Input method: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 15:50, 24 December 2023

Revision as of 17:01, 24 December 2023

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{{Short description|Input of characters not natively available}}

[[File:TypingChineseCharactersWithCangjieGedit383Ubuntu1310Screencast.webm|thumb|Typing [[Standard Chinese|Chinese]] with [[Cangjie input method|Cangjie]]]]

[[File:IME demonstratie - Matsuo Bashou - Furu ikeya kawazu tobikomu mizuno oto.png|thumb|Operation of a typical Japanese [[romaji]]-based IME]]

[[File:Interface of Weasel Input Method.png|thumb|Operation of a Chinese [[pinyin]]-based IME]]

An '''input method''' (or '''input method editor''', commonly abbreviated '''IME''') is an [[operating system]] component or program that enables users to generate characters not natively available on their [[input devicesdevice]]s by using sequences of characters (or mouse operations) that are available to them. Using an input method is usually necessary for languages that have more [[grapheme]]s than there are keys on the keyboard.

For instance, on the computer, this allows the user of [[Latin alphabet|Latin]] [[Keyboard layout|keyboards]] to input [[Chinese characters|Chinese]], [[Japanese writing system|Japanese]], [[Hangul|Korean]] and [[Indic script|Indic]] characters. On hand-held devices, it enables the user to type on the [[telephone keypad|numeric keypad]] to enter [[Latin alphabet|Latin alphabet characters]] (or any other alphabet characters) or touch a screen display to input text. On some operating systems, an input method is also used to define the behaviour of the [[dead key]]s.

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While the term ''input method editor'' was originally used for [[Microsoft Windows#Multilingual support|Microsoft Windows]], its use has now gained acceptance in other operating systems{{Citation needed|date=April 2007}}, especially when it is important to distinguish between the [[Interface (computer science)|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 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 key]]s.

*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). [[Predictive Input Method|PRIME]]<ref{{Citation nameneeded|date=":0"October />2016}} or [[Smart Common Input Method|SCIM]] prefer the term of ''Input Method Engine'', ''Input Method platform'' or ''Input Method environment'',<ref{{Citation nameneeded|date=":1"October />2016}} or the actual ''editing area'' that allows the user to do the input. It can also <!-- apparently --> 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==

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*[[SwiftKey]]—context-sensitive word-prediction<ref name=":1">{{Citation

| last = Fiedlerová

| first = Klára

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| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20171014075957/https://dip.felk.cvut.cz/browse/pdfcache/fiedlkla_2012dipl.pdf

| url-status = dead

}}</ref><ref name=":0">

{{cite web

| url = http://www.swiftkey.com