PencilTime FAQ · Version 1.10.0 and later
Magic Keyboard and typed text in PencilTime
Use Apple Magic Keyboard or another connected hardware keyboard anywhere PencilTime provides a supported text area or text field. Typing support does not require Premium.
Does Magic Keyboard support require Premium?
No. Hardware-keyboard typing is available to all PencilTime users. Some unrelated features, including calendar integration, require Premium, but the typed-text features described here do not.
PencilTime pages remain primarily Apple Pencil drawing canvases. Typing does not start when you tap an arbitrary place on a page. First activate a supported text area and wait for an insertion cursor or text editor to appear.
Quick Magic Keyboard test
- Open a Note Page that uses the Blank template.
- Tap the keyboard button in the pen toolbar.
- Wait for the insertion cursor to appear.
- Type with the Magic Keyboard.
- Tap the drawing button when finished.
It is normal for the on-screen keyboard not to appear while a hardware keyboard is connected.
Where can I type?
Note Pages
Blank Note Pages support a full-page, multiline text area. Tap the keyboard button in the pen toolbar to enter Text Edit Mode. If the page uses a Lined, Grid, or Dotted template, PencilTime asks whether to switch that individual page to the Blank template. Existing handwriting and stickers are preserved, but the paper background is removed.
Year, Month, and Week pages
The Basic Year, Month, and Week templates include a dedicated Notes area. Tap the small keyboard button in the upper-right corner of that area, confirm the change from lines to typed text, and then type. The calendar cells and other parts of these pages remain handwriting areas.
After switching a Notes area to text, use its ellipsis button to clear the text while keeping the blank area or restore the original lined layout. Restoring lines deletes any text in that area and requires confirmation when text is present.
Day pages
The Basic Day template provides individual text fields for:
- Eight ToDo rows
- Eight Priority rows
- Schedule notes in half-hour intervals
Tap a ToDo checkbox, a Priority marker, or a printed hour label to open its editor. Tapping only an empty writing line or blank schedule area continues to use the drawing canvas.
Which templates support typed text?
- Note Pages: Blank supports full-page text.
- Year, Month, and Week: Basic includes a typed Notes area.
- Day: Basic includes ToDo, Priority, and schedule-note fields.
- Home and Index: These pages do not currently provide typed-text fields.
Blank, Lined, and Dot Grid planner-page variants remain handwriting-oriented unless described above.
Text formatting and keyboard shortcuts
Full-page Note text and the Notes areas on Basic Year, Month, and Week pages support Title, Heading, Subheading, Body, and Small text sizes, plus color, bold, underline, bullets, numbering, indentation, undo, and redo. On a narrow iPhone, swipe the toolbar horizontally to reveal controls that are off-screen.
- Command-B: Toggle bold.
- Command-U: Toggle underline.
- Tab: Indent a list item.
- Shift-Tab: Outdent a list item.
How can I see the whole page in landscape?
Use the Page View button in the toolbar. Fit Width makes the page larger for writing and drawing; scroll vertically to reach the bottom. Fit Page reduces the page until the whole page is visible, which is especially useful when an iPad is attached to a Magic Keyboard. PencilTime remembers the selected mode.
What should I check if typing does not work?
- Confirm that the keyboard works in another app, such as Apple Notes.
- Confirm that PencilTime is version 1.10.0 or later.
- Use a Blank template for full-page Note text or a Basic template for planner-page text fields.
- Activate the correct keyboard button, checkbox, marker, or printed hour label.
- Wait for an insertion cursor or text-editor sheet before typing.
- If necessary, reconnect the hardware keyboard and reopen PencilTime.
If the problem continues, contact support with your PencilTime version, device model, iOS or iPadOS version, page type, selected template, and the control you tapped before typing.