Colon and Semi Colon - OnScreen Keyboard

Is there a way to type a colon or semi colon using the iPad Onscreen Keyboard? If not this seems like a pretty serious oversight

tony_stead wrote:
It's there if you use notepad or type a url, but it is not there if for instance you go to settings - email - accounts.

If you have a Gmail account you would want to enter your username as recent: xxxx@gmail.com to download recent mails and stop mails being marked as read so that they can be downloaded by other devices.

tony_stead wrote:
Meg, this is a workaround for anyone who is using Gmail on a POP connection rather than IMAP

imap is a nightmare! loads of inboxes I hate it.

Copy&Paste will work

JamerUK wrote:

imap is a nightmare! loads of inboxes I hate it.

Still don't understand. I have one inbox per device using IMAP. But, if you don't like it, you shouldn't use it.

So why do I have inbox on my computer plus sky inbox plus sky sent and on my computer sent, how do I have just one universal inbox?

To the discussion over using IMAP vs Pop--that's really not the point.

The point IS, there is NO colon or semi-colon on the ipad keyboard.

Can anyone explain why this is?

< Edited By Host >

The punction is not on the keyboard in that setting because it is not usually required. The situation that at least one poster wanted it for was unusual and a bit of a kludge in itself. If you are doing typing in most situations on the iPad, there is both a colon and a semi-colon.

Rather than castigate someone for a post they made eight months ago, why don't you submit your feedback to Apple saying that you want the punctuation made available for this rather obscure use:

http://www.apple.com/feedback

Best of luck.

jinksjohnson wrote:

The point IS, there is NO colon or semi-colon on the ipad keyboard.

Can anyone explain why this is?

I suggest you ask Apple to add this using the feedback channel:

http://www.apple.com/feedback/ipad.html

When you do so, make sure you specify exactly what kind of text fields in what apps you are referring to, because in the places where people do most of their typing (email subject and text, web browsers, and word processors) there is no problem finding those characters using the 123 key.

Exactly why is it a kludge?

Many ISPs now use google to power their email. Thus millions of people will require the ability to use colons.

I ended up here looking for a solution to the colon issue, having to copy'n'paste is far from intuitive and frankly a messy workaround.

Kudos and thanks to Tony.

I don't see why the on screen keyboard can't have more than two levels to allow for other characters. It wouldn't affect the real estate taken up.

I solved this problem of not being able to enter a colon for an email address by creating a keyboard shortcut

Go to Settings, general, keyboard and create the necessary shortcut. ( I also created one for my email address which saves time typing it in)

Actually, in iOS6, if you are setting up a gmail account and you want to use the recent: prefix for your account, there is no colon in any of the keyboards available, including the number keyboard. The workaround that I used was the one described in this thread using notes to type recent: and then copy/paste. A pain, but at least it works.

As someone suggested, go to any other app where you would type in text, like Safari, type the colon, semicolon, or the character you need, Select it, Copy it, then go back to your email and paste it.