ஹ missing in Bamini layout

[enathu]

When you type ` (Back quote / Acute) character, eKalappai doesn't convert it to ஹ as per Bamini keyboard layout.

[KaaSethu]

You are using Bamini, right?

It should work as Bamini keymap of eKalappai - 3.0 series includes it. Please let us know if this problem occurs in a specific application (like Word, Excel..) or in all applications? Also inform here the version of eKalappai and the version of Windows used by you. Thanks

[enathu]

Yes, I am using Bamini keymap and this issue occurs on all the applications.

I am using eKalappai 3.0.2 and Windows 7

Cheers.

[KaaSethu]

Sorry for the delay Tarique. Now I am at a loss how that bug happens.

Is the bug seen in more than one computer?

If only in one computer are you sure you had not changed your underlying default keyboard to something not the standard US QWERTY layout keyboard?

[KaaSethu]

Tharique,

I found just now in my Windows 7 with eKalappai-3.0-2, if we use English (United Kingdom) keyboard for default and then use Bamini in eKalappai the typing back-quote key yields only itself as you have found. But choose English (United States) for default then the Bamini key mapping of back-quote key to ஹ, works as it is intended to be!.

So the solution for you for now is to set English (United States) as default key before switching to eKalappai - Bamini.

However I see both US and UK keyboard have the same character - (namely grave accent) associated with that key and so I have not found the real reason why with UK English keymap as base, that key assignment in our Bamini keymap fails. I would like to keep this issue open till we fully understand whether its due to any limits in our engine or some other yet undiscovered (and may be even simple) reason! (Also I think we should target in future to have IME with capability for to choose between "position based" and "character based" keymaps)

K. Sethu
11:05 pm IST, 16-July-2014,
Colombo

[enathu]

@KaaSethu Since my keyboard, literally mapped as UK English - I find it hard to switch to US English, where I may end up typing " instead of @ -- which is a total nightmare in terms of character @ concern. It'll also have some impact on my productivity as I am very familiar with UK English keymap.

For the sake of optimism, I've tried eKalappai with AltGr and other keys -- but no luck!! Apparently, there is a free software from Microsoft called Microsoft Keyboard Layout Creator, which can be used to remap the keyboard layout. But I haven't tried it yet, I doubt on the 'workability' of it with ஹ as ()is always() in both UK & US.

My pseudo-solution for this was, which I am literally using, when I start to type in Tamil, I make sure get the ஹ into my clipboard, then the ஹ is (Ctrl+V) away! :)

Nerdy Alert: This is how I copy the ஹ to my clipboard! I open up the console in Chrome by pressing Ctrl+Shift+I, together and type copy('\u0bb9'); – that's it! ஹ is already in the clipboard.

I look forward to the upcoming versions of eKalappai which may tackle this dead key -- grave accent -- backquote issue in UK keyboard map to get that ஹ, work!!

Cheers.

[KaaSethu]

Tharique > //Since my keyboard, literally mapped as UK English - I find it hard to switch to US English, where I may end up typing " instead of @ -- which is a total nightmare in terms of character @ concern. It'll also have some impact on my productivity as I am very familiar with UK English keymap.//

If you add English (United States) to Keyboards through control panel setting for Regional and Languages settings then either on the task bar keyboard icon or on the Language bar its a matter of only clicking and selecting English (United States) when you need and click it again for your default when not needed. You do not need to keep selected English (United States) all the time, do you?

I found with English (United Kingdom) keyboard as base, with the eKalappai Bamini the single quote ( ' ) key (which is the un-shifted state in the key marked double quote ( " ) in US keyboard and @ in UK keyboard) yields ஹ . Do check this in yours please.

Still a mystery for me how eKalappai reads differently the same output of ` from the two keyboards.

K. Sethu

[KaaSethu]

P.S.: I had looked at this page http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_and_American_keyboards#PC_keyboards to see the differences between UK and US English keyboards and from the mumbo-jumbo of changes I though of trying some keys which had change to either base or shifted or both and quickly found that it is ' that yields ஹ .

K. Sethu

[enathu]

@KaaSethu I'd rather prefer to stay with my pseudo-solution for the time being as I don't want to mess up with my routine as well as characters -- forgetting to change the keyboard and stuff and 'sothappifying' the process of entering some code

No, nothing outputs -- our protagonist ஹ in anyway with this ( ' ). It's like கலப்பையிலும் அகப்படாத ஹ

I probably think, if eKalappai has the option to select keyboards -- I know it's already having lots of keyboards to choose from :) -- I mean the keyboard of locale so that this issue can be resolved, I believe.

Cheers.