How do I get buttons below the soft keyboard in WP 8.1?

Question

I've noticed that some Windows Phone 8.1 screens like the Microsoft Account sign-in wizard have buttons like "Previous" or "Next" below the soft keyboard. So you can type in whatever into an input field and tap a button to go to the next screen without needing to close the keyboard first. This wasn't just a standard app bar. However I have not been able to find what APIs do this and can't find anything explaining how to do it online.

Has anyone found how to do this? Or is it impossible for a third party app?

Answer 1

It is not possible to add rectangular buttons below the SIP or in an app bar using the public SDK.
Yes, some of the built in apps use these types of buttons and lots of people have good reasons for wanting to do so in their apps but it's not possible.

The only real options available are:
1. Use an ApplicationBarButton in a regular app bar (best generic solution)
2. Put the button above the SIP (although this may be hard to do well on a long/scrolling page)

A really bad idea but I've seen it attempted (but not well):
- Build your own SIP so you can position it above your own (rectangular) buttons.