Re: Input Method for Indian Script

[Kenichi Handa]

In article <address@hidden>, Mahmudul Hasan <address@hidden> writes:

> Is there any way I can add a new input method for Bengali in Emacs ?

> There are two input methods right now,
> 1. bengali-inscript,
> 2. bengali-itrans.

> I would like to add another input method which will be like
> bengali-inscript, with fixed, or touch
> typing based keyboard layout.

Do you mean that the current bengali-inscript is incorrect
and thus it should be "fixed"?  Or, you just want the
different behavior?

> Is it possible to add a layout like "Probhat" or "Bijoy" ? (reference:
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_input_methods ,
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:KB-Bengali-Probhat.svg ).

> I will appreciate if someone can tell me whether implementing one of these
> fixed keyboard layout can be done with minimal effort.

If those input methods are context free (i.e. the same key
(sequnece) always produces the same character(s)), making
a new input method is easy.

============================================================
(quail-define-package "Probhat" "Bengali" TITLE t DOC-STRING
                      nil t t t t nil nil nil nil nil t)
(quail-define-rules
  (KEY CHAR)
  ...)

;; See the docstrings of quail-define-package and
;; quail-define-rules.
============================================================

But, if an input method is not context free (e.g. the key
"a" produces different charaters depending on what you have
already typed), you need some Emacs Lisp programming skill.

---
Kenichi Handa
address@hidden