Customize your Keyboard Bar on iOS

iA Writer for iOS lets you add the functions you use most to the keyboard:

The keyboard bar for iA Writer 3.0 maintains its ease of use while allowing fine-tuned customization.

Usage

There are now seven input buttons and two navigation keys on the keyboard bar.

• Tap an input button to insert the key’s character(s)
• Tap and hold an input button to give quick access to a pop-up list of alternative keys to choose from. This is similar to tapping and holding keys in the standard iOS keyboard
• Use the < and > keys to move the caret left and right
• Enable text selection by turning on caps-lock (double-tap Shift) then expand and contract your selection using the < and > keys
• Hide the keyboard by swiping down from the textview to the keyboard, or tap the Dismiss Keyboard key in the center of the bar
• When using a Bluetooth keyboard, the keyboard shortcut ⌥⌘T will display the keyboard bar by itself at the bottom of the screen

Arrange the Keys

1. Tap and hold a key on the keyboard bar until the pop-up appears and the keys begin to jiggle
2. Next, tap and hold a jiggling key in the pop-up to pick it up
3. Drag it into a new position in the pop-up and release it
4. When finished, tap elsewhere on the screen to dismiss the pop-up

Add Other Keys

1. Tap and hold a key on the keyboard bar until the pop-up appears and the keys begin to jiggle
2. Tap a jiggling key to change it
3. A list of alternate keys is presented — choose the key you wish to add
4. When finished, tap elsewhere on the screen to dismiss the pop-up

It is possible to change the default key for each input button with either of these methods. The default key is always the key on the shortest end of the pop-up.

Key Types

There are four kinds of keys that can be added to the Keyboard Bar:

• Markdown keys add Markdown punctuation to your text, to easily apply formatting
• Actions offer the ability to Cut, Paste, Undo, Redo, etc.
• Smart Punctuation keys insert punctuation marks used in pairs, such as parentheses or quotation marks, and the appropriate opening or closing punctuation is chosen automatically
• Punctuation keys insert the character depicted when tapped

The above tip works on iOS