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Input Methods

NOTE: This material does not necessarily refer to the most recent version of Java. For the most recent FAQs, see here.

Java Input Methods

Does Sun implement Pure Java Input Methods?
Does JDK 1.2.2 have any Input Methods written Java that don`t require platform support?
Where can i find information about IIIMP?

JDK 1.3 IMFDemo

Why does the IMFDemo.class sample code that comes with jdk 1.3 give exceptions using IE5.0 or Netscape 4.5?
When I run the sample code in the Input Method Client API Tutorial, the "Input Method" doesn't appear to be intercepting the character in order to compose it. Instead, the kanji character that I typed (with the single key) appears in the display. Is there a problem with the code, or am I doing something wrong?
What can connect as a client to the Input Method Framework ? Can Javax components and AWT connect as clients?

City Input Method

The City InputMethod jar file in the Input Method Engine SPI Tutorial seems to be corrupted. When I try clicking on the link I get garbage. I would greatly appreciate it if you could supply me with this jar file.
I put CityIM.jar in jdk1.2.2jrelibext and started an application with a JTextArea. I expected to see a "Select Input Method" menu item in the top-left menu, but there was nothing there. Can you help?

Java Input Methods

Does Sun implement Pure Java Input Methods?
Sun provides a simple 100% Pure Java input method in Section 8 of the Input Method Engine SPI Tutorial.
Does JDK 1.2.2 have any Input Methods written Java that don't require platform support?
JDK 1.2.2 doesn't provide Java input methods. It comes with an IIIMP (Internet/Intranet Input Method Protocol) adapter, which lets you connect to server-based input methods via IIIMP, if you happen to have such input methods.
Where can i find information about IIIMP?
To get information on IIIMP, go to http://soldc.sun.com and search for "IIIM".

JDK 1.3 IMFDemo

Why does the IMFDemo.class sample code that comes with jdk 1.3 give exceptions using IE5.0 or Netscape 4.5?
These browsers don't support 1.2 directly yet (InputMethodListener was new in 1.2), and the page wasn't marked up for the plugin.

Probably the easiest way for you to get going is to download the four source files from
http://java.sun.com/products/jdk/1.3/docs/guide/imf/api-tutorial.html , compile them using:
<jdk1.3>/bin/javac IMFDemo.java and run them using:
<jdk1.3>/bin/java IMFDemo.
When I run the sample code in the Input Method Client API Tutorial, the "Input Method" doesn't appear to be intercepting the character in order to compose it. Instead, the kanji character that I typed (with the single key) appears in the display. Is there a problem with the code, or am I doing something wrong?
There are four possibilities:
- you don't have all the required patches (see http://java.sun.com/products/jdk/1.3/install-solaris-patches.html)
- you're accidentally using the non-client, which is not supposed to work with input methods (see http://java.sun.com/products/jdk/1.3/docs/guide/imf/api-sample/IMFDemo.html)
- you forgot to turn on the input method (use control-space or the Nihongo key, see http://java.sun.com/products/jdk/1.3/docs/guide/imf/api-sample/IMFDemo.html)
- you actually found a bug (see http://java.sun.com/cgi-bin/EAbugreport.cgi).
What can connect as a client to the Input Method Framework ? Can Javax components and AWT connect as clients?
As the specification at http://java.sun.com/products/jdk/1.3/docs/guide/imf/spec.html states, "Every instance of the Component class is potentially a client of the input method framework". This is obviously not limited to subclasses in javax.*.

City Input Method

The City InputMethod jar file in the Input Method Engine SPI Tutorial seems to be corrupted. When I try clicking on the link I get garbage. I would greatly appreciate it if you could supply me with this jar file.
The file is a JAR file. Some browsers are smart enough to recognize that they don't recognize JAR files, and offer to download it. Others try to display the content as text. In that case, the text looks corrupted, but you can actually save it to your disk and get a valid JAR file that you can install into a Java 2 Runtime Environment 1.3 beta. This should solve your problem.
I put CityIM.jar in jdk1.2.2jrelibext and started an application with a JTextArea. I expected to see a "Select Input Method" menu item in the top-left menu, but there was nothing there. Can you help?
City Input Method relies on the input method engine SPI, which was newly introduced in J2SE 1.3. You therefore need to use J2RE 1.3, not 1.2.2. If you have installed J2RE 1.3 and the "Select Input Method" option still isn't there, then the input method hasn't been installed properly.

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