Activate iPad air 2 keyboard

Device:

- IPad Air 2

- Storage - 64 / 55.5 GB

- Memory - 2 GB

- Storage Capacity: 7.0 GB

- IOS - 8.1 (12B410)

- Model - MCKM2LL/A

- App1 - Swype

- App1 Producer - Nuance

- App1 Ver - 1.5.3617-a9bc801

- App2 - Office Suite (Free version)

- App 2 Producer - Mobi Systems

- App 2 Ver - 4.1.3210

- App3 - IOS App Store

- App3 Producer- Apple

- App3 Ver - Current for iOS 8.1

- App4 - Microsoft Excel for iPad

- App4 Producer - Microsoft

- App4 Ver - 1.12 per App Store (Couldn't find it in the app and I'm about to go to 365 shortly.)

Note: There are numerous other apps on this iPad and the current background app list is usually whatever the default max is. I usually don't start pruning them unless I'm having problems. After I submit this, I'll probably clear a lot of them and power cycle the iPad. Then try to get Swype active again.

Problem:

Intermittent no response from keyboard in entry fields. The keyboard doesn't appear at all intermittently when an entry field is tapped. Using Swype keyboard for several weeks. Air 2 spontaneous restart after several hours of use when I tossed it 1.5 feet (Combined horizontall and vehicle distance) onto a bed. Attempted to use Office Suite to create a document but couldn't enter data due to no keyboard available. Next checked App Store and couldn't search for desired app due to no keyboard. Switched to MS Excel for iOS, attempted to add cloud storage accounts but user / email fields wouldn't trigger keyboard but password fields did. Went to Settings, General, Keyboard, selected Swype, and disabled the Allow all option. It worked properly from that point for another 1 hour then the Swype keyboard disappeared and the default keyboard reappeared. Tried to reactivate Swype by enabling Allow All but I must be missing a step since the default keyboard appears in each app after another 2 hours in several apps since I began this Post. The prediction bar is easily confused now as well. It often fails to accurately recognize words when the selection point is on them even if I just backspace to continue a word. When I tap an option from the bar sometimes I get that and others I get what had been entered up to the tap point. Correcting the issue gets the same results as mentioned previously and sometimes has no relation to what's being keyed at all, usually seemingly random characters that may include what I'm keying. Now the default keyboard isn't consistartly capitalizing on new lines whether by tping return or tapping the new location for entry. It is supposed to auto-capitalize new lines either way and has done so up till today. When it does capitalize a new line it often capitilizes the first two characters. When I spot it and backspace to fix it, the first character isn't recognized or existing ones aren't And auto correct often adds additional words or fragments to what im attempting to key, usually after I space to begin the next word. Usually that works pretty well but not today. There are several other anomalous behaviors from the default keyboard that I'm not listing here to reduce post size.

This entire post was entered in Safari on the Air 2 but I was in and out of Safari many times gathering related information and doing other things as well.

The suggested posting guidelines above have now been followed, at least I think they have and that was the intent. From ALL of those portions that didn't go as they should have, I woulf most like to know the following, anything additional would be appreciated especially if it clarifies what's happening and what I should do to fix or prevent recurrences.

1) If the keyboard, whichever one is supposed to be active, doesn't appear when an entry field is selected, what is the best course of action to repair the problem And what is the likely source of the problem?

2) Any idea why the default keyboard is acting strangely and what should I do to normalize it?

3) Is there a recommended sequence for changing keyboards to minimize problems?

4) Is there a known problem with my configuration as stated?

Thank you for your attention and any responses provided. If there are questions please ask them. If I'm breaking some best practices, please point them out with references where possible. There actually is a method to the madness and I'm unlikely to change methods based on a differing opinion if it doesn't make more sense to me than what I'm doing already and intend to do going forward.

Paul