Chapter 8. Input from Keyboard

70

Different technologies are used for these languages. The aim of this chapter is to introduce tech 

nologies for them.

8.1 Non X Softwares

Ideally, it is a responsibility for console and X terminal emulators to supply an input method. This

situation is already achieved for simple languages which don't need complicated input methods.

Thus, non X softwares don't need to care about input methods.

There are a few Debian packages for consoles and X terminal emulators which supply input meth 

ods for particular languages.

xiterm in xiterm+thai package Thai characters

hanterm Korean Hangul

cxtermb5 in cxterm big5 package Big5 traditional Chinese ideograms

cce CN GB simplified Chinese ideograms

And more, there are a few softwares which supply input methods for existing console environ 

ment.

skkfep Japanese (needs SKK as a conversion engine)

uum Japanese (needs Wnn as a conversion engine; not avaliable as a Debian package)

canuum Japanese (needs Canna as a conversion engine; not avaliable as a Debian package)

However, since input methods for complex languages have not been available historically, a few

non X softwares have been developed with input methods.

jvim canna A text editor which can input Japanese (needs Canna as a conversion engine.)

jed canna A text editor which can input Japanese (needs Canna as a conversion engine.)

nvi m17n canna A text editor which can input Japanese (needs Canna as a conversion engine.)

You have to take care of the differences between number of characters, columns, and bytes. For

example, you can find immediately that

bash

cannot handle UTF 8 input properly when you in 

voke

bash

on UTF 8 Xterm and push BackSpace key. This is because

readline

always erase one

column on the screen and one byte in the internal buffer for one stroke of 'BackSpace' key. To solve

this problem, wide character should be used for internal processing. One stroke of 'BackSpace'

should erase

wcwidth()

columns on the screen and one

wchar_t

unit in the internal buffer.