scrollbar in each textbox when in edit mode... but that would be even more complicated from a programming perspective. So, yes, arrow keys please!)
 
dacapo said:
Definitely agreed with this. (Or put a scrollbar in each textbox when in edit mode... but that would be even more complicated from a programming perspective. So, yes, arrow keys please!)
Click to expand...

+1

it's these little but simple things i wonder why Apple didn't catch or have yet to fix.:confused:
 
Photomax said:
I noticed one other thing on this just today. I was filling out a comment on a web bulletin board (not this one) and then posted it. Realizing I had made an error I hit the edit comment button. This reopens the edit box. The issue was that only the top portion of my text would show in the box: there was no way to scroll down to the lower area where I wanted to correct my error. I had to access my real Mac to fix this.

We must get navigation keys on this virtual keyboard!
Click to expand...

Scroll with two fingers.


porcupine8 said:
I see no reason why there can't be both. The magnifier works fine for getting the cursor in the right general place (particularly when lines of text are too small to always hit the right one accurately with a single tap), but for getting the cursor in one exact spot the precision of arrow keys would be a big help. Not to mention for scrolling within text boxes, which can be anywhere from annoying to nearly impossible.
Click to expand...

You can easily do what you want if you tap and hold on the cursor and drag it where you want it.
 
Photomax said:
I noticed one other thing on this just today. I was filling out a comment on a web bulletin board (not this one) and then posted it. Realizing I had made an error I hit the edit comment button. This reopens the edit box. The issue was that only the top portion of my text would show in the box: there was no way to scroll down to the lower area where I wanted to correct my error. I had to access my real Mac to fix this.

We must get navigation keys on this virtual keyboard!
Click to expand...

Yes! I have had the same problem repeatedly! It drives me crazy. I have a similar scrolling issue on popups, like today I tried to invite people to an event on FB but I couldn't scroll through the list of people at all. It seems like the only thing that will ever scroll is the main page - nothing within a popup or within a text box. The arrows would at least fix the second problem.
 
anjinha said:
Scroll with two fingers.




You can easily do what you want if you tap and hold on the cursor and drag it where you want it.
Click to expand...

You clearly didn't read my comments. That's what I do, but it can be very hard to get it to hit the exact spot you want - and if you wind up one character over, you have to tap and hold again, and hope your finger doesn't twitch again at the last second. I often have to do this two or three times to get the cursor in the right position, when arrow keys would make it a no-brainer.
 
ARROW KEYS and TAB

ARROW KEYS and TAB are my most needed keys.

Also, on an External Keyboard you can use the COMMAND and CONTROL combination keys. these two would be very useful on the built-in iPad Keyboard.

And why not, and alternate Numeric KeyPad would be the cherry on top of the ice cream. :D
 
Arrow keys are a bit of an obsolete concept on a touchscreen. I agree the magnifying glass can be improved to be more accurate (I'm sure it will come), but implementing arrow keys is going backwards. I'm quite used to the magnifying glass now too.

Also, I recommend the guys in this thread check out the iPad tips & tricks thread. It would explain about scrolling long forms (you use two fingers), or 'tabbing' (four fingers on spacebar).
 
Arrow keys

I have to agree about the arrow keys. It is a PITA to correct something. I don't think it's going backward. Just because it has been used forever does not mean it needs to be changed. There are some things in life that just work well. As long as we have keyboards I just can't see getting around the need for arrow keys.

I would not even mind if they were on the number keyboard. I think there would be plenty of room and yet not take up precious space on the letter keyboard.
 
Right now we have duplicate numbers (etc) link keys on both sides of the space bar. I would much, much, rather have an arrow key system on the right hand side (like a regular keyboard)...

Anyone agree? Then please post a request on the Apple iPad feedback link...
 
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