Using Input Panel During a Remote Desktop Session
Published: December 13, 2004
I've been using Tablet PC Input Panel in Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005 on my Tablet PCs (a Toshiba M200, a Motion 1300, and a Fujitsu 4110) for several months now. Most of the time, it's a huge improvement. The handwriting recognition is better, and the redesigned Input Panel feels more natural to use when it appears next to the location where you want to enter text, rather than docked at the bottom or top of the screen. You can open Input Panel next to almost any place that you can enter text using a standard keyboard. The Tablet PC Input Panel icon appears automatically when you rest your pen near the field that you want to complete. Just tap the icon to open Input Panel.
Jeff Van West's excellent column, Using Input Panel in Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005, describes how to get the free upgrade to Windows XP Tablet PC Edition by installing Windows XP SP2. It also describes how to customize Input Panel settings to increase the likelihood of having your handwriting recognized.
In this column, I focus on how to use Input Panel during a Remote Desktop session. I'll explain how to work with Input Panel in the docked position.
Why Open a Remote Session?
There are many scenarios in which you'd use a Tablet PC with Remote Desktop. I'm using one right now: I'm on the road with my Tablet PC, but most of my work is on my home computer. So when I need to use something on that computer, I open a Remote Desktop session to it. Now I can access all of the files and other resources I normally use, but with the mobility and flexibility of my Tablet PC.
It's a perfect solution in many ways, but there's a catch—Input Panel does not appear next to a text entry area when you are working across a Remote Desktop connection, so you must dock Input Panel at the bottom or top of the screen. When you dock it, Input Panel has the same enhancements as when you open it next to a text entry area.
Using Input Panel in a Docked Position During a Remote Session
Always open Input Panel from the taskbar before you start a Remote Desktop session. Because my home computer has a larger screen than my Tablet, I set my Tablet PC to use Remote Desktop in full screen mode. In this mode, the taskbar is covered on my Tablet PC session, which makes it difficult to open Input Panel. But by opening Input Panel first, it sits on top of the remote session. To open Input Panel:
| • | Tap the Tablet PC Input Panel icon ( ) on your taskbar. Input Panel opens, as shown in Figure 1. |
Figure 1
Another trick I find helps during a remote session is to set the taskbar to auto-hide on the computer that you're accessing remotely (in my case, my home computer), so that you have the maximum amount of real estate on the screen. Then drag Input Panel beneath the remote session by using the move handle (on the far right in Input Panel). To auto-hide the taskbar:
1. | Right-click the taskbar, and then select Properties. |
2. | In the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties dialog box, select the Auto-hide the taskbar check box, and then click OK. |
After your remote session is finished, you can clear the check box.
One benefit of the redesigned Input Panel that you won't get to take advantage of during a remote session is its improved context sensitivity. Context sensitivity means that when you open Input Panel in your browser, for example, and write "www" in the address bar, Input Panel recognizes your text as a URL address.
Although you won't have context sensitivity during a Remote Desktop session, you can use the character pad to write individual characters, which Input Panel recognizes as individual characters rather than as words. Using the character pad may improve recognition for things like serial numbers and e-mail addresses.
After I've finished the remote session, I return to opening Input Panel next to a text entry area because it feels more natural to me than using it in a docked position. To undock Input Panel:
| • | Tap the Tools and Options button  , and then tap Undock. |
If you were a big fan of Write Anywhere on the Tablet PC, you may have a bit of an adjustment because the Write Anywhere feature is gone in Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005. However, I encourage you to install SP2 and use the redesigned Input Panel. Based on the comments I've seen in the Windows XP Tablet PC Edition Newsgroup, most former Write Anywhere users are enjoying using it, especially with the writing area automatically expanding, which improves the overall Tablet PC experience.
Contact Me
If you use Windows XP Tablet PC Edition and have a topic you'd like to see me cover in my column, or you want to tell me about how the Tablet PC has changed computing for you, please write me at Charlie@mvps.org. I really want to hear what you think about your Tablet PC and what interesting ways you've found that it makes your work better.
I can't acknowledge or answer individual e-mail messages and I can't provide individual technical support via e-mail. I do regularly participate in the Windows XP Tablet PC Edition Newsgroup and look forward to seeing you there.
