So out of habit from my PC, I have often pressed the "search" key and "tab" when trying to switch apps, obviously not doing anything. So I messed around for a sec, and realized that pressing "Alt" and then "Tab" brings up an app switching mode, very identical to Windows! I don't know if this was common knowledge, but it seriously made me fall in love with this thing all over again! Thought someone might find this helpful.
Most keyboard shortcuts found in Windows work in their related Android counterparts. For instance, in the stock browser CTRL+T opens a new tab, CTRL+R reloads a page etc. Copy & pasting works with CTRL+C/V in programs like Polaris Office, etc.
Some apps don't have keyboard shortcut support, but most Google apps do and a lot of top tier apps also support keyboard shortcuts.
Related
Using the default browser I've been finding it very hard to edit text fields at times - ie: Google Docs and generic web forms. On one site in particular I needed to remove a comma from a list of emails in a textbox, and it literally took me 10 minutes to position the cursor correctly. Since the box was scrolling off the screen, clicking in different positions kept jumping around and in general not reliably scrolling, let alone selecting a given character.
I've noticed that a number of Android Apps have that little magnifier-thing to simplify editing, but that doesn't seem to work for the default browser. Is there some other way of accurately editing text in the default browser, or do one of the other browsers work better?
In more generic terms, is there a better method of moving the cursor in Android, given that the Atrix lacks any physical trackpad? There do appear to be a few premium keyboard alternatives out there that include cursor keys, but I don't particularly feel like paying for something that should be part of the stock system (particularly on a phone without arrow keys!)
I couldn't agree more. Having the delete key as the only positioning key sucks. Given the four different keyboard screens on the stock virtual keyboard, each having only a delete key, it's clear that this was a decision rather than an oversight. Stupid. Sure makes me appreciate all of the things I took.for.granted in WinMo.
I have figured out a way to copy and paste on the Nook Tablet (well, in editable text fields at least).
You will need to install Hacker's Keyboard, as well as Swype. There is another thread with detailed instructions how to do that here: [Tutorial] Installing alternative Keyboards on the NT.
To copy text, you hold down shift on Hacker Keyboard and use the arrow keys to highlight the text you want to cut/copy. Long press on settings button on Hacker Keyboard, then change keyboards to Swype. Your text should still be highlighted. Then use the Swype keyboard shortcut ("swype" from the Swype button to c) to copy the text. This copies the text to the NT clipboard. Then navigate to wherever you want and paste the text using Swype-v. I have tested and this works even between different apps, so there is a system clipboard.
The copy paste shortcuts in Swype are like pressing ctrl-x,c, or v in Windows (cut, copy, paste, respectively). Also I should note for developers that the stock ROM does not seem to disable the clipboard, it's just that there is no way to highlight text, and then copy and paste it as these functions are disabled in the stock UI. But we can get around that using this method.
I know, it's a couple steps and a slight hassle, but it will have to do until one of the CM (or other ROMs) are ready. This method is still better for things like copying 15 character long gibberish passwords from KeePass though, for example.
Nice fix dude ....
Will help me till CM7 (or 9) gets ready ...
Is there any app to do this ? T'would be great if a program was written for this otherwise...
Can see it becoming hit (feature to button saviour maybe)
Shortly after posting this, I caught up on my reading and realized that an alpha version of CM7 had already been released. So I thought that my little workaround had been immediately deprecated. Well, it seems that now there are some issues with CM7, so maybe (at least in the short term) my little trick will see some use after all.
There are still reasons to stay with the stock B&N firmware, so the tip is still quite useful.
A small update. In another thread here about Keyboard?, ckevinwelch turned me on to an app called Keyboard Manager, which allows you to switch keyboards based on orientation. I now have Swype in vertical and Hackers in landscape. This is handy for all sorts of things, but especially copy and paste because the part where you switch between keyboards is faster.
Also (and unrelated to copy/paste), need to move over a few characters? Or insert the cursor precisely when editing (I always have a problem with this, maybe it's my fat fingers)? Just rotate to landscape, use Hackers arrow keys for precise positioning, then rotate back to Swype for the majority of typing. It's like getting the best of both keyboards, very handy!
I want to make a little addition.
Opera Mobile Web Browser has embedded selection and copy/paste functions, which are independent from keyboard or other apps.
I've found a way to enable the copy & paste permanently for all text fields - instructions & video at http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1534757. Requires root.
I discovered a way to copy and paste using google docs. This doesn't help inputting urls or passwords, but it sure is handy to use when writing text into your Nook. The copy/paste comes as part of the google docs app. What's really neat is that your writing goes into the cloud and you can access it with any other computer.So since people where mentioning copy/paste function, I thought I'd add this comment.
Im looking for an app which would show some popup window containing apps/folders which I've selected.
The idea is that I could quickly access my most-used apps, and maybe folders, without flicking through many home screens.
Im using the stock A2.1 launcher (on SE x10mp).
any suggestions?
TIA
Im not sure, but maybe Folder Organizer or App Organizer apps could help you.
Many launchers with dock, can handle folders on dock for fast access.
Cheers.
It's a widget not a popup but you could give My most used apps widget a try. Never used it myself.
thanks, but Im looking for something which could anytime popup a window from which I can launch my most -often used apps or access most-often used folders.
on my nexus one i just press and hold my search key which brings up android recent apps. i think the same functionality should be embedded with all phones as its built into android.
I have that too on my x10mp (with the home button).
but recent apps isnt the same as most used apps (I might have 20 of the latter). also, this feature doesnt show quick link to a folder or a file.
Hello,
I bet that I'm not the only one who has that problem and I could bet that there is somewhere already a thread about it but all I can find (here and in generall over google) is the opposite case (keyboard disappearing when it shouldn't) or tips for developers to let a keyboard disappear when the user taps on an empty space, so I already appologize but I just can't find any solution.
I have this problem for a few years now, with Googles keyboard, Swiftkey and sometimes Swype. I have it now on my Galaxy Note 4 running stock TW, I had it on my G2 (at least in ParanoidAndroid and SlimROM but I think already in stock LG ROM) and I could even bet that I had it also on my Nexus 4, so that's why I'm asking in the general android forum for help.
Sometimes, I just can't close the keyboard when I don't need it anymore. Pressing back, home or recent apps or opening the notification shade (which should be in the foreground of all for all I know) the keyboard just stays where it is. It isn't frozen, I can still use it. But it really likes to hide buttons I would need e.g. to send the text I just wrote or the buttons in the power menu so I could only press "trun off" but not "reboot" to get rid of it. I even have my back key as "kill foreground app" when double tapping on it, but it kills everything but the keyboard. It takes time and constantly pressing the different navigation keys to finally close the keyboard.
I think you can imagine how annoying that is and I'm really sick of it. It happens randomly so it's not really possible to record any log, it might be possible that XPosed could be the reason for that but I think I already had that problem already befor I installed it the first time but I'm not sure.
Does annyone has that problem too and knows how to handle it?
Hello fellow Android users.
I've always been obsessed with customizing the functionality of my devices to make it really practical to use.
I've been playing with the settings of the Xiaomi Redmi 9 for a week now and everything is set to perfection except one thing which is not available in the default settings but would be incredibly convenient, not only for me but for many people too.
I set all the apps I use in one single home screen (not multiple pages). The ones that don't fit there are all in one folder and that uses up only one button slot.
Since I don't have multiple pages for the apps, the swipe left and swipe right functions are available for other useful things, I'd like to set that up to be shortcuts to apps that I use a lot, like whatsapp and gmail. This would also free 2 slots in my home screen.
I suspect there's a way to do it, just don't know how and have tried several google searches like "how to assign left and right swipe functions on android home screen" or "how to customize left and right swipe on android home screen" and many other similar combinations of words. Found nothing.
Does anyone know if there's an app or a mod that allows you that level of customization? I'm a video editor and I'm not very educated in programing android apps or anything similar.
Hope someone can give me a hint. Thanks a lot in advance. Greetings from Barcelona, where many of us are locked down and unemployed :cyclops: