On-screen keyboard for a RaspberryPi

Not specifically on the Pi, but on general Linux systems I tend to use cellwriter. It's default mode is handwriting recognition, but it can be optionally started with --keyboard-only, which I prefer to the other onscreen keyboards I've tried. Available in Raspbian and Ubuntu AFAICT.

Is there English documentation available?

Thanks - exactly what I wanted to know, and in looking for a bit more about it I found matchbox-keyboard, which seems to be one of the Raspbian standard packages.

FYI, the screen I'm most interested in trying is a new 4" one from Pimoroni: the HyperPixel 4.0 TFT, touch screen and claiming 800 x 480 resolution, but its blurb doesn't say anything about brightness, which is important because this will be used outdoors in bright conditions.

I never had sufficient reason to need documentation for it beyond the

--help option, which was actually a reason I chose it in preference to onboard in historic versions of Ubuntu. More recent onboard versions have seemingly improved, but still don't really work the way I want.

I have a vague recollection from a decade or so ago that they were related, but I'd forgotten about matchboard-keyboard.

Sounds like an interesting project. I'd be interested to know if it can manage daylight readability.

If this one works out, I'll build a second - same screen but on a Pi 2B+ with external power (3A 12v->5v converter) and a USB GPS puck for use in much more challenging lighting conditions. This will be the navigation system in my glider, running the Linux version of LK8000. 'More challenging' lighting because it will be mounted on my panel and MUST be easily readable even with direct sunlight coming over my shoulder and onto its display. Hopefully, this will replace a Medion S.3747 PNA, which has a transreflective display, so its a big ask.

I have a 7" touch screen with the on-screen keyboard. I forget where I got it, but it wasn't hard to find. I don't like it, you have to touch towards the top of each button, it's too small... I don't use it.

Thanks for the input. I don't like this type of keyboard either. I'm too used to the tactile feel of proper, moving keys.

There were devices around in 1978 with capacitative keys printed on a flat piece of rigid plastic that were as horrid to use as a modern on- screen keyboard - like drumming your fingers on a sheet of cardboard.

However, in this case I'm planning to make a pocketable device equivalent to a WinCE-based PDA (think Compaq iPAC and successors) from an Pi Zero W and a touch screen, It will sometimes need keyed input and there's no way I'm going to carry a keyboard, no matter how small and cute it might be, so I will need an on-screen pop-up keyboard from time to time.