Re: Where did my character selection tool go?
On Sun 13 Jul 2025 at 09:06:19 (-0400), Greg Wooledge wrote:
> On Sat, Jul 12, 2025 at 23:47:15 -0500, David Wright wrote:
> > You can write your own sequences, so that they are meaningful to you.
> > For example:
> > <Multi_key> <numbersign> <d> <b> : "𝄫" U1d12b # MUSICAL SYMBOL DOUBLE FLAT
> > <Multi_key> <numbersign> <d> <s> : "𝄪" U1d12a # MUSICAL SYMBOL DOUBLE SHARP
> > <Multi_key> <s> <x> : "✄" U2704 # WHITE SCISSORS
> > are three of mine. Another is:
> > <Multi_key> <c> <o> : "©" copyright # COPYRIGHT SIGN
> > so that I don't have to remember whether it's Compose co or Compose oc.
> > (Only the latter is defined by the system.)
> >
> > You can just place your definitions into the file ~/.XCompose, but do put:
> > include "%S/en_US.UTF-8/Compose"
> > at the top of your file, because creating this file _replaces_ the
> > system's version in /usr/share/X11/locale/en_US.UTF-8/Compose,
> > so you need to include the latter to retain its ~6000 definitions.
>
> This is what I originally wrote on <https://wiki.debian.org/XCompose>
> (except that I suggested using include "%L" at the top, instead of
> hard-coding en_US.UTF-8).
At various times on various machines, I use locales C, en_US.UTF-8 and
en_GB.UTF-8. Looking at:
$ apt-file find /usr/share/X11/locale/en
libx11-data: /usr/share/X11/locale/en_US.UTF-8/Compose
libx11-data: /usr/share/X11/locale/en_US.UTF-8/XI18N_OBJS
libx11-data: /usr/share/X11/locale/en_US.UTF-8/XLC_LOCALE
$ wc /usr/share/X11/locale/C/Compose
0 0 0 /usr/share/X11/locale/C/Compose
$
I figured I'd stick with what worked at the time I set this up—what
the wiki page says is the "full list of default compose sequences".
My emphasis, though, was on the OP's "can't always guess the right
sequence for less frequently used things", and to encourage them
and others to roll their own.
> Later, some people thought they were "improving" the page by adding
> all kinds of Desktop Environment crap, and now Max is saying that
> the page is "outdated".
Yes, I skip the DE and Wayland stuff as I don't use them. I wouldn't
know whether it's up-to-date or not. I'm assuming that X11 will
probably outlast me.
On Sun 13 Jul 2025 at 16:06:53 (-0000), Greg (curtyshoo) wrote:
> The OP was specifically about Debian 12 with XFCE, for which the
> character selection tool is gucharmap (GNOME Character Map). This is
> the *correct* answer to the question posed. You've now gone off on an
> irrelevant tangent which is par for the course.
>
> That you don't like or use a desktop environment is completely beside
> the point, and I'm afraid you've become your own X/Y problem. People use
> these desktops environments for the tools they provide. This seems so
> obvious that it wouldn't require mentioning if it weren't for you and
> all the other professionals chiming in with answers that are unconnected
> to the use of XFCE and the tool that mysteriously disappeared.
Greg W made it perfectly clear that he was offering two /alternatives/.
There's a lot to be said for knowing about character input methods
that don't require the hands to be moved from the keyboard. I for one
can't imagine what it's like having to select characters from a
different application, even one that's open all the time, just to
insert the odd unusual character. Yes, for the exotic, but °,
seriously?
As for gucharmap, I use it as a font browser, but I prefer searching
the web to guessing words that a Unicode name might include.
Regardless, the OP is free to ignore both suggestions.
Cheers,
David.
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