Re: quail/uni-input.el

[Dave Love]

Kenichi Handa <address@hidden> writes:

> Emacs' input method should be regarded as an input event
> filter.  An input method returns an input event (or a list
> of events).

Sure.

> Usually the event is a character code that is
> bound to self-insert-command.  But, as #x96 is not bound to
> any command, Emacs just beeps.

Sorry, when I checked it, it appeared to be bound.  I must have done
something wrong.

> The more unexpected behaviour of uni-input is, for instance, with
> `u0001'.  As it returns an event Ctrl-A, beginning-of-line is
> executed instead of #x1 is inserted.

The commentary tries to explain that, but I should probably have
contrasted it with M-x ucs-insert in the method's doc string.

>> [Is there a better way of making an input method like this?  I assume
>> I asked before, but I don't remember.]
>
> I'm sorry if I've forgotten about it.

I don't think you forgot anything.  I just meant: Is there a better
way to write a non-quail input method?  For instance, it would be
useful to be able to select characters by partial completion on
Unicode or other names, and I don't know whether there's a better way
to integrate that than what uni-input.el does.  Of course, it doesn't
matter until someone cares to work on such a method.

(That would be useful.  Since my menu system was rejected, entering a
technical character requires either knowing at least the start of a
name supported by the TeX or SGML methods, or knowing its unicode.
E.g. being able to do partial completion on names containing `arrow'
would be easier than knowing which TeX name of the form
\...arrow... you want.  It might be useful for non-technical
characters too.)