Keyboard behavior
In a normal smartphone app, the on-screen keyboard opens automatically as soon as an input field is tapped. In an industrial browser with scanners, this default behavior often causes problems: the scanner places the cursor into the next input field and the keyboard opens unnecessarily – covering part of the screen and getting in the way.
TheFlex lets you control exactly when the keyboard opens.
Settings
The setting is found under Settings → Keyboard → Keyboard behavior and offers three options:
Default
The keyboard opens every time an input field receives focus – whether the user tapped it or the app moved focus automatically (e.g. after a scan).
This is the standard Android behavior and works well for apps that are used purely by hand without a scanner.
On click only
The keyboard opens only when the user physically taps an input field. If the app or a scanner moves focus to a field, the keyboard stays closed.
This is the best setting for most scanner workflows. Users can still call up the keyboard by tapping a field, but a scan does not trigger the keyboard unnecessarily.
Disabled
The keyboard never opens automatically – not on tap, not on focus. It can still be opened via the JavaScript API if the website or app needs to control this explicitly.
This mode is suitable for fully scanner-driven workflows where no manual text entry is needed at all.
Which setting is right?
| Workflow | Recommended setting |
|---|---|
| App used purely by hand (no scanner) | Default |
| Mixed: some fields scanned, some typed | On click only |
| Fully scanner-driven, no manual input | Disabled |
| Website controls keyboard itself via API | Disabled |
When Disabled is selected, a note appears in the settings as a reminder. The keyboard can still be shown or hidden at any time through the JavaScript API.