KDE: Input action syntax (send keyboard input)

Llama · 2012-12-16 07:59:37

Hi,

One of the purposes of KDE custom shortcuts is to fire a character sequence (input action). A sequence can be defined like this, for instance:

Shift+H:E:L:L:O

-:-:-:Shift+`

Shift+,:Shift+,

I'd like to generate a special character which one cannot find right on keyboard (namely, em dash, U+2014). Is there a way to do it?

Last edited by Llama (2012-12-16 09:34:39)

Llama · 2013-01-02 12:21:54

bump

Trilby · 2013-01-02 13:02:07

I don't use KDE, but it sounds like this tool is simulating keypresses. You cannot simulate a keypress of something for which there is no key.

If you wish to make an em dash in many word processors, for example, you don't hit an "em dash" key, you just hit the dash/hyphen key twice and the word processor interprets two en dash/hypens as an em dash. (In LaTeX this would be 3 instead of two, but the logic is the same).

So perhaps what you want to generate is a multiple regular dash/hypens.

In other words, keycodes and character codes do not have a one-to-one mapping. This tool generates keycodes, not character codes. So figure out which key codes need to be sent to your system to produce the unicode character you want.

Last edited by Trilby (2013-01-02 13:04:14)

Llama · 2013-01-02 13:38:45

I know about LaTeX and things. I'd like to drop em dash via a shortcut into a simple editor, far removed from such refinements. KDE Input action syntax looks powerful, but absolutely undocumented, or so I gather.

cfr · 2013-01-02 15:39:17

Can you use the paste functionality? I tend to use this from the menu in what I think is the system tray but I think you can also assign short cuts. You can definitely use it to insert characters not available on the keyboard. For example, I use it to generate ticks and crosses for marking and as a "temporary" way of getting a pound sign as I can't figure out how to generate this on a US keyboard. (I can get a Euro but how to get sterling?!)

Llama · 2013-01-03 04:42:31

cfr wrote:

Can you use the paste functionality?

Of course anyone can. Unfortunately, I need efficiency here (there are texts where certain special characters abound).

Trilby · 2013-01-03 10:38:03

But you can generate a series of keypresses that would do the pasting right?

Without this key-generating tool, how would you enter a unicode character in this text editor? If you would have to hit Ctl+K,X,X where the X's were the hex code of the character, for example, you could set up the key generating tool to generate *that* sequence.

That was my point in the beginning: there is no specific key for a unicode character - but for any given character you wish to generate, there would be a *sequence of keys* that would produce it. You should set up your tool to generate that sequence.

Llama · 2013-01-04 06:23:31

Trilby wrote:

You should set up your tool to generate that sequence.

What kind of tool would you recommend?

Arch Linux

#1 2012-12-16 07:59:37

KDE: Input action syntax (send keyboard input)

#2 2013-01-02 12:21:54

Re: KDE: Input action syntax (send keyboard input)

#3 2013-01-02 13:02:07

Re: KDE: Input action syntax (send keyboard input)

#4 2013-01-02 13:38:45

Re: KDE: Input action syntax (send keyboard input)

#5 2013-01-02 15:39:17

Re: KDE: Input action syntax (send keyboard input)

#6 2013-01-03 04:42:31

Re: KDE: Input action syntax (send keyboard input)

#7 2013-01-03 10:38:03

Re: KDE: Input action syntax (send keyboard input)

#8 2013-01-04 06:23:31

Re: KDE: Input action syntax (send keyboard input)

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