iPhone JavaScript Character Counts

After reading my indictment of the text editing fields in the current crop of web-based iPhone Twitter clients (slow typing performance and inaccurate character counts after deleting), Andrew Hedges wrote four different implementations:

Now, I don’t have an iPhone, but I do have the SDK. Typing with a mouse in the iPhone simulator, I found the interval pattern to be the most responsive. Of the 4 techniques, only the instant updating one failed to provide an accurate count (it was always one key press behind). I’m interested to hear from users of actual iPhones which they think is best (most responsive and most accurate) when using the on-screen keyboard.

After trying them on my iPhone, I’d describe his four implementations as poor, best, OK, and good (respectively). Except for the first (poor) one, the character counts are always accurate, and the typing speed is quite good. His “interval” method, in addition to feeling the fastest, has the added advantage of keeping an accurate character count while you hold down the delete key. Twitter web client developers, take note.

★ Friday, 18 April 2008