Target Audience: Manager, Software Engineer

Level of Session: Intermediate

Basic text support in Java is based on Unicode(UCS-2). Java inherently allows applications to process multilingual characters internally and is only limited by the user's lack of ability to input in multi-script. Usually the underlying platform provides access to only those Input Method Engines (IMEs) configured for the system's default locale, hence limiting the Java applications ability to receive multi-script input. JavaOS for Business is designed to run Java (JDK1.1.X) applications that allows users to configure any IME, independent of a locale and allows script input using their preferred IME. By decoupling the IMEs from the locale dependency, JavaOS allows configuration of multiple IMEs supporting several scripts to operate under any locale This provides multi-script support to any Java component (including Swing) using multiple IMEs. JavaOS also allows the configuration of multiple IMEs for the same script and users can choose a specific IME to input. Properly internationalized Java applications do not require any source code changes to enable multi-script input support on the JavaOS platform.

The JavaOS Input Method Framework sits under the JDK IMF and enables multi-script input to all Java applications by integrating the IMEs seamlessly. It also allows the user to switch between different IMEs. The JavaOS IMF provides input by interfacing with 3 types of IMEs namely 1)table driven, syntax rule based IME 2)Light Weight Engines (LWEs) written in Java that run on the client side and 3)Server side IMEs connected via the Internet Intranet Input Method Protocol (IIIMP). By multiplexing these IMEs, JavaOS provides multi-script support to the Java client and allows the user to use the IME of their choice. The architecture of JavaOS IMF, the keyboard event flow mechanism between JavaOS, JDK & the JavaOS IMF and implementation of three types of IME's will be discussed in detail.