Native Text Field issues

[jeremy_b]

I’ve started working on a new app that requires the user to enter search values as text. Pretty basic stuff. I’ve run into a number of bumps along the road in working with native text fields. Most of which I’ve more or less been able to work around. These are my issues:

• Native text fields are not regular display objects and sit on top of everything else in your app. I can’t apply a loading mask, I can’t draw icons on top of them.
• Native text fields font size doesn’t scale nicely between devices like regular Corona text. Found a nice work around here:
  http://web-c1.anscamobile.com/forum/2012/11/26/how-adjust-native-textfield-font-size-when-different-device-used
• Native text fields don’t seem to be able to turn off the background as would be indicated here:
  http://www.coronalabs.com/blog/2012/02/07/tutorial-text-input-with-native-ui/
  This does not seem to have any effect for me -> text_field.hasBackground = false

What I have been toying with, and seems to work on Android at least, is rendering the Native text field off-screen and interacting with it through an on-screen Corona display object type text field. Other than feeling extremely “kludgey”, are there any other reasons why this wouldn’t solve the issues above? I can deal with some “kludge” factor if I can get what I need cosmetically and don’t create a whole new world of issues.

Thanks.

[import]uid: 161992 topic_id: 34150 reply_id: 334150[/import]

[rob]

Jeremy, you have a very good grasp on what can be done with native.textFields. The hasBackground bit hides the border for me though.

Because text fields are native objects, they are not part of the OpenGL canvas and can’t interact with other things. Your idea about using them off screen and updating other onscreen objects is a technique that others have used before. It’s a hack, but it works.

[import]uid: 199310 topic_id: 34150 reply_id: 135841[/import]

[jeremy_b]

Thanks Rob. I appreciate the response. I’m going to roll with the off screen native text field. I’ll see if I can’t widget-ize it and post some code for others to use. [import]uid: 161992 topic_id: 34150 reply_id: 135903[/import]

[rob]

Jeremy, you have a very good grasp on what can be done with native.textFields. The hasBackground bit hides the border for me though.

Because text fields are native objects, they are not part of the OpenGL canvas and can’t interact with other things. Your idea about using them off screen and updating other onscreen objects is a technique that others have used before. It’s a hack, but it works.

[import]uid: 199310 topic_id: 34150 reply_id: 135841[/import]

[jeremy_b]

Thanks Rob. I appreciate the response. I’m going to roll with the off screen native text field. I’ll see if I can’t widget-ize it and post some code for others to use. [import]uid: 161992 topic_id: 34150 reply_id: 135903[/import]