On 6/2/05, Peter Moulder <Peter.Moulder@...38...> wrote:
If you only rarely need to type the odd 'déjà vu' or degree sign, then the simplest way is with a gui character selection program like gucharmap (Accessories>Character Map in the Gnome menu, or Text>Unicode character map in the Debian menu system).
And if you know the Unicode codepoint, just press Ctrl+U and type it. This method deserves to be mentioned first because it requires no external programs.
If you type non-ASCII characters a little more often, then you might instead use Compose/Multi-key key sequences.
This one is Unix-only, so I don't think we should put it in a FAQ at all, given that there's plenty of other ways.
For typing extended blocks of non-Roman script, you'll want to use an input method. The only way I know of to switch between input methods in a running inkscape session is to open the Text dialog box (Ctrl-Shift-T or in the Text menu) and go to its Text tab and right-click in the text entry area: gtk should give you its standard text-entry context menu including an Input Methods submenu.
Kees, you were going to apply the patch I sent you, which made it possible to do this right on canvas, via right-click menu. What stopped you?
It would be nice if Inkscape offered an Input Methods submenu in its context menu for text entry. Abiword has code to do this in
Here's the patch for it, again, in case someone wants to apply and test it:
http://article.gmane.org/gmane.comp.graphics.inkscape.devel/2045/match=input...
Should Inkscape do anything else to make it easier to enter non-ASCII characters? Perhaps have an item in the Text menu to launch gucharmap?
We don't want menu items (other than extensions) that depend on external programs. But this can be made an extension if you think it will be more accessible that way.