React Native External Keyboard

React Native library for enhanced external keyboard support.

• ⚡️ The New Architecture is supported
• ⚡️ Bridgeless

Breaking Changes !!!

The Keyboard Module (A11yModule, KeyboardExtendedModule) has been removed. This API was deprecated and did not work properly with the new architecture. You can refer to the migration guide to update it.

New Release Features

• Added Keyboard.dismiss functionality for Android.
• Introduced an iOS-specific component: KeyboardFocusGroup, a component for managing the tintColor, focusGroupIdentifier, and group focus.
• Enhanced KeyboardExtendedBaseView with haloCornerRadius, haloExpandX, and haloExpandY properties for customizing the appearance of the Halo Effect.
• Enhanced KeyboardExtendedBaseView with onBubbledContextMenuPress, key press functionality has been also enhanced. Key presses can be listened to for a group of components, screens, or pages.
• Added the ignoreGroupFocusHint prop to KeyboardExtendedBaseView to support key press listening without focusing the container.

iOS	Android

Features

• Keyboard focus management and autofocus capabilities.
• Key press event handling.
• Focus management for TextInput and Pressable components.
• Customization of the Halo Effect and tintColor for iOS.

Installation

npm install react-native-external-keyboard

iOS:

cd ios && pod install && cd ..

Usage

withKeyboardFocus - For Pressable, Touchable, and more

The withKeyboardFocus HOC is a helper for integrating keyboard focus functionality. It significantly simplifies integration by wrapping the provided component in KeyboardFocusView and extending it with additional features, such as focus and blur events.

const KeybardedPressable = withKeyboardFocus(Pressable);
const KeybardedTouchable = withKeyboardFocus(TouchableOpacity);
const KeybardedButton = withKeyboardFocus(Button);

...

<TouchableOpacity
  ref={ref}
  onPress={...}
  onLongPress={...}
  onFocus={...}
  onBlur={...}
  style={styles.pressable}
  containerStyle={styles.pressableContainer}
  autoFocus
>
  <Text>TouchableOpacity</Text>
</TouchableOpacity>

After wrapping a Pressable or Touchable with withKeyboardFocus, you will be able to handle focus and blur events, control the tint color, apply focus and container focus styles, focus the component using a ref, or configure autoFocus.

Props	Description	Type
onPress?:	Default onPress or keyboard-handled onPress	((event: GestureResponderEvent) => void) | null | undefined
onLongPress?:	Default onLongPress or keyboard-handled onLongPress (Tab+M for iOS).	((event: GestureResponderEvent) => void) | null | undefined
onPressIn:?	Default onPressIn or keyboard-handled onPressIn	((event: GestureResponderEvent) => void) | null | undefined
onPressOut:?	Default onPressOut or keyboard-handled onPressOut	((event: GestureResponderEvent) => void) | null | undefined
style?:	Styles the inner component	StyleProp<ViewStyle>; for Pressable: PressableProps['style']
withPressedStyle?:	Enables the pressed style handler for custom components; always true for the standard Pressable.	boolean | undefined, false by default
focusStyle?:	Style applied to the inner component when focused	FocusStyle
containerStyle?:	Style for the container	StyleProp;
containerFocusStyle?:	Style applied to the container when focused	FocusStyle
onFocus?:	Handler called when the component is focused	() => void
onBlur?:	Handler called when the component loses focus	() => void
onFocusChange?:	Handler called when the component is focused or blurred	(isFocused: boolean, tag?: number) => void
onKeyUpPress?:	Handler for the key-up event	(e: OnKeyPress) => void
onKeyDownPress?:	Handler for the key-down event	(e: OnKeyPress) => void
autoFocus?:	Indicates if the component should automatically gain focus	`boolean
focusable?:	Indicates if the component can be focused by keyboard	`boolean
tintColor?:	Color used for tinting the component	string
tintType?:	Tint behavior type	'default' | 'hover' | 'background' | 'none'
FocusHoverComponent?:	Component displayed on focus	| ReactElement  | FunctionComponent  | (() => ReactElement);
group?:	Indicates if the component is a focusable group	boolean
haloEffect?:	Enables halo effect on focus (iOS only)	boolean
ref?:	Provides a reference to the component, allowing programmatic focus control	{ focus: () => void}
viewRef?:	Provides a reference to the underlying view component	RefObject<View>
onBubbledContextMenuPress	Handler for bubbled long-press events triggered by the context menu command (iOS only)	() => void;
...rest	Remaining component props	Type of Component

Note

You may discover that long press on spacebar does not trigger a long press event on iOS. This is because iOS use a Full Keyboard Access system that provides commands for interacting with the system. Rather than holding down the spacebar, you can use Tab+M (the default action for opening the context menu). You can change Commands in: Full Keyboard Access -> Commands

KeyboardExtendedView

KeyboardExtendedView is similar to withKeyboardFocus; it is also based on KeyboardExtendedBaseView and provides keyboard focus functionality. It can be useful for handling key presses or managing the focus of a group of components.

<KeyboardExtendedView>
  <Text>Parent component</Text>
  <KeyboardExtendedView>
    <Text>Child component 1</Text>
  </KeyboardExtendedView>
  <KeyboardExtendedView>
    <Text>Child component 2</Text>
  </KeyboardExtendedView>
</KeyboardExtendedView>

Props	Description	Type
onPress?:	Default onPress or keyboard-handled onPress	((event: GestureResponderEvent) => void) | null | undefined
onLongPress?:	Default onLongPress or keyboard-handled onLongPress (Tab+M for iOS).	((event: GestureResponderEvent) => void) | null | undefined
onPressIn:?	Default onPressIn or keyboard-handled onPressIn	((event: GestureResponderEvent) => void) | null | undefined
onPressOut:?	Default onPressOut or keyboard-handled onPressOut	((event: GestureResponderEvent) => void) | null | undefined
style?:	Style for the inner component	StyleProp<ViewStyle>
focusStyle?:	Style applied to the inner component when focused	FocusStyle
containerStyle?:	Style for the container	StyleProp;
containerFocusStyle?:	Style applied to the container when focused	FocusStyle
onFocus?:	Handler called when the component is focused	() => void
onBlur?:	Handler called when the component loses focus	() => void
onFocusChange?:	Handler called when the component is focused or blurred	(isFocused: boolean, tag?: number) => void
onKeyUpPress?:	Handler for the key-up event	(e: OnKeyPress) => void
onKeyDownPress?:	Handler for the key-down event	(e: OnKeyPress) => void
onBubbledContextMenuPress	Handler for bubbled long-press events triggered by the context menu command (iOS only)	() => void;
autoFocus?:	Indicates if the component should automatically gain focus	`boolean
focusable?:	Indicates if the component can be focused by keyboard	`boolean
tintColor?:	Color used for tinting the component	string
tintType?:	Tint behavior type	'default' | 'hover' | 'background' | 'none'
FocusHoverComponent?:	Component displayed on focus	| ReactElement  | FunctionComponent  | (() => ReactElement);
group?:	Indicates if the component is a focusable group	boolean
haloEffect?:	Enables halo effect on focus (iOS only)	boolean
...rest	Remaining View props	View

KeyboardExtendedInput

The TextInput component with keyboard focus support. This component allows the TextInput to be focused using the keyboard in various scenarios.

import { KeyboardExtendedInput } from 'react-native-external-keyboard';
...
  <KeyboardExtendedInput
    focusType="default"
    blurType="default"
    value={textInput}
    onChangeText={setTextInput}
  />

Props	Description	Type
focusable?:	Boolean property whether component can be focused by keyboard	boolean \| undefined default true
onFocusChange?:	Callback for focus change handling	(isFocused: boolean) => void \| undefined
focusType?:	Focus type can be default, auto, or press. Based on investigation, Android and iOS typically have different default behaviors. On Android, the TextInput is focused by default, while on iOS, you need to press to focus. auto is used for automatic focusing, while keyboard focus targets the input. With press, you need to press the spacebar to focus an input.	"default" \| "press" \| "auto"
blurType?:	Only for iOS. This defines the behavior for blurring input when focus moves away from the component. By default, iOS allows typing when the keyboard focus is on another component. You can use disable to blur input when focus moves away. (Further investigation is needed for Android.)	"default"\| "disable" \| "auto"
haloEffect?:	Enables halo effect on focus (iOS only)	boolean
tintColor?:	Color used for tinting the component	string
style?:	Style for the inner TextInput	StyleProp<ViewStyle>
focusStyle?	Style applied to the inner TextInput when focused	FocusStyle
containerStyle	Style for the container	StyleProp
containerFocusStyle?:	Style applied to the container when focused	FocusStyle
tintType?:	Tint behavior type	'default' \| 'hover' \| 'background' \| 'none'
FocusHoverComponent?:	Component displayed on focus	\| ReactElement  \| FunctionComponent  \| (() => ReactElement);
onSubmitEditing?:	Extended onSubmitEditing for mulitline input	(e: NativeSyntheticEvent<TextInputSubmitEditingEventData>) => void)
...rest	Remaining TextInput props	TextInputProps

KeyboardExtendedBaseView: (alias for: ExternalKeyboardView)

import { KeyboardExtendedBaseView } from 'react-native-external-keyboard';
...
  <KeyboardExtendedBaseView
    onKeyDownPress={...}
    onKeyUpPress={...}
    focussable
  >
    <Text>Content</Text>
  </KeyboardExtendedBaseView>

Props	Description	Type
focusable	Indicates if the component can be focused by keyboard	boolean | undefined
canBeFocused	(deprecated) Indicates if the component can be focused by keyboard	boolean | undefined
group	Indicates if the component is a focusable group	boolean
onFocus	Handler called when the component is focused	() => void
onBlur	Handler called when the component loses focus	() => void
onFocusChange	Handler called when the component is focused or blurred	(isFocused: boolean, tag?: number) => void
onKeyUpPress	Handler for the key-up event	(e: OnKeyPress) => void
onKeyDownPress	Handler for the key-down event	(e: OnKeyPress) => void
onContextMenuPress?:	Handler for long press events triggered by the context menu command (iOS only)	() => void;
onBubbledContextMenuPress	Handler for bubbled long-press events triggered by the context menu command (iOS only)	() => void;
haloEffect	Enables halo effect on focus (iOS only)	boolean | undefined
autoFocus	Indicates if the component should automatically gain focus	boolean | undefined
tintColor	Color used for tinting the component	string
ref->focus	Command to programmatically focus the component	() => void;
...rest	Remaining View props	View

KeyboardFocusGroup

The KeyboardFocusGroup is a View-based component developed based on the iOS API. It can be used for defining focus groups or setting the tintColor globally.

  <KeyboardFocusGroup  
    tintColor="orange">
    <ScrollView
      contentContainerStyle={styles.contentContainer}
      style={styles.container}
    >
    ...
    </ScrollView>
  </KeyboardFocusGroup>
  <KeyboardFocusGroup 
    focusStyle={{ backgroundColor: 'green' }}
    onFocusChange={(e) => console.log('green', e)}
    groupIdentifier="green"
    tintColor="green"
  >
      <Button>
  </KeyboardFocusGroup>
  <KeyboardFocusGroup
    focusStyle={{ backgroundColor: 'yellow' }}
    onFocusChange={(e) => console.log('yellow', e)}
    groupIdentifier="yellow"
    tintColor="yellow"
  >
      <Button>
  </KeyboardFocusGroup>

Props	Description	Type
focusStyle?	Style applied to the inner component when it is focused	FocusStyle
onFocusChange?:	Handler called when the component is focused or blurred	(isFocused: boolean) => void;
onFocus?:	Handler called when the component is focused	() => void
onBlur?:	Handler called when the component loses focus	() => void
groupIdentifier?:	Relates to iOS focusGroupIdentifier: the identifier of the focus group to which this view belongs	string

Keyboard

Keyboard module to support soft keyboard dismissal.

import { Keyboard } from 'react-native-external-keyboard';

...
  Keyboard.dismiss();
...

This is needed for hiding the soft keyboard using a hardware keyboard. Additionally, the soft keyboard can be hidden from the settings or by pressing Alt + K.

Migration 0.3.x to 0.4.0

Module (A11yModule, KeyboardExtendedModule)

Functions in the A11yModule (KeyboardExtendedModule) have been deprecated. They appeared appropriate at the time, but with the new architecture and to improve usability, they have been replaced with ref actions.

Previous:

import { KeyboardExtendedModule } from 'react-native-external-keyboard';

KeyboardExtendedModule.setKeyboardFocus(ref); //or A11yModule.setKeyboardFocus(ref);

Updated:

import { KeyboardExtendedPressable, type KeyboardFocus } from 'react-native-external-keyboard';
...

const ref = useRef<KeyboardFocus>(null);

...

const onPressForFocus = () => {
  ref.current.focus()
}

<TouchableOpacity
  ref={ref}
>
  <Text>TouchableOpacity</Text>
</TouchableOpacity>

The specific method for iOS, setPreferredKeyboardFocus, has not been added so far because we now have the new feature autoFocus, which does not fit well with the new API and its approach. It is better to use autoFocus for focusing views on both Android and iOS.

If you truly need this method, please create a new issue, and we will consider how to return it.

Pressable

Pressable changes

Unfortunately, the previous version of Pressable had many issues. For iOS, we cloned the entire Pressable component from React Native's source code, while for Android, we simply wrapped the component.

This led to two main problems:

1. Difficulty in updating Pressable for iOS.
2. Challenges in controlling styles.

For these reasons, we replaced Pressable with withKeyboardFocus(Pressable), as it was the only viable path forward to introduce new features.

Component aliases

It is believed that good naming can simplify usage and development. Based on this principle and for compatibility with 0.2.x, aliases were added. You can still use the old naming convention, and it will be maintained in future releases.

The map of aliases is provided below:
A11yModule -> KeyboardExtendedModule
Pressable -> KeyboardExtendedPressable
KeyboardFocusView -> KeyboardExtendedView
ExternalKeyboardView -> KeyboardExtendedBaseView

API

ToDo

export type OnKeyPress = NativeSyntheticEvent<{
  keyCode: number;
  unicode: number;
  unicodeChar: string;
  isLongPress: boolean;
  isAltPressed: boolean;
  isShiftPressed: boolean;
  isCtrlPressed: boolean;
  isCapsLockOn: boolean;
  hasNoModifiers: boolean;
}>;

Roadmap

• Update onPress and onLongPress for withKeyboardFocus
• Add functionality to control keyboard focus order.
• Verify and update focusable and disabled states for iOS and Android.
• Update Readme.md.
• Create the documentation.
• Perfomance optimization

Contributing

Any type of contribution is highly appreciated. Feel free to create PRs, raise issues, or share ideas.

Acknowledgements

It has been a long journey since the first release of the react-native-external-keyboard package. Many features have been added, and a lot of issues have been fixed.

With that, I would like to thank the contributors, those who created issues, and the followers, because achieving these results wouldn't have been possible without you.

Thanks to the initial authors: Andrii Koval, Michail Chavkin, Dzmitry Khamitsevich. Thanks to the contributors: Stéphane. Thanks to those who created issues: Stéphane, proohit, Rananjaya Bandara, SteveHoneckPGE, Wes

I really appreciate your help; it has truly helped me move forward!

License

MIT

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Made with create-react-native-library