title: Developing a custom virtual keyboard for Windows 10
body: <p>I would like to create a custom virtual keyboard for touch on Windows 10.  I am primarily a <a href="/questions/tagged/c%23" class="post-tag" title="show questions tagged &#39;c#&#39;" rel="tag">c#</a> developer but if Windows 10 Dev is anything like the previous version, I'll probably have to revert back to C/C++.  I want to be able to define everything, shape, regions, and data that it spits out when keys are pressed.  </p>
  
  <p>Windows 10 has a keyboard selection menu (see picture), I would like it to integrate with this so that it can be used with the native keyboard interfaces.</p>
  
  <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/rHct7.png" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/rHct7.png" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>
  
  <p>I'm an experienced programmer of business applications but I have no idea where to start with this.  I saw <a href="https://stackoverflow.com/questions/6472563/developing-my-own-virtual-keyboard-for-windows-7-desktop">this</a> article for a Windows 7 keyboard but I'm hoping that things have changed for Windows 10.</p>
  
  <p>My questions are:</p>
  
  <ol>
  <li>Is it possible to create a custome virtual keyboard that integrates natively?</li>
  <li>How do I integrate it with the Windows 10 Virtual Keyboard selector (pictured)?</li>
  <li>Where do I start?</li>
  </ol>
  
  <p>Any help/direction/words of wisdom would be appreciated.</p>
  
  <p>Update: I think maybe I haven't explained it very well.  I want to build a virtual keyboard that isn't in the same shape as a normal one and essentially works like a shortcut keyboard.  You tap a key and it insert a preset snippet of text in to the context window.  And is selectable from the virtual keyboard options pictured (blue bit).</p>