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describe-input-method
).
By default, it describes the current input method (if any). This
description should give you the full details of how to use any
particular input method.
To choose an input method for the current buffer, use C-x
<RET> C-\ (set-input-method
). This command reads the
input method name from the minibuffer; the name normally starts with the
language environment that it is meant to be used with. The variable
current-input-method
records which input method is selected.
Input methods use various sequences of ASCII characters to stand for
non-ASCII characters. Sometimes it is useful to turn off the input
method temporarily. To do this, type C-\
(toggle-input-method
). To reenable the input method, type
C-\ again.
If you type C-\ and you have not yet selected an input method, it prompts for you to specify one. This has the same effect as using C-x <RET> C-\ to specify an input method.
When invoked with a numeric argument, as in C-u C-\,
toggle-input-method
always prompts you for an input method,
suggesting the most recently selected one as the default.
Selecting a language environment specifies a default input method for
use in various buffers. When you have a default input method, you can
select it in the current buffer by typing C-\. The variable
default-input-method
specifies the default input method
(nil
means there is none).
In some language environments, which support several different input
methods, you might want to use an input method different from the
default chosen by set-language-environment
. You can instruct
Emacs to select a different default input method for a certain
language environment, if you wish, by using
set-language-environment-hook
(see set-language-environment-hook). For example:
(defun my-chinese-setup () "Set up my private Chinese environment." (if (equal current-language-environment "Chinese-GB") (setq default-input-method "chinese-tonepy"))) (add-hook 'set-language-environment-hook 'my-chinese-setup)
This sets the default input method to be chinese-tonepy
whenever you choose a Chinese-GB language environment.
Some input methods for alphabetic scripts work by (in effect) remapping the keyboard to emulate various keyboard layouts commonly used for those scripts. How to do this remapping properly depends on your actual keyboard layout. To specify which layout your keyboard has, use the command M-x quail-set-keyboard-layout.
You can use the command M-x quail-show-key to show what key (or key sequence) to type in order to input the character following point, using the selected keyboard layout. The command C-u C-x = also shows that information in addition to the other information about the character.
To display a list of all the supported input methods, type M-x list-input-methods. The list gives information about each input method, including the string that stands for it in the mode line.