KDE: Scim & Accented characters

[Didier Hoarau]

I can't use Scim and accented characters at the same time.

If I enable scim, I can't type accented voyels: same bug as https://launchpad.net/distros/ubuntu/+bug/58728

If I disable the Scim input (I mean deleting the input config and restarting X) I can type them.

[Ming Hua (minghua)]

Known problem. Please set "/FrontEnd/X11/Dynamic" to false in your ~/.scim/config to work around the problem. In gutsy the value is false by default so this shouldn't affect new installs (too much).

[Louis-Dominique Dubeau (ldd)]

Setting "/FrontEnd/X11/Dynamic" to false in my ~/.scim/config did not help. Based on the information on this page:

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/SCIM

I used im-switch to set my IM configuration to scim-pinyin and now I can use deadkeys again. The critical thing, from what I can tell, is to have scim-bridge be used by GTK and QT:

GTK_IM_MODULE="scim-bridge"
QT_IM_MODULE="scim-bridge"

[cablop (cablop)]

Why priority of this problem is low??

Don't we need to write well in KDE? i think this bug must have a higher priority... I'm not using Linux now cause without accent and chinese suppoert KDE is useless... ok, i can write eith bad orthography, awesome

[cablop (cablop)]

As Louis-Dominique says, /FrontEnd/X11/Dynamic setting set to false is useless.

scim-bridge works well with GTK apps, but not with QT apps.
a weird thing is AMSN using TCL/TK 8.5 accepts now chinese input from SCIM, the downside is accents are broken too for TCL/TK apps if you enable SCIM, but that was always the beahvior of TCL/TK. But i never saw this accent broken thing in KDE or GTK.

I'm using a fresh Gutsy installation, so no older settings are interfering with SCIM or QT or GTK.

[Louis-Dominique Dubeau (ldd)]

Cablop is correct. Even scim-bridge does not help with QT apps. It is a solution only for GTK apps.

I know the difference between KDE and Gnome... that was a brain fart on my part because the deadkey issue is not a KDE problem per se.

[Ming Hua (minghua)]

Does setting GTK_IM_MODULE="scim" and QT_IM_MODULE="scim" (you also need to have scim-gtk2-immodule and scim-qtimm packages installed) help?

[cablop (cablop)]

I got a "stupid" way to "solve" the deadkeys problem in Gutsy for KDE apps...

What I did:
0.- I reinstalled Gutsy, all from scratch, and using an Ubuntu Studio version instead the original version. *
1.- I added the Ubuntu DVD as a repository source and then added the other repositories. I'm not using gutsy-updates nor gutsy-security. **
2.- I opened language settings and installed Chinese and Japanese support. ***
3.- Restarted the System.
4.- I opened language settings and activated complex characters input, then applied. I unchecked this option, applied again. I enabled again this setting, applied and closed the window. Reopened the window and checked the option is active. ****
5.- Restarted the system.
6.- Opened Gedit. As expected you cannot trigger SCIM with ctrl+space, but you can right click and select it to input text. With or without SCIM there's no deadkeys problem.
7.- Opened Konversation and Opera to check input. Cannot choose input but there's no dead key problem.
8.- Installed scim-qtimm. *****
9.- Installed scim-bridge-client-qt, it also installs scim-bridge-agent.
10.- Installed scim-bridge and scim-bridge-client-gtk.
11.- Restarted.
12.- sudo gedit /etc/X11/xinit/xinput.d/scim and changed GTK_IM_MODULE=xim to GTK_IM_MODULE="scim-bridge" and QT_IM_MODULE=xim to QT_IM_MODULE="scim-bridge".
13.- Restarted. #
14.- Opened Gedit and triggered SCIM. It works as expected, and there's no problem with deadkeys.
15.- Opened Konversation and Opera. Deadkeys problem started. But you can trigger SCIM. ##
16.- Started to think KDE it's no good for my computer, and decided to use just gnome apps. Then did a little modification: sudo gedit /etc/X11/xkb/symbols/es, to enable ã accent to be able to write portuguese. ###
17.- Then I just opened SCIM to configure it for Gnome. In global settings (under interface) you found a rollover to select keyboard distribution. It said Unknown, I changed it to Spanish (Spain) the keyb I use. Closed it and rememebered I just need a pinyin input (chinese) and an anthy input (japanese). Reopened and selected them. There's an additional option, others, with spanish/european and raw input. I leave spanish/european marked.
18.- Opened Opera and triggered the SCIM. then selected spanish/european, and wow! It works! Then, disabled the SCIM, deadkeys problem is back.
19.- Opened Konversation ad did the same, I can write spanish throug SCIM too. ####
20.- Remember the step number 16? Then i opened Konversation and tried to input the ~ accent modified in this keyb to write ã... And it also works! Then SCIM is using my main tables for input, and deadkeys works through SCIM.

Two more things
a.- I think this is not a "solution" or at least a clean solution cause you don't need to use an IME to write spanish. But cause it works...
b.- The downside. Before reinstalled my system I was able to input chinese in aMSN, I don't know how! And I think if I discovered I can write spanish through SCIM I was still able to write in aMSN using spanish, english and chinese... I have to look what I did before but I'm deeply afraid to render SCIM useless again... A little suggestion, I though it's something related to an option in KDE ...

[cablop (cablop)]

I think, we maybe must add this bug to KDE to. Why?
I was thinking in this bug for some time, and I think, if I can write the accents in the way I described earlier, then SCIM active works well with KDE, then, where's the problem? Not in SCIM itself, but in the way SCIM and KDE works when SCIM is NOT active. Maybe there's a problem on the scim-bridge or the way KDE works with non default IM??

Just a couple of questions...

[Ming Hua (minghua)]

On Fri, Jan 18, 2008 at 04:36:21PM -0000, cablop wrote:
> I think, we maybe must add this bug to KDE to.

I don't think so.

> Why?
> I was thinking in this bug for some time, and I think, if I can write
> the accents in the way I described earlier, then SCIM active works
> well with KDE, then, where's the problem? Not in SCIM itself, but in
> the way SCIM and KDE works when SCIM is NOT active.

As I've said above, it's a known bug in scim, and it doesn't happen for
the default settings in new gutsy installs.

Ming
2008.02.03

[cablop (cablop)]

But, what i said is that happened in my new freshly gusty installed system... two times (both times where fresh installs)...

[Ming Hua (minghua)]

Well, in that case, I have no idea what the problem is, it may not be the same problem as Debian's #348893 at all. Cablop's most recent procedure is too complicated for me to reproduce. Hope someone else can try reproducing it and pinpoint the bug.

Also, my request about testing with GTK_IM_MODULE="scim" and QT_IM_MODULE="scim" remains unanswered.

[cablop (cablop)]

I tried the options you said
GTK_IM_MODULE="scim" and QT_IM_MODULE="scim"
they does not seem to work under an spanish session.

The procedure I described mixed both problem and workaround solution. Let's me just place the way to reproduce the problem.

0.- Install Gutsy from scratch, either Ubuntu from DVD or Ubuntu Studio, both have the problem. You need a keyboard layout with deadkeys, then select spanish or french keyboard layout, also if you can deal with it, install spanish or french language support. Remember to follow all this steps not in a CJK session, use spanish, french or english (with deadkeys support).
1.- Add Ubuntu DVD as a repository source and then add the other repositories. Don't use gutsy-updates nor gutsy-security.
2.- Open language settings and install Chinese and Japanese support.
3.- Restart the System.
4.- Open language settings and activate complex characters input, then apply.*
5.- Restart the system.
6.- Open any gnome application, like Gedit. You cannot trigger SCIM with ctrl+space, but you can right click and select it to input text. With or without SCIM there's no deadkeys problem.
7.- Install any KDE application or another application like Opera. I installed Amarok, Konversation, Konqueror and Opera. SCIM does not work in any of them.
8.- Install scim-bridge-client-qt, it also installs scim-bridge-agent.
9.- Install scim-bridge and scim-bridge-client-gtk.
10.- Restart.
11.- sudo gedit /etc/X11/xinit/xinput.d/scim and changed GTK_IM_MODULE=xim to GTK_IM_MODULE="scim-bridge" and QT_IM_MODULE=xim to QT_IM_MODULE="scim-bridge".
12.- Restart.
13.- Then you can write chinese in gnome and kde apps, can also trigger SCIM with ctrl+space, but you only can enter accented characters using dead keys (like á or ü) in gnome apps, KDE broke the dead keys (like ´a or ¨u).

This is just the steps to reproduce the problem, go back to my last post, and follow the last steps to find a workaround solution.

* I unchecked this option, applied again. I enabled again this setting, applied and closed the window. Reopened the window and checked the option is active - I did it cause some guides say you to repeat the procedure twice cause just one time does not work.

[Andres Rivero (andresrivero)]

I've found in my computer the same problem after a clean install of Kubuntu 8.04 and add the Scim/Skim stuff for being able to write down Chinese.
I'm able to write down Chinese with Skim en kde/gtk applications, but not accented characters of my Spanish locale in kde applications (can do it in gtk ones).
The same system with Kubuntu 7.10 there wasn't any problem.

For me it was a solution change in the file "/etc/X11/xinit/xinput.d/scim" the lines to:
(Originally, I had already changed from XIM to "scim-bridge")
GTK_IM_MODULE="scim"
QT_IM_MODULE="scim"

Now, after reboot, it is working as expected as it did back in Kubuntu 7.10.

[Andres Rivero (andresrivero)]

Continuing my before comment. A couple of shutdowns later, I have the same problem as earlier. I haven't changed anything in Scim/Skim, so I don't know where can be the problem.

[ChemBro (der-l)]

Same problem here: Fresh and clean install of Kubuntu (KDE4) 8.04 and tried the solutions from here, but no one worked.

But: I'm able to write "é ç" etc. with one of scim's input method. In scim setup under "FrontEnd/global setup" I chose for keyboard layout "German (with deadkeys)" and under "IMEngine/global setup" for installed input method service "Japanese" and "Other: English/European".

After x-restart I was (and am) able to write "é ç" with CTRL+SPACE (Japanese) and then CTRL+SHIFT (English/European). I'm not able to write it without this method/default/without CTRL+SPACE (to trigger scim).

[Arda (ardasaltoglu+launchpad)]

Same problem here with up-to-date Kubuntu 8.04.1. I want to use skim, but it breaks my dead keys with Turkish keyboard layout. Those wanting to revert to old (scim/skim-less) behavior can do the following: rather than changing environment variables, doing "sudo update-alternatives --config xinput-all_ALL" and selecting "/etc/X11/xinit/xinput.d/default" seems to revert the input method to default. Selecting "/etc/X11/xinit/xinput.d/skim" brings the scim back, along with the dead-keys problem. Killing X seems to be necessary for this change to take effect, so it's no practical workaround.

[Charlie Kravetz (cjkgeek)]

I am confirming this is Ubuntu since it is already a confirmed wishlist item in debian per debbugs #348893.

[augustin (beginner2005)]

This bug seems to be a duplicate of:
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/kdebase/+bug/69896

[jeremy-list (quick-dudley)]

<a href="https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/400471">Bug 400471</a> is a related but not identical bug.