>> > Is there any IME, keyboard, or any similar utility to typing in the
>> letters
>> > of the ᚠᚢᚦᚨᚱᚴ, the Runic alphabet?
>Sorry for not mentionning it. I am using Windows 98.
OK. There may be a way for you to solve your problem but it depends upon
what applications you want to use this with. One problem with Win9x/Me (as
Michael alluded to) is that Unicode support is limited in some ways on
these platforms, one of them being with regard to character input. The
mechanism that has been part of Windows for years (WM_CHAR) does not
support Unicode on these versions of Windows; it only works in terms of
one of the MS-defined Windows codepages. There is another mechanism that
was fairly recently added to Windows (WM_UNICHAR), and it can work on
existing versions of the OS (back to Win95) without requiring any update
to the OS, but it has to be supported by both the keyboard handler and the
application.
Tavultesoft Keyman (http://www.tavultesoft.com/keyman/) is a package that
you can use to create your own keyboard input methods. It supports the
newer mechanism, and so can be used for Unicode character input on
Win9x/Me without the constraints of codepage limitations. Thus, you could
create a Runic keyboard fairly easily. But, you'll need an app that
supports that mechanism. Apps that I know of that do so include:
MS Publisher 2002
WordPad/Write or other apps using the RichEdit control (must be v. 3.0 or
later)*
UltraEdit 8.20 http://www.ultraedit.com
EmEditor http://www.emurasoft.com
WorldPad http://fieldworks.sil.org/WorldPad/worldpad.html
*I think RichEdit 3.0 doesn't support the WM_UNICHAR message but that
Keyman does special things to hook into that version of RichEdit. I know
that RichEdit 4.0 supports WM_UNICHAR, though.
There is a Word add-in for Keyman that will enable general Unicode input
on Win9x/Me for Word 97 and later.
Hope this helps.
- Peter
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Peter Constable
Non-Roman Script Initiative, SIL International
7500 W. Camp Wisdom Rd., Dallas, TX 75236, USA
Tel: +1 972 708 7485
E-mail: <peter_constable@sil.org>
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