Input method

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Typing Chinese using Chinese input methods, "I am typing using a Chinese input method".

Operation of a typical Japanese romaji based IME

An input method is an operating system component or program that allows any data, such as keyboard strokes or mouse movements, to be received as input. In this way users can enter characters and symbols not found on their input devices. For instance, on the computer, this allows the user of Latin keyboards to input Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Indic characters; on many hand-held devices, such as mobile phones, it enables using the numeric keypad to enter Latin alphabet characters (or any other alphabet characters) or a screen display to be touched to do so.

Implementations

Although originally coined for CJK (Chinese, Japanese and Korean) computing, the term is now sometimes used generically to refer to a program to support the input of any language. To illustrate, in the X Window System, the facility to allow the input of Latin characters with diacritics is also called an input method.

Relationship between the methodology and implementation

While the term input method editor was originally used by Microsoft Windows, its use has now gained acceptance in other operating systems, especially when it is important to distinguish between the computer interface and implementation of input methods, or among the input methods themselves, the editing functionality of the program or operating system component providing the input method, and the general support of input methods in an operating system. This term has, for example, gained general acceptance on the GNU/Linux operating system; it is also used on the Mac OS.

• The term input method generally refers to a particular way to use the keyboard to input a particular language, for example the Cangjie method, the pinyin method, or the use of dead keys.
• On the other hand, the term input method editor on Microsoft products refers to the actual program that allows an input method to be used (for example MS New Pinyin). PRIME, or SCIM prefer the term of Input Method Engine, Input Method platform or Input Method environment, or the actual editing area that allows the user to do the input. It can also refer to a character palette, which allows any Unicode character to be input individually. One might also interpret IME to refer to the editor used for creating or modifying the data files upon which an input method relies.

See also

• Internationalization and localization
• CJK characters

Related techniques

• Alt codes
• Keyboard layout, in particular dead keys

Input methods versus language

• Chinese input methods for computers
• Japanese language and computers and Japanese input methods
• Korean language and computers
• Indic scripts input methods for languages used in South Asia, Southeast Asia, and parts of Central Asia and East Asia.

Specific input methods

• List of input methods for UNIX platforms
• ATOK
• Tise—Tibetan IM for Windows
• Singlish Typewriter—Sinhala IM
• Wnn

Input methods for handheld devices

• Multi-tap—Used on many mobile telephones—hit the (combined alphanumeric) key for the letter you want until it comes up, then wait or proceed with a different key.
• T9/XT9—Type the key for every letter once, then, if needed, type Next until the right word comes up. May also correct misspellings and regional typos (if an adjacent key is pressed incorrectly).
• iTap—Similar to first-generation T9, with word autocomplete.
• LetterWise—"Hit the key with the letter you want, if it doesn't come up, hit Next until it does."
• Various FEP Software for Symbian S60 3rd Edition devices.

External links

• Microsoft Global Input Method Editors (IMEs)
• BhashaIndia, the Microsoft portal for Indic languages, which has Indic IME for download.
• Google Transliteration IMEs
• InputKing Online Input System, with this online IME, you can type your language anywhere.