[GoBears]

I have found a way to force up the TouchPad's virtual keyboard, at least in a certain very specific situation. I can force the keyboard on a web page with a JavaScript program and an HTML entry field.

I enjoy a form of Sudoku called Killer Sudoku. The web site www.killersudokuonline.com posts new games every day written in JavaScript, but I could not play them on my TP because I couldn't get the keyboard to appear. This web page includes an HTML entry field.

Here's how I force the keyboard to appear.

1. Use the TP's browser and go to www.killersudokuonline.com.
2. Under one of the puzzles, tap "PLAY ON-LINE". The puzzle you'd like to play is now displayed, and if you tap on any of the puzzle's boxes you will see a yellow square, but since there is no keyboard you can't enter a number.
3. In the upper right corner of the web page there should be a dialog box with an HTML entry field that says "What do you think?" If the entry field is not there, leave the web page and return until it comes up.
4. Tap on the "What do you think?" entry field. The keyboard should appear and you should see a flashing cursor in the entry field.
5. Tap on the Tab key. Very important. This won't work if you don't tap on the Tab key.
6. Now, you should be able to tap on any box in the sudoku puzzle, and the keyboard should stay on the screen allowing you to enter a number into the puzzle. It will stay on the screen as long as you don't leave the web page.

After a while, the keyboard may get "stuck" and stay on the screen even if you visit other web pages. I have not figured out which conditions cause this, but it does happen.

I realize that this "solution" only answers a very specific situation, but I hope it may give some of the sharper homebrewers out there ideas on how to fix this problem permanently, and make the keyboard appear when we need it.