Allow keeping emoji search open after selecting an emoji

[origintopleft]

Is your feature request related to a problem? Please describe.
Out of the box, after searching for and selecting an emoji, emoji search closes and returns to the emoji picker. This is a sane default suitable for many users. However, sometimes I want to insert the same emoji multiple times in sequence (e.g. 🎉🎉🎉 in response to exciting news)

Describe the solution you'd like
I would like a setting somewhere in HeliBoard's options that allows me to keep the emoji search window open with previous query string, allowing me to repeatedly tap the desired emoji the desired number of times.

Use case

1. Open emoji search
2. Enter "tada"
3. Tap the 🎉 emoji three times.
4. Keyboard yields 🎉🎉🎉

Describe alternatives you've considered (if any)
A. Switch back to GBoard (rejected due to recent degoogling efforts)
B. Use system clipboard (a bit slow to perform on phones, but otherwise very possible)

App version
Please provide the explicit version, you're using.
3.9, retrieved directly from GitHub through Obtainium

[eranl]

Since emoji search has been implemented as an Activity, the app's edit box is disabled during search, which is why it currently allows inserting one emoji at a time.

These are the options we've discussed for removing this limitation:

1. Change the emoji search action button to Search, which when pressed, will close the activity and open a special emoji keyboard containing the search results, which will allow the user to insert multiple emojis (GBoard has something similar).
2. Add another text field to emoji search, above or below the search results, which would show the selected emojis, and possibly allow removing them. The search will only close and selected emojis would only be inserted into the app when you press the Done button.
3. Change the search implementation to an in-keyboard one. This carries its own potential issues (See Gboard again).

See discussion on #1765.

Between options 1 & 2, it's a matter of UI preference, and I'm not sure which one is more intuitive. Option 3 is the best UI-wise, but it has technical issues.

BTW, another possible workaround for inserting the same emoji multiple times is using the Recent emojis tab.

[maruuk]

3 would be best 💪

This carries its own potential issues (See Gboard again).
See discussion on #1765.

It looks like a niche bug. In all my years of using Gboard, I've never encountered or even heard of it. Besides, bugs like that can probably be fixed.

In my opinion, it’s worth taking the risk, as this is the most modern solution. You could upload an app with this feature here for testing, or open a dedicated issue or discussion before submitting a PR. I’d be happy to test it.