[Text Entry] Missing English input in Simplified and Traditional Chinese default enviroment

[Yung Shen]

English input source is missing from Traditional Chinese and Simplified Chinese 14.04 default environment.

This cause a problem that user have to add back English input source manually for each fresh installation.

It's been verified in Japanese and Korean environment does not have this issue.

Originally found this issue on 14.04 beta2 with Traditional Chinese:

LANG=zh_TW.UTF-8
LANGUAGE=
LC_CTYPE="zh_TW.UTF-8"
LC_NUMERIC="zh_TW.UTF-8"
LC_TIME="zh_TW.UTF-8"
LC_COLLATE="zh_TW.UTF-8"
LC_MONETARY="zh_TW.UTF-8"
LC_MESSAGES="zh_TW.UTF-8"
LC_PAPER="zh_TW.UTF-8"
LC_NAME="zh_TW.UTF-8"
LC_ADDRESS="zh_TW.UTF-8"
LC_TELEPHONE="zh_TW.UTF-8"
LC_MEASUREMENT="zh_TW.UTF-8"
LC_IDENTIFICATION="zh_TW.UTF-8"
LC_ALL=

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 14.04
Package: unity-control-center 14.04.3+14.04.20140324-0ubuntu1
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.13.0-19.40-generic 3.13.6
Uname: Linux 3.13.0-19-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 2.13.3-0ubuntu1
Architecture: amd64
CasperVersion: 1.339
CurrentDesktop: Unity
Date: Thu Apr 3 03:50:26 2014
ExecutablePath: /usr/bin/unity-control-center
LiveMediaBuild: Ubuntu 14.04 LTS "Trusty Tahr" - Beta amd64 (20140326)
ProcEnviron:
 TERM=xterm
 SHELL=/bin/bash
 PATH=(custom, no user)
 LANG=zh_TW.UTF-8
 XDG_RUNTIME_DIR=<set>
SourcePackage: unity-control-center
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)
usr_lib_unity-control-center:
 activity-log-manager 0.9.7-0ubuntu12
 deja-dup 29.5-0ubuntu2

[Gunnar Hjalmarsson (gunnarhj)]

Hi Yung Shen,

Thanks for your bug report!

It's not clear to me what the problem is, though. A pure zh_TW.UTF-8 locale does not prevent you from inputting ascii characters.

If you need to input both Chinese and English characters, make sure that both options are listed in "Text Entry". Then you can use the input source indicator or a keyboard shortcut to switch between them.

https://help.ubuntu.com/14.04/ubuntu-help/keyboard-layouts.html

[Yung Shen (kaxing)]

Hi gunnarhj,

Thanks, indeed I should be more specified.

So when you are using any Traditional Chinese input methods, the output will not be English alphabet characters,
although most of them does provides quick switch in between English alphabets and Chinese output,
it would be more straight forward to have English keyboard as as part of default inputs for Traditional Chinese Environment.
So users will only need to learn one shortcut "super-space" to switch input methods,
you can press-release "shift" key to switch between English alphabets in most Chinese input methods,
but this tip does not show in the "Text Entry" interface, as well as in the online help documents.

[Gunnar Hjalmarsson (gunnarhj)]

Let's see if I understand you correctly:

You know that you can switch input sources, e.g. between Chinese (Chewing) and English, through Super+Space.

But you say that traditional Chinese input methods, for example ibus-chewing, provide an alternative way to temporarily type English characters, and you would like the "Text Entry" UI and/or the docs inform about that alternative way.

Is that what you mean?

[Yung Shen (kaxing)]

@gunnarhj
Partly correct,
Instead to hint that user can switch by using "shift" which may not enable by each input methods,
to have an additional English(Keyboard) in Traditional Chinese environment should do the job.
And user will only need to learn one shortcut, "super-space", in this case.

[Gunnar Hjalmarsson (gunnarhj)]

Hi again, Yung Shen!

Hmm... In that case I don't understand what you mean. Super+Space is the default keyboard shortcut for switching to next input source, and it's already mentioned on the "Text Entry" UI and
https://help.ubuntu.com/14.04/ubuntu-help/keyboard-layouts.html

[Yung Shen (kaxing)]

@gunnarhj hey,

Because in default Traditional Chinese environment, there is no English input.

Either way users need to add it by themselves or to know the hidden shortcut in each input methods.

And I think this should be a bug, as English input does not existed at fresh install or live desktop.

[Gunnar Hjalmarsson (gunnarhj)]

Hi again!

When installing Ubuntu, I usually select a Swedish keyboard layout in the installer. At first login I can instantly switch between Swedish and English (US) using Super+Space or the input source indicator.

Are you saying that it does not work that way for Chinese? So if you select a Chinese input source in the installer, the English (US) option is *not* available by default at first login? In other words, you need to first go to "Text Entry" and select English (US) there?

Btw, are you using standard Ubuntu or Ubuntu Kylin?

[Yung Shen (kaxing)]

Hello @gunnarhj ,

Yes, I have to manually add english input, it is not in the input sources list.

No, I'm not using Ubuntu Kylin, which use Simplified Chinese as default locale.

I found this problem in "Traditional Chinese" locale environment on stock 14.04 beta 2 image[0] .

And I did further checking, figured that in Japanese and Korean, they does have english input source during the ubuntu live desktop.

[0] http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/xubuntu/releases/14.04/beta-2/

[Gunnar Hjalmarsson (gunnarhj)]

Thanks for your clarifications. Finally I think I got the picture. ;)

This seems to be an installer issue; changing the affected package accordingly.

[Dimitri John Ledkov (xnox)]

1) booted trusty-desktop iso
2) on burning-man logo, pressed escape, chose chinese locale, and choose to "install ubuntu"
3) complete the installation
4) rebooted into installed system, unity-greeter came up in chinese locale -> keyboard indicator showed english and i typed in my "ascii" password to login
5) i launched firefox
6) in the search field if i press tab a mini-popup apears that lets me switch between chinese input method (where pressing latin keys generates chinese characters) and ascii input method (pressing latin keys generates latin keys)

I don't speak chinese so the characters i generated on the screen are random. Is this really a bug? Attaching screenshot.

[Gunnar Hjalmarsson (gunnarhj)]

A couple of questions, since I passed on this report.

On 2014-04-11 18:47, Dimitri John Ledkov wrote:
> ...
> 4) rebooted into installed system, unity-greeter came up in chinese
> locale -> keyboard indicator showed english ...

I suppose you selected an English keyboard layout. Wonder if English would have been available if you had selected a Chinese input source at installation.

Is both English and Chinese available if you click the input source indicator or open the "Text Entry" window?

[Yung Shen (kaxing)]

hello @xnox

Those random characters was generated by ibus-bopomofo, and that float-panel does provide you a way to switch in between traditional chinese and english alphabets, but not all the chinese input methods provides similar way to switch input characters.

As following your steps with trusty beta 2 image, the default input source in traditional chinese should be ibus-chewing, which does not have float-panel, user still have to add english input source.
Although in simplified chinese, provides ibus-pinyin which uses english alphabet to generate simplified chinese characters, a stand-alone english input source still missing compare to japanese and korean( see comment #9 )

to @gunnarhj
it should be just one input source here, I've double checked with beta 2 image, please check my attachment.

[Dimitri John Ledkov (xnox)]

On 14 April 2014 07:46, Yung Shen <email address hidden> wrote:
> hello @xnox
>
> Those random characters was generated by ibus-bopomofo, and that float-
> panel does provide you a way to switch in between traditional chinese
> and english alphabets, but not all the chinese input methods provides
> similar way to switch input characters.
>
> As following your steps with trusty beta 2 image, the default input source in traditional chinese should be ibus-chewing, which does not have float-panel, user still have to add english input source.
> Although in simplified chinese, provides ibus-pinyin which uses english alphabet to generate simplified chinese characters, a stand-alone english input source still missing compare to japanese and korean( see comment #9 )

I'm not sure, but I don't think ubiquity does anything special to
setup input methods in the desktop environment. Somebody who deals
more with the input methods / settings / keyboard layouts / keyboard
indicator from Desktop team should investigate this bug.

--
Regards,

Dimitri.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

[Dimitri John Ledkov (xnox)]

@gunnarhj
>On 2014-04-11 18:47, Dimitri John Ledkov wrote:
>> ...
>> 4) rebooted into installed system, unity-greeter came up in chinese
>> locale -> keyboard indicator showed english ...

>I suppose you selected an English keyboard layout. Wonder if English would have been available if you had selected a Chinese >input source at installation.

nope, chinese layouts/language/locale/location throughout

>Is both English and Chinese available if you click the input source indicator or open the "Text Entry" window?

none are available in settings, no keyboard layout indicator visible.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

[Gunnar Hjalmarsson (gunnarhj)]

The observations described at bug 1327690 might be related to this bug.