With Windows 10 programs such as notepad, Libre Writer and Libre Calc spread sheet plus my own programming written for Wndows Mobile they can be displayed and be managed as if designed for a small screen. Programs can be run in full screen if required  The open software window’s can be selected switched from on to the other using the icon        on the task bar. This would emulate the practice of Windows Mobile Device but it is optional. To be more comprehensively useful more choice of programs optimised for a small screen need to be written.

My bench mark standard for stylus touch was compared with the stylus touch on the HTC Windows Mobile Device. Control features needed; cursor staying under the stylus tip at all screen positions, long press for right click, accurate stylus typing with an on screen keyboard. All these worked as with the Windows Mobile Device.

Unlike Windows Mobile Devices there are additional features needed for a Windows Desktop. The ability to move application windows around the desk top worked comfortably but the ability to size windows had an awkward missing mouse feature. The PenMount cursor under the stylus is just a dark grey circle it does not change on a software’s frame border to to show little arrows and that it is positioned for resizing. At first this makes a game of where to place the stylus tip before moving the stylus to resize the object. The game is quickly learned and moving and resizing program windows on the desk top becomes just an easy feature.         

Site Under Development

Note: This site is a personnel on going blog for creating a Windows 10 handheld PDA from a PC stick and a five inch HDMI screen. It’s construct is that of using the web space to assemble items,ideas, a record of the development and issues for creating the device as and when. It is not intended for public viewing but its link will be shared by the author with others for help and advice to and from other interested parties. The site will not be in a refined state.

Resistive Touch Driver and Software Installation with Windows 10

Running Penmount Control Panel

A problem I found while running a desktop publisher program. Stylus movement on the screen pans the desktop publisher page around the applications work area. Selecting a DTP object i.e. text frame, picture or other object items to position somewhere else on the page will just pan the complete page around the work area.

In Libre Calc spread sheet software panning didn’t work neither would the scroll bars.

The panning here is a Windows Gesture designed probably for multi finger touch. With single touch it is best disabled. It is a hacks solution with a techy registry tweak.

Panning can be stopped by a registry tweak
"HKEY_CURRENT_USER, Software\Microsoft\Wisp\Touch\PanningDisabled=1"

See Video Clip

Running Penmount Gestures

Running Penmount Control Panel

Enables calibration
see video clip left.   

Running Penmount Gestures puts an icon on the task bar.

Right mouse clicking displays a menu for configuring gestures none of these work in Windows 10.

Settings for stylus resistive touch is limited to long press for mouse equivalent for right click and double tap speed for double left click.

The settings are not straight forward to get to. Do Not use Windows 10 settings but get to the control panel. Use tablet key word in search. Select Tablet PC settings > the other tab > then the Go to Pen and Touch link. See video left.

I have set the the long press for the maximum delay this gives enough time to start moving objects and other features without a right click activating an unwanted context menu.

I use a an AutoHotKey script which uses the on screen keyboard’s Windows Key for a faster activation of right click if I need to.

The Script
  

Touch As Mouse Or Pen

I use a an AutoHotKey script which uses the on screen keyboard’s Windows Key for a faster activation of right click if I need to.

The Script

“LWin::

Send {LShift Down}{F10}{LShift Up}.

Return”  

Awkward built in Windows 10 Gesture Problem

The panning here is a Windows Gesture designed probably for multi finger touch. With single touch it is best disabled. It is a hacks solution with a techy registry tweak.

Panning can be stopped by a registry tweak
"HKEY_CURRENT_USER,Software\Microsoft\Wisp\Touch
\PanningDisabled=1"

See Video Clip

Working With the above Settings

My objective Achieved

With the above I have more or less reached my objective of getting the mocked up 5” screen handheld windows 10 device to do the work I needed to do on the Windows Mobile Devices.   

Using Software Ideally Suited For Larger Screens   

Most Windows applications and third party software are designed with the expectation that larger screens will be used so a lot if not most software could be difficult to use with a small screen.

For a handheld Windows PC to be useful and practicable more programs optimised for a small screen will need to be written but existing software designed for larger screens can still be manageable for preliminary input. This could be for work to be continued later when using larger screens, a keyboard and mouse.

Example Of Using a Stylus In A Desk Top Publisher.
Serif Page Plus.

Serif Page Plus, as would be any other Desk Top Publisher for MS Windows, is not suited for creating refined finished publications on a small screen. A small screen though can be used to sketch out a layout and be used as a depository to store objects to be used in a publication when using a larger screen later.

Video Clip

Using a Cursor With The Touch Keyboard

Not sure why this works with the Windows 10 touch keyboard but not with the Windows On Screen Key Board or a third party on screen keyboard I have. Using the AutoHotKey script given below a mouse cursor can be moved around the screen using the keyboard keys. It can select objects with a simulated left mouse click and also simulate holding down the left mouse key to drag objects around the screen.

It also works on a Windows 10 8” tablet I have with capacitive finger touch. Again if it needs to be said it only works with the Windows touch Keyboard. With the touch keyboard the cursor stays where it was on the screen where it can be moved by the mouse keys. With other on screen keyboards the cursor ends up back on the keyboard.  

Running the script takes over the keyboard so the first keyboard key to know with this given script is the “TAB” key which will close the script and return the touch keyboard back to normal typing mode.

To run the script it could be added the start menu. I prefer the to use to use what I call “my desktop script”. In this Autohotkey script I have key press commands which I find useful for other tasks and use regularly.  To it I added the Command

F11::
RUN "C:\oneDrive\MouseKeys.ahk"
Return

This will open and run MouseKeys.ahk by clicking the Fn key first, which displays,  “F1 to F12” keys instead of number keys. The F11 key then needs to be pressed.

To use; tap the screen in the proximity of where the pointer curser needs to be nudged then lift off the stylus and go to the touch keyboard. With the  script I’m currently using and experimenting with, which is given below, the essential keys to know 1 to nudge right, 2 to nudge left, 3 to nudge up, 4 to nudge down. Diagonal movement with “\”, “\”, “[“ and “]” keys.  Key 5 will act as a left mouse click. Key 9 will simulate holding down the left mouse key and can be used by the nudge keys to move a selected object around the screen. With caution tapping the screen in a different place can locate a selected object to that position. REMEMBER! Essential! after using drag and drop press keyboard 6 to release the simulation of holding down the left mouse key. Failing to do so and tapping the screen can misplace and distort an object. If it happens press control then the “z” key to perform an “Undo”.

REMEMBER press the “TAB” when you need to return to a normal text keyboard.

In the script given there are key presses to move the screen pointer around faster than 1 pixel a time.  This is not really necessary just by tapping the screen it will place the the cursor at that position. The mouse nudge keys can then be used to fine tune the cursor more accurately.

Text frames in Serif Page Plus when left clicked show a bounding border with square handles for resizing. Getting the stylus to connect to the handles is tricky . There is no cursor change to indicate that the handle is active. The stylus needs to be placed accurately as possible on the square handle, kept on the screen and wiggled to test for text frame movement. This needs to happen before a long press activates a right click to display the context menu. If the context menu does show the stylus needs to be repositioned. To get this to work in normal screen mode is precarious and time consuming. Using an application’s zoom feature if it has one will make it manageable. Using the Window’s magnifier loaded from the ease of access program menu makes it a lot more manageable.

Difference between between the touch keyboard and other on screen keyboards.

With the touch keyboard wherever the screen is touched with the stylus the mouse keys will nudge the cursor from that position. The other on screen keyboards focus and put the cursor positioned on the keyboard when mouse keys are pressed.

PenMount Controller

What ever might have been read in PenMount manuals or user guides for previous Microsoft Windows versions with Windows 10 there are no options given. It installs creating two programs “Penmount Control Panel” and “Penmount Gestures”.

Correction update there is a white window that gets hidden behind the PenMount software installation window that asks if the user would like the installation as a mouse. If not seen or ignored PenMount will be installed as touch-this is preferable. If installed as mouse the touch keyboard will not show when text fields are tapped and will not automatically pop up for logging in at startup.   

Navighation
Hard Ware
Page one
New Page