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Traditional Chinese Solaris User's Guide

Chapter 3 Using the Input Method Server

The input method server (IM Server) handles Traditional Chinese input for Traditional Chinese Solaris software. The IM Server receives keyboard input and makes the input available as Traditional Chinese characters to Traditional Chinese Solaris system applications. It can serve any internationalized X Window application that uses X Window Input Method (XIM) application program interfaces (API) to receive language input.

This chapter explains the basic display features of the IM Server.

You need to be familiar with the input method terminology in the chapter 4 before reading this chapter. However, to create Traditional Chinese text using Solaris applications, you do not need to read beyond the first section of this chapter.

Input Method Server Basic Properties

The Traditional Chinese Solaris operation environment starts the IM server automatically when you start the solaris operating environment in a locale that requires an input method. The IM server continues to run and service applications that are started and connected to it.

Traditional Chinese Solaris applications that use IM Server for Traditional Chinese character input typically find the IM server running when they started. To get the IM server's service for the language input, the IM Server should be running before an application is started. If the IM Server is not running when an application is started, the application may not be able to get the input service, even if IM Server is started later.

Three htt Processes

The input method server comprises three related programs (htt, htt_xbe, and htt_server) processes running together. One process controls the input method server properties, another controls the population of the input method server (that is, a "watch dog" process), and the third handles input methods of clients.

Usually, you don't need to know the details of these three processes. When htt is started, htt_xbe and htt_server are started automatically.

How and When htt Is Started

An application that uses the htt input method server to receive Traditional Chinese characters must find htt running before it can receive such input. So if your default locale is the C locale (which does not require htt) and you then change from C to another locale in a single Terminal, for example, you must start htt with a command line like the following: 


system% /usr/openwin/bin/htt -if twle -xim htt_xbe &

With the locale set to zh_TW or zh_TW.BIG5, htt is started automatically when the Traditional Chinese windowing environment starts. In CDE, htt is started from a script, /usr/dt/config/Xsession.d/0020.dtims. This script is executed by Xsession, which runs at every initialization stage upon a user's login from dtlogin. This script ensures that htt is started before other applications in CDE.

Using the iiim Server in zh_TW.UTF-8 Locale

The Internet Intranet Input Method Server (iiim) supports both European Local Input Methods using Compose Key and Asian Remote Input Methods using IIIM Protocol. The default Language Engine is English/European which supports ASCII and some European Languages such as German and French.

To switch to other Language Engines, press CTRL+Space, as with other Asian Locales.

To switch to Chinese Input Methods, click the left mouse button in the Status Area. The following Language Engine List appears:

The following Language Engines appear if their corresponding locales are installed:

After the Traditional Chinese Language Engine is selected, you can use Function Keys to switch between different Input Methods:

For more detailed information about each Input Method, see "Chapter 4, Entering Traditional Chinese Text".