windows form - show windows 8 keyboard when touch textbox - windows

Question

I've create a windows form application. I'd like that when the application is installed on a pc with Windows 8 and touchscren, if I click on a textbox, the virtual keyboard is automatic showed.
I've seen something like
private void textbox_Enter(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
System.Diagnostics.Process.Start("TabTip.exe");
}
but it works also when I use the mouse. I'd like that the virtual keyboards apppear just when I use touchscreen.
Thanks

Answer 1

I've found a "rude" solution.
I've seen that when I touch, the "587" WM Message occurs, followed by 2 "33" WM Message (the same when you click using mouse).
So I've seen that: before than "mouseclick" or "focus enter" event on textbox:
a) if you have used mouse, there is 1 "33" Wm Message
b) if you have used touch, there is 1 "587" message followed by 2 "33" Wm Message.
So, about the code.
In MyForm.cs I have a public list of bool, that save "touch status". If i never touch (or my pc doesn't support touchscreen) the status will never fill
namespace MyForm
{
public partial class MyForm: Form
{
public List<bool> v_touch = new List<bool>();
protected override void WndProc(ref Message msg)
{
switch (msg.Msg)
{
//touch
case 587:
v_touch.Add(true);
break;
//mouse or touch (on mouse click message 33 occurs 1 time; on touch tap message 587 occurs 1 time and message 33 occurs 2 times)
case 33:
//add just if some touch event (587) has occured (never fill v_touch for not touch devices)
if (v_touch.Count > 0)
{
v_touch.Add(false);
}
break;
}
base.WndProc(ref msg);
}
}
}
In all myUserControls, I need for each textbox, add moouseclick, focus enter and focus leave events.
MouseClick or focus enter call a function that enable virtual keybooard checking "touch status". Instead, focus leave event will kill keyboard.
namespace MyForm
{
public partial class MyUserControl : UserControl
{
public void enableVirtualKeyboard(List<bool> v_touch)
{
//check if came from "touch". When I use touch, the last v_touch values are (true, false, false)
if (v_touch.Count >= 3 && v_touch[v_touch.Count - 3] == true)
{
string progFiles = #"C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\ink";
string onScreenKeyboardPath = System.IO.Path.Combine(progFiles, "TabTip.exe");
Process.Start(onScreenKeyboardPath);
}
}
public void disableVirtualKeyboard()
{
Process[] oskProcessArray = Process.GetProcessesByName("TabTip");
foreach (Process onscreenProcess in oskProcessArray)
{
onscreenProcess.Kill();
}
}
private void textbox_MouseClick(object sender, MouseEventArgs e)
{
this.enableVirtualKeyboard(((MyForm)this.ParentForm).v_touch);
}
private void textbox_Enter(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
this.enableVirtualKeyboard(((MyForm)this.ParentForm).v_touch);
}
private textbox_Leave(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
this.disableVirtualKeyboard();
}
}
}
}
We can write disableVirtualKeyboard and enableVirtualKeyboard in a common class, so we can use the 2 methods in all texbbx of each control of the application. Also, it's good use disableVirtualKeyboard on Form_Closing event of MyForm