With this template you can add a new Alphanumeric Keyboard component to your project. Alphanumeric Keyboard component provides a grid with keys the user can touch. Activating a key feeds the corresponding event to the application as if the user had pressed the key on a real keyboard.

Components created with this template are intended to be adapted to your particular design expectations. After adding the new Alphanumeric Keyboard you should edit the component, change its appearance and if desired also its behavior. Once you have adapted the component, you can embed instances of this Alphanumeric Keyboard wherever you need in your GUI project. Because it serves as template, it is intentionally kept very simple. Nevertheless, Alphanumeric Keyboards created by the template are working widgets. If desired, they can already be used as they are. The following figure demonstrates the default appearance of the Alphanumeric Keyboard created by using the here described component template:

The approach with component templates has two functions. Primarily the templates should simplify the development of new components. Instead of creating the Alphanumeric Keyboard from scratch you can use the available template. The second function is more educative. The template implements fully working Alphanumeric Keyboard component you can investigate and learn about the corresponding programming aspects. The template is well documented. It contains annotations and inline comments with instructions helping you to understand how the component works and how it can be adapted to your particular needs.

This chapter provides an overview how the Alphanumeric Keyboard component template is used within your own application and how you adapt this component according to your particular needs. You will find here also further details concerning the internal implementation of the Alphanumeric Keyboard component.

To create a new Alphanumeric Keyboard component from a template you simply Drag & Drop it between the Templates window and the Composer with an opened unit. This is important in that by using the component templates you add in fact a new class to your project. Classes, in turn, can exist within units only. The following are the typical steps to create a new Alphanumeric Keyboard component from a template:

The new created Alphanumeric Keyboard component appears accompanied by annotation providing helpful tips how to proceed. If undesired, you can select and delete the annotation.

Once you have created the Alphanumeric Keyboard component, you can use it to assemble more complex components. Technically seen, you embed an instance of the Alphanumeric Keyboard class in-place within some superior GUI component. At the runtime, the superior GUI component takes care of the correct initialization and the displaying of all embedded components, so they appear similarly as you have composed them at the design time. Usually, the superior component where you embed the keyboard instance will be the Application component.

The following are the typical steps to create a new instance of an already existing Alphanumeric Keyboard component:

As long as the Alphanumeric Keyboard is selected you can inspect and modify its properties conveniently in the Inspector window as demonstrated with the property Bounds in the screenshot below. This is in so far worth mentioning as diverse features of the Alphanumeric Keyboard are controlled by the corresponding properties. If you are not familiar with the concept of a property and the usage of Inspector window, please read first the preceding chapter Compositing component appearance.

The Alphanumeric Keyboard component descends from the Mosaic class Core::Group. Consequently, all of the properties listed in the above screenshot are inherited from this base class. The Alphanumeric Keyboard itself does not add any new property.

Once added to the component, you can freely move the Alphanumeric Keyboard instance, or you simply grab one of its corners and resize it in this way. You can control the position and the size of the component also by directly modifying its property Bounds. If you want the Alphanumeric Keyboard to appear behind other views you can reorder it explicitly.