Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!apple!sun-barr!newstop!sun!stpeter!cmcmanis
From: cmcmanis@stpeter.Sun.COM (Chuck McManis)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.tech
Subject: Re: Reading the keyboard without a window.
Keywords: keyboard,read,easy?
Message-ID: <132195@sun.Eng.Sun.COM>
Date: 23 Feb 90 22:22:36 GMT
References: <6675@ucdavis.ucdavis.edu> <1990Feb9.150945.29787@santra.uucp> <131583@sun.Eng.Sun.COM> <1990Feb13.140718.26883@santra.uucp> <131780@sun.Eng.Sun.COM> <6529@cps3xx.UUCP>
Sender: news@sun.Eng.Sun.COM
Reply-To: cmcmanis@sun.UUCP (Chuck McManis)
Organization: Sun Microsystems, Mountain View
Lines: 30

In article <6529@cps3xx.UUCP> dailey@cpsin2.UUCP (Chris Dailey) writes:
> Is it impossible to have a keymap that will accept multiple keypresses
> to construct the various foreign characters?  

No, this is the way the usa1 keymap constructs foreign characters. You
type Alt-k a and get an a with Umlads on it. EMACs also likes to use
the Alt character as a replacement for Meta so I made one of the alt
keys the "compose" character and the other the "meta" character.

> Then in foreign countries
> there would only be one keypress (I assume -- haven't really seen
> foreign keyboards) to get those characters. 

Correct, in foreign countries it is possible to put the foreign characters
on a key so that a single key press (like shift-A or something) would give
you the a umlad character.

> That way, the foreign
> characters would be available on any US program that uses the CON:
> handler, right???  Troubles would only appear when the keyboard is
> accessed directly, right???

Correct and correct. If your program interprets the scan codes then
your interpretation will be of the keys will be incorrect on different
keyboard layouts.

--Chuck McManis
uucp: {anywhere}!sun!cmcmanis   BIX: cmcmanis  ARPAnet: cmcmanis@Eng.Sun.COM
These opinions are my own and no one elses, but you knew that didn't you.
"If it didn't have bones in it, it wouldn't be crunchy now would it?!"