Making a keyboard layout using IBus - Revision history

Jwashin1: /* NOTE */

2026-02-09T18:40:12Z

‎NOTE

Jwashin1: /* Some tricks */

2026-02-09T18:39:44Z

‎Some tricks

Jwashin1: /* NOTE */

2025-02-17T19:55:19Z

‎NOTE

Jwashin1: /* NOTE */

2025-02-17T19:54:22Z

‎NOTE

Jwashin1: /* Using IBus m17n */

2025-02-15T13:35:58Z

‎Using IBus m17n

Jwashin1: /* Using IBus m17n */

2025-02-13T22:34:24Z

‎Using IBus m17n

Jwashin1: /* Using IBus m17n */

2025-02-13T22:13:13Z

‎Using IBus m17n

Jwashin1 at 22:08, 13 February 2025

2025-02-13T22:08:23Z

Jwashin1: /* Using IBus m17n */

2025-02-13T18:16:06Z

‎Using IBus m17n

Jwashin1: /* Some tricks */

2023-02-12T16:37:01Z

‎Some tricks

@@ Line 12: / Line 12: @@
 === NOTE ===
-* If you want to be able to use an <kbd>AltGr</kbd> key, then you'll need to do some combination of the following three things. {{notice-inline|For Spring 2025, you probably need both of the first two for each account you use this on.}}
+* If you want to be able to use an <kbd>AltGr</kbd> key, then you'll need to do some combination of the following three things. {{notice-inline|For Spring 2025 and later, you probably need both of the first two for each account you use this on.}}
 ** Go into your session manager preferences (in XFCE, Menu → Settings → Keyboard) and add a layout with proper AltGr enabled (Layout tab, Add, "'''English (US, alt. intl.)'''").  I also recommend removing other keyboard layouts there.  Otherwise you'll need to constantly make sure you have this layout selected every time you use your oBus layout, and you'll also need to make sure that your keyboard layout switching key combo doesn't involve <kbd>Alt</kbd>, or that will get caught and not pass an <kbd>AltGr</kbd> press through to iBus.
 **  Run <code>setxkbmap -model pc104 -layout us -option lv3:ralt_switch</code>.  If this works, you can make it persistent across sessions (that is, load it every time you log in so you don't have to run it each time) by doing the following:

@@ Line 45: / Line 45: @@
 ** If you want it to include '''non-alphabetic characters''', you can do the following:
 *: <code>grep -Po '[\w\W]' textfile.txt | sort | uniq -c | sort -n</code>
 == Other ways ==

@@ Line 12: / Line 12: @@
 === NOTE ===
-* If you want to be able to use an <kbd>AltGr</kbd> key, then you'll need to do some combination of the following three things. {{notice-inline|For Spring 2025, you probably need both of the first two}}
+* If you want to be able to use an <kbd>AltGr</kbd> key, then you'll need to do some combination of the following three things. {{notice-inline|For Spring 2025, you probably need both of the first two for each account you use this on.}}
 ** Go into your session manager preferences (in XFCE, Menu → Settings → Keyboard) and add a layout with proper AltGr enabled (Layout tab, Add, "'''English (US, alt. intl.)'''").  I also recommend removing other keyboard layouts there.  Otherwise you'll need to constantly make sure you have this layout selected every time you use your oBus layout, and you'll also need to make sure that your keyboard layout switching key combo doesn't involve <kbd>Alt</kbd>, or that will get caught and not pass an <kbd>AltGr</kbd> press through to iBus.
 **  Run <code>setxkbmap -model pc104 -layout us -option lv3:ralt_switch</code>.  If this works, you can make it persistent across sessions (that is, load it every time you log in so you don't have to run it each time) by doing the following:

@@ Line 12: / Line 12: @@
 === NOTE ===
-* If you want to be able to use an <kbd>AltGr</kbd> key, then you'll need to do one of three things.
+* If you want to be able to use an <kbd>AltGr</kbd> key, then you'll need to do some combination of the following three things. {{notice-inline|For Spring 2025, you probably need both of the first two}}
 ** Go into your session manager preferences (in XFCE, Menu → Settings → Keyboard) and add a layout with proper AltGr enabled (Layout tab, Add, "'''English (US, alt. intl.)'''").  I also recommend removing other keyboard layouts there.  Otherwise you'll need to constantly make sure you have this layout selected every time you use your oBus layout, and you'll also need to make sure that your keyboard layout switching key combo doesn't involve <kbd>Alt</kbd>, or that will get caught and not pass an <kbd>AltGr</kbd> press through to iBus.
-** In Cinnamon and maybe Gnome (e.g., on your own computer—but not on XFCE on the lab computers), you may be able to simply set which key is <kbd>AltGr</kbd> (usually right alt) in keyboard settings.
+**  Run <code>setxkbmap -model pc104 -layout us -option lv3:ralt_switch</code>.  If this works, you can make it persistent across sessions (that is, load it every time you log in so you don't have to run it each time) by doing the following:
 ***: <code>echo $'[Desktop Entry]\nExec=setxkbmap -model pc104 -layout us -option lv3:ralt_switch\nTerminal=false\nHidden=false' > ~/.config/autostart/altgr.desktop</code>
 *** You'll have to log back in for this to take effect
 * If you need to install IBus on your own system, try this (Debian-derivatives only, like Ubuntu):
 *: <code>sudo apt-get install ibus-m17n</code>

@@ Line 11: / Line 11: @@
 # You'll have to configure a "next layout" key combination that makes sense for you.  Sometimes the key combination isn't completely obvious to set.
-NOTE:
+=== NOTE ===
 * If you want to be able to use an <kbd>AltGr</kbd> key, then you'll need to do one of three things.
-** Go into your session manager preferences (in XFCE, Menu → Settings → Keyboard) and add a layout with proper AltGr enabled (Layout tab, Add, "'''English (US, alt. intl.)'''").  You'll also need to make sure that your keyboard layout switching key combo doesn't involve <kbd>Alt</kbd>, or that will get caught and not pass an <kbd>AltGr</kbd> press through to iBus.
+** Go into your session manager preferences (in XFCE, Menu → Settings → Keyboard) and add a layout with proper AltGr enabled (Layout tab, Add, "'''English (US, alt. intl.)'''").  I also recommend removing other keyboard layouts there.  Otherwise you'll need to constantly make sure you have this layout selected every time you use your oBus layout, and you'll also need to make sure that your keyboard layout switching key combo doesn't involve <kbd>Alt</kbd>, or that will get caught and not pass an <kbd>AltGr</kbd> press through to iBus.
 ** In Cinnamon and maybe Gnome (e.g., on your own computer—but not on XFCE on the lab computers), you may be able to simply set which key is <kbd>AltGr</kbd> (usually right alt) in keyboard settings.
 **  {{notice-inline|this is approach a giant hack and will not consistently behave nicely}} Run <code>setxkbmap -model pc104 -layout us -option lv3:ralt_switch</code>.  If this works, you can make it persistent across sessions (that is, load it every time you log in so you don't have to run it each time) by doing the following:

@@ Line 2: / Line 2: @@
 == Using IBus m17n ==
-#  If on your own system, first '''install''' IBus and the m17n module (see below—{{notice-inline|not needed on lab machines}}):
+#  If on your own system, first '''install''' IBus and the m17n module (see below—{{notice-inline|not needed on lab machines}}).
 # '''Enable IBus''' as your default input method:
 #: <code>im-config -n ibus</code>
@@ Line 12: / Line 12: @@
 NOTE:
-* If you want to be able to use an <kbd>AltGr</kbd> key, then you'll need to go into your session manager preferences (in XFCE, Menu → Settings → Keyboard) and add a layout with AltGr enabled (Layout tab, Add, "'''English (international, with AltGr deadkeys)'''").  You'll also need to make sure that your keyboard layout switching key combo doesn't involve <kbd>Alt</kbd>, or that will get caught and not pass an <kbd>AltGr</kbd> press through to iBus.
+* If you want to be able to use an <kbd>AltGr</kbd> key, then you'll need to do one of three things.
 ** In Cinnamon and maybe Gnome (e.g., on your own computer—but not on XFCE on the lab computers), you may be able to simply set which key is <kbd>AltGr</kbd> (usually right alt) in keyboard settings.
-** {{notice-inline|If you have an issue with <kbd>AltGr</kbd> not working, try this}}
+** Run <code>setxkbmap -model pc104 -layout us -option lv3:ralt_switch</code>.  If this works, you can make it persistent across sessions (that is, load it every time you log in so you don't have to run it each time) by doing the following:
-**: <code>setxkbmap -model pc104 -layout us -option lv3:ralt_switch</code>
+***: <code>echo $'[Desktop Entry]\nExec=setxkbmap -model pc104 -layout us -option lv3:ralt_switch\nTerminal=false\nHidden=false' > .config/autostart/altgr.desktop</code>
 * If you need to install IBus on your own system, try this (Debian-derivatives only, like Ubuntu):
 *: <code>sudo apt-get install ibus-m17n</code>

@@ Line 35: / Line 35: @@
 : <code>im-config -n xim</code>
 * To count the '''frequency of characters''' in a corpus, you can do something like this:
-: <code>grep -o '\w' textfile.txt | sort | uniq -c | sort -n</code>
+*: <code>grep -o '\w' textfile.txt | sort | uniq -c | sort -n</code>
-:: (don't forget to replace <code>textfile.txt</code> with the name of the file that you're checking—probably the file you have with the most text in the language)
+*:: (don't forget to replace <code>textfile.txt</code> with the name of the file that you're checking—probably the file you have with the most text in the language)
-: If you prefer descending order, just add an <code>r</code> ("reverse"):
+** If you prefer '''descending''' order, just add an <code>r</code> ("reverse"):
-: <code>grep -o '\w' textfile.txt | sort | uniq -c | sort -nr</code>
+*: <code>grep -o '\w' textfile.txt | sort | uniq -c | sort -nr</code>
-: If you want it to include non-alphabetic characters, you can do the following:
+** If you want it to include '''non-alphabetic characters''', you can do the following:
-: <code>grep -Po '[\w\W]' textfile.txt | sort | uniq -c | sort -n</code>
+*: <code>grep -Po '[\w\W]' textfile.txt | sort | uniq -c | sort -n</code>
 == Other ways ==