[emacs-bidi] Hebrew LyX input method for a US English Dvorak keyboard layout

[Amit Ramon]

Following a recent discussion here I wrote an input method for Hebrew
LyX that works for a US English Dvorak keyboard layout. The Hebrew
layout it provides is very similar to a 'standard' Hebrew LyX layout,
with some slight changes, all of them are simply using empty keys in
the first shift level. There is one change to the layout by Yair F.,
posted on this list a couple of weeks ago - I moved the 'gershyim' to
the Q key, to the right of the TAB key. This seems to me more
reasonable, that way it is near the geresh.

These are my additions:

- AD01 shift-slash: gershayim
- AD02 shift-single-quote: geresh
- AC03 shift-gimel: euro
- AC04 shift-kaph: en dash
- AB01 shift-zain: bullet

As far as I know there is no real standard for Hebrew LyX layout, and
I'm sure that different reasoning can be found, that are at least as
good as mine :) The above is open to discussion, suggestions,
anything.

Also, the attached file contains just this input method, but it can be
made a part of hebrew.el. I'm also open for suggestions for the name
of the method, its letter in the status bar (currently 'dalet'), and
anything else.

I tested the attached file on Linux and X.

Hope you find it useful,

Amit

[Amit Ramon]

Post by Amit Ramon
Following a recent discussion here I wrote an input method for Hebrew
LyX that works for a US English Dvorak keyboard layout.

Replying to myself ;-)

After reading Kenichi Handa's response in the thread dealing with
input methods, I must admit I made much ado about nothing... Again
Emacs has proved to be at least one step ahead of me, or maybe many
steps would be more accurate.

Bottom line - you don't need to write a new input method in order to
support a non-standard keyboard layout - all you have to do is tell
Emacs about it.

Sorry for bothering so many people, and thanks everyone who was trying
to help. As for myself, I at least learned a couple of things...

--- Amit

[Kenichi Handa]

Post by Amit Ramon
Bottom line - you don't need to write a new input method in order to
support a non-standard keyboard layout - all you have to do is tell
Emacs about it.

Right, But, for that, Emacs have to know suffiecient number
of layouts. Currently, it knows only about:
standard (similar to VT100), sun-type3, atari-german,
pc102-de, jp106, pkc105-uk

I'm going to add dvorak soon, but, if there's a way to
generate such database (semi-)automatically (perhaps from
XKB database), that's very helpful.

---
Kenichi Handa
***@m17n.org

[Amit Ramon]

Post by Kenichi Handa

Post by Amit Ramon
Bottom line - you don't need to write a new input method in order to
support a non-standard keyboard layout - all you have to do is tell
Emacs about it.

Right, But, for that, Emacs have to know suffiecient number
standard (similar to VT100), sun-type3, atari-german,
pc102-de, jp106, pkc105-uk
I'm going to add dvorak soon, but, if there's a way to
generate such database (semi-)automatically (perhaps from
XKB database), that's very helpful.

If I may, I would suggest that you call the dvorak layout you plan
to add 'us-dvorak' - this is actually what it is. People may create
layouts for other languages that are also based on the "dvorak
concept" and call them something-dvorak.

As for generating a quail-layout-description from the xkb database,
technically it is, of course, possible, but on how many different
layouts are we talking about? If there are not so many, maybe it would
be simpler to do it manually. The xkb files seem complex to parse.

Post by Kenichi Handa
---
Kenichi Handa

[Kenichi Handa]

Post by Amit Ramon

Post by Kenichi Handa
I'm going to add dvorak soon, but, if there's a way to
generate such database (semi-)automatically (perhaps from
XKB database), that's very helpful.

If I may, I would suggest that you call the dvorak layout you plan
to add 'us-dvorak' - this is actually what it is. People may create
layouts for other languages that are also based on the "dvorak
concept" and call them something-dvorak.

I think just "dvorak" should refer to the original (or the
current standard) Dvorak layout for English in honor of
Dr. Dvorak.

---
Kenichi Handa
***@m17n.org