I'm on Windows (Win32). Imagine I typed a key 'K' in the US/UK Layout and ANSI Charset. I want to find out what the char it would be if the key is the same, but layout is Russian and Charset is the corresponding. So in other words I want implement automatic wrong layout detection/fixing using only Windows API (without prior knowledge of any language)
This sounds like a job for the Keyboard Convert Service.
Related
I would like to make my own version of Mac's ABC-Extended keyboard for typing Pinyin (a way to write Mandarin that indicates tones). But when I use Xcode, I just see a target custom keyboard extension for iOS and nothing for macOS. I've looked into the program Ukulele but it doesn't seem like it will do everything I need. Theoretically I could also put my rules into files like how this article indicates but that also seems cumbersome based on what I want my keyboard to do.
Here's what I want it to do:
First option: user literally types "ni3 hao3" and my logic in real time changes their output to "nǐ hǎo" (there are pinyin/grammar rules for where the tone mark goes)
Secondly (phase 2 in my project), in their user settings for the keyboard, they could indicate they want to convert their text to Hanzi (the characters). So when they type their Pinyin, my algorithm guesses a best guess list of Hanzi characters that matches their Pinyin entry. This would require that I have a downloaded dictionary file for my keyboard.
Thanks for any help! I know how to program it I just need the right software to use :(
I have created some private characters using Windows Private Character Editor, but I want to be able to have the keyboard type my characters based on what I want the keys to type, but every program I find, it has no Private Character functionality... What do i do?
Without knowing your ultimate goal or restrictive parameters I can only give you a couple suggestions that come to mind but which may or may not be useful to you & your situation.
You could create a keyboard layout with the free Microsoft tool. It is able to access & assign private use characters. (Copy & paste the glyph from the Character Map to your custom key map.)
MS Keyboard Layout Tool
You could replace other characters/glyphs from another language which you do not use with your characters in a font making sure that the characters you replace are accessible through an already available keyboard.
When extracting strings from a desktop Windows application for translation, should I translate shortcut keys as well?
In other words, should Ctrl-C copy to the clipboard even for Chinese software?
Yes, CTRL-C is universal. You can safely assume that typical CTRL-something shortcuts behave the same in all (modern) Windows versions, regardless of the language.
However, there might be several ways to present them depending on the language. For example, French would translate the name of the key (the combination remains the same).
But you are asking about Chinese (presumably Simplified Chinese), which will simply display it as CTRL-C. After all, the keyboard layout is the same (with the same symbols), all they do differently is they use so-called Input Method Editors. And although there are several different IMEs, I haven't yet seen the one that would override CTRL-C...
I am working on several documents where I have to type [ ] { and the like (which is much easier with with an american keyboard layout (and to which I am used much more)) but where I also have to type Umlauts such as ä, ö and ü.
Usually, I go be setting up the (what I believe to be a standard) Windows Shortcut Alt+Shift to switch between these layouts.
This is unpractical, because at times I am not sure if I am already in the german layout when I need the german layout (and vice versa).
So, is there a better way to change the keyboard layout in Vim on *OS-level"?
I guess it could be solved with changed :map and :imap but I'd rather not use these for such porposes unless really forced to.
I don't think there is such an option - even though vim can even make pancake for you!
It'd be highly unlikely for any program to allow changing the keyboard layout of regular keys since basically any OS already supports it.
I am not sure if I am already in the german layout when I need the german layout
Do you have the language bar enabled? It should have an icon that represents your current settings.
Microsoft Knowledgebase article: HOW TO: Use the Language Bar in Windows XP
If the only thing that you need is to add umlauts easily, Vim has built-in support for adding these characters:
Method 1. In insert mode type: CTRL-K a: to give ä.
Method 2. If you use :set digraph you can enter a<BS>: to give the same result.
These methods will work with any character that needs umlauts, just use CTRL+K o: or CTRL+K u: respectively.
Source: http://vim.wikia.com/wiki/Entering_special_characters
Maybe you could be interested in some Dvorak layouts (mine is bépo, maybe it could suit you?)
Consider that, for a Windows video game, I need to determine if the key which generates the ` and ~ characters on the U.S. English keyboard layout (which is usually below the Escape key and left to 1) has been pressed. This may sound like a trivial question, but it doesn't seem like one to me.
When Windows sends keyboard messages, it specifies the virtual key code and the OEM scan code. We can't rely on the OEM scan code, because "the value depends on the OEM" - and nor can we depend on the virtual key code, because it depends on the currently active keyboard layout.
Our current "solution" is to use LoadKeyboardLayout and MapVirtualKeyEx to find the OEM scan code of the key that generates the ` character on the U.S. English keyboard layout, then just listen for that OEM scan code. The problem is that this doesn't work if the user doesn't have the U.S. English layout installed.
Is there a real way to do this on Windows?
The OEM scancode does not change from keyboard to keyboard. No reason not to use it.
Back in the DOS-days the same scancodes have been used for games because it has been the only way to detect key-up and key-down events. Noone had problems with it and I doubt it will change in the future.
If you want another option you may want to give DirectInput-API a try. It gives you the raw scancodes as well and if I'm not mistaken you can also query the physical position, dimension and whatnot of each key.
Tie the game action to the character, not the position of the key. Otherwise, how do you tell the user which key to press? "under the escape key"? They may not have anything there, but if you tell them "the ^ key", they can look for it.
You'll probably also want to make it configurable to accomodate exotic keyboard layouts and user preferences.