Mango Sample: Input Scope

Windows Phone has an on-screen keyboard. We call it the SIP (Software Input Panel). It appears when users give focus to a TextBox. The configuration of SIP keys varies by how the developer sets up the TextBox’s InputScope property.

Here are three configurations (mango has 57):

  

On the far left is the DIGIT configuration. Remember, SIP configuration is meant to be an aid to the user, not a validation tool. Users can still use a physical keyboard to type in alpha characters, or use the clipboard to paste. Even with DIGIT, letters are possible.

HoW to Define InputScope in code-behind:

How to Define InputScope in XAML

Some Important InputScopes

Text	Standard layout with features such as autocorrect and text suggestion
Url	Standard layout with .com and customized Enter key for typing URLs.
EmailNameOrAddress	Standard layout with .com and @ key, and easy access to phone number layout.
Maps	Standard layout with a customized Enter key. Used to type a location to search for on a map
TelephoneNumber	12-key layout
Search	Semi-transparent layout with a Search and .com key.
NameOrPhoneNumber	Standard layout with access to phone number layout. Used to type in the SMS To field
Chat	Text input that uses intelligent features such as abbreviations

Read more here.