diff --git a/src/components/inputItem/inputController.ts b/src/components/inputItem/inputController.ts
index 45c762c..87b811f 100644
--- a/src/components/inputItem/inputController.ts
+++ b/src/components/inputItem/inputController.ts
@@ -13,11 +13,34 @@ import keyboardCharMap from "./keyBoardMaps/keyboardCharMap";
 import { RenderMessage, ClientMessage } from "@/types/message/index";
 import { v4 as uuidv4 } from 'uuid';
 import {clientMessage, renderMessage} from '@/modules/message';
+import anime from "animejs";
 
 let textInput: HTMLInputElement | null;
 let m: RenderMessage | ClientMessage;
 let uid: string;
 
+// Animation functions for text input element.
+function expandInput() {
+  anime({
+    targets: textInput,
+    width: ['0px', '150px'],
+    duration: 500,
+    easing: 'easeOutExpo', 
+  })
+}
+
+function retractInput() {
+  anime({
+    targets: textInput,
+    width: ['150px', '0px'],
+    duration: 500,
+    easing: 'easeOutExpo', 
+    begin: function() {
+       if (textInput) textInput.blur();
+    }
+  })        
+}
+
 export default function useInputController() {
 
     const { emitter } = useMitt();
@@ -25,24 +48,23 @@ export default function useInputController() {
     const isRecording = ref(false);
     const isTyping = ref(false);
     const input = ref("");
+    const capsLock = ref(false);
 
     // send message on ENTER.
     const onEnter = () => {
 
         if (input.value) {
-            // remove first character of input.
-            const text = input.value.substring(1);
 
             uid = uuidv4();
 
-            m = renderMessage(text, false, "sf", uid);
+            m = renderMessage(input.value, false, "sf", uid);
 
             // render user message.
             emitter.emit("self-message", m);
 
             m = clientMessage(m.content.text, m.content.audio, uid);
 
-            // send message to backend.
+            // send message to main process.
             post('client-message', m);
 
             // reset text input.
@@ -54,8 +76,10 @@ export default function useInputController() {
 
     // update input on keydown event & listen for special commands.
     const onKeyDown = (e: KeyboardEvent) => {
-
-        if (textInput) textInput.focus();
+        if (textInput) {
+            textInput.focus();
+            textInput.value = input.value;
+        }
 
         // keyboardCharMap is an array of arrays, with each inner
         // array having 2 columns - un-shifted, and shifted values.
@@ -64,7 +88,7 @@ export default function useInputController() {
         // MODIFY keyboardCharMap to suit your needs if you want
         //    more/less/different characters to be considered "printable".
         let iCol = 0;
-        if (e.shiftKey) {
+        if (e.shiftKey || capsLock.value) {
           iCol = 1;
         }
 
@@ -81,13 +105,18 @@ export default function useInputController() {
             break;
           case "BACK_SPACE":
             input.value = input.value.slice(0, -1);
-            break;
+            break;                                    
+          case "CAPS_LOCK":
+            capsLock.value = true;
+            break;                        
           case "ESCAPE":
             if (textInput) textInput.value = ''
             input.value = "";
             break;
           default:
             input.value += ch;
+            input.value.trim();
+            break;
         }
 
     }
@@ -112,6 +141,9 @@ export default function useInputController() {
 
             input.value = ''
         }
+        else if (e.code === "CapsLock") {
+            capsLock.value = false;
+        }
     }
 
     onMounted(() => {
@@ -126,21 +158,23 @@ export default function useInputController() {
         window.removeEventListener("keyup", onKeyUp);
     });
 
-    // watch keyboard input & update current state.
-    watch(input, (input, prevInput) => {
 
-        // 
+    // watch keyboard input & update inputItem state.
+    watch(input, (input, prevInput) => {
+        if (isTyping.value && input.length === 0) {
+            retractInput();
+        }
+
+        // Do nothing if user is typing.
         if (prevInput !== "" || prevInput.length > 0) {
-            if (!isRecording.value) {
-                isTyping.value = true;
-            }
             return;
         }
 
-        //
+        // Begin stream recording on space bar.
         if (input === " " && isRecording.value === false) {
             isTyping.value = false;
             isRecording.value = true;
+            // tell main process to begin stream recording.
             post('update-recorder', {
                 isRecording: isRecording.value,
                 uid: null
@@ -149,11 +183,10 @@ export default function useInputController() {
         }
 
         isTyping.value = true;
-
+        expandInput()
     });
 
     return {
-        input,
         isRecording,
         isTyping
     }
diff --git a/src/components/inputItem/inputItem.vue b/src/components/inputItem/inputItem.vue
index 803b6a7..0e015b0 100644
--- a/src/components/inputItem/inputItem.vue
+++ b/src/components/inputItem/inputItem.vue
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@
     </span>
 
     <!-- Show text input on key-down -->
-    <input id="textInput" type="text" v-show="isTyping && input.length > 0"/>
+    <input id="textInput" type="text" />
 
   </div>
 </template>
@@ -31,15 +31,14 @@ export default defineComponent({
     // Calculate position of inputItem on drag.
     const { elementX, elementY } = draggify({ elementId: "inputItem" });
 
-    // 
-    const { input, isRecording, isTyping } = useInputController();
+    // determine whether the user is typing or recording.
+    const { isRecording, isTyping } = useInputController();
 
     return {
       elementX,
       elementY,
       isRecording,
       isTyping,
-      input,
     };
   },
 });
@@ -48,7 +47,7 @@ export default defineComponent({
 <style lang="scss" scoped>
 
 #textInput {
-  width: 150px;
+  width: 0px;
   height: 36px;
 
   border-top-right-radius: 18px;
@@ -60,17 +59,6 @@ export default defineComponent({
   outline: none;
   border: none;
   pointer-events: none;
-  animation-name: expand;
-  animation-duration: 0.5s;
-}
-
-@keyframes expand {
-  from {
-    width: 0px;
-  }
-  to {
-    width: 150px; 
-  }
 }
 
 .rec-icon {
diff --git a/src/components/settings.vue b/src/components/settings.vue
index 57e8266..8ef7411 100644
--- a/src/components/settings.vue
+++ b/src/components/settings.vue
@@ -119,6 +119,8 @@
 
   z-index: 2;
   background-color: #EBEBEB;
+
+  cursor: pointer;
 }
 
 .settingsButtonDot {
@@ -128,6 +130,7 @@
   margin: 2px;
   border-radius: 2.5px;
   background-color: #9B9B9B;
+
 }
 
 .settingsOption {
diff --git a/src/main.ts b/src/main.ts
index e1965fd..fcad020 100644
--- a/src/main.ts
+++ b/src/main.ts
@@ -4,7 +4,6 @@ import App from "./App.vue";
 import router from "./router";
 
 import mitt from "mitt";
-import anime from "animejs";
 import { createApp } from "vue";
 
 
@@ -14,6 +13,5 @@ const emitter = mitt();
 const app = createApp(App)
 
 app.use(router)
-app.provide("animejs", anime)
 app.provide("mitt", emitter)
 app.mount("#app");