because it stops waiting for more characters to combine, and starts
searching for what you have already entered.
+ To find out how to input the character after point using the current
+input method, type @kbd{C-u C-x =}. @xref{Position Info}.
+
@vindex input-method-verbose-flag
@vindex input-method-highlight-flag
The variables @code{input-method-highlight-flag} and
possible characters to type next is displayed in the echo area (but
not when you are in the minibuffer).
-@cindex Leim package
- Input methods are implemented in the separate Leim package: they are
-available only if the system administrator used Leim when building
-Emacs. If Emacs was built without Leim, you will find that no input
-methods are defined.
-
@node Select Input Method
@section Selecting an Input Method
actual keyboard layout. To specify which layout your keyboard has, use
the command @kbd{M-x quail-set-keyboard-layout}.
+@findex quail-show-key
+ You can use the command @kbd{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.
+
@findex list-input-methods
To display a list of all the supported input methods, type @kbd{M-x
list-input-methods}. The list gives information about each input
Specify coding system @var{coding} for the immediately following
command.
+@item C-x @key{RET} r @var{coding} @key{RET}
+Revisit the current file using the coding system @var{coding}.
+
@item C-x @key{RET} k @var{coding} @key{RET}
Use coding system @var{coding} for keyboard input.
@item C-x @key{RET} X @var{coding} @key{RET}
Use coding system @var{coding} for transferring @emph{one}
selection---the next one---to or from the window system.
+
+@item M-x recode-region
+Convert the region from a previous coding system to a new one.
@end table
@kindex C-x RET f
variable to a good choice of default coding system for that language
environment.
+@kindex C-x RET r
+@findex revert-buffer-with-coding-system
+ If you visit a file with a wrong coding system, you can correct this
+with @kbd{C-x @key{RET} r} (@code{revert-buffer-with-coding-system}).
+This visits the current file again, using a coding system you specify.
+
@kindex C-x RET t
@findex set-terminal-coding-system
The command @kbd{C-x @key{RET} t} (@code{set-terminal-coding-system})
@findex set-keyboard-coding-system
@vindex keyboard-coding-system
The command @kbd{C-x @key{RET} k} (@code{set-keyboard-coding-system})
-or the Custom option @code{keyboard-coding-system}
-specifies the coding system for keyboard input. Character-code
-translation of keyboard input is useful for terminals with keys that
-send non-@acronym{ASCII} graphic characters---for example, some terminals designed
-for ISO Latin-1 or subsets of it.
+or the variable @code{keyboard-coding-system} specifies the coding
+system for keyboard input. Character-code translation of keyboard
+input is useful for terminals with keys that send non-@acronym{ASCII}
+graphic characters---for example, some terminals designed for ISO
+Latin-1 or subsets of it.
By default, keyboard input is translated based on your system locale
setting. If your terminal does not really support the encoding
The default for translation of process input and output depends on the
current language environment.
+@findex recode-region
+ If a piece of text has already been inserted into a buffer using the
+wrong coding system, you can decode it again using @kbd{M-x
+recode-region}. This prompts you for the old coding system and the
+desired coding system, and acts on the text in the region.
+
@vindex file-name-coding-system
@cindex file names with non-@acronym{ASCII} characters
@findex set-file-name-coding-system
name, or it may get an error. If such a problem happens, use @kbd{C-x
C-w} to specify a new file name for that buffer.
+@findex recode-file-name
+ If a mistake occurs when encoding a file name, use the command
+command @kbd{M-x recode-file-name} to change the file name's coding
+system. This prompts for an existing file name, its old coding
+system, and the coding system to which you wish to convert.
+
@vindex locale-coding-system
@cindex decoding non-@acronym{ASCII} keyboard input on X
The variable @code{locale-coding-system} specifies a coding system
@vindex latin1-display
If your terminal can display Latin-1, you can display characters
from other European character sets using a mixture of equivalent
-Latin-1 characters and @acronym{ASCII} mnemonics. Use the Custom option
+Latin-1 characters and @acronym{ASCII} mnemonics. Customize the variable
@code{latin1-display} to enable this. The mnemonic @acronym{ASCII}
sequences mostly correspond to those of the prefix input methods.
non-standard ``extended'' versions of ISO-8859 character sets by using the
function @code{standard-display-8bit} in the @code{disp-table} library.
- There are several ways you can input single-byte non-@acronym{ASCII}
+ There are two ways to input single-byte non-@acronym{ASCII}
characters:
@itemize @bullet
@cindex 8-bit input
+@item
+You can use an input method for the selected language environment.
+@xref{Input Methods}. When you use an input method in a unibyte buffer,
+the non-@acronym{ASCII} character you specify with it is converted to unibyte.
+
@item
If your keyboard can generate character codes 128 (decimal) and up,
representing non-@acronym{ASCII} characters, you can type those character codes
directly.
-On a windowing terminal, you should not need to do anything special to
-use these keys; they should simply work. On a text-only terminal, you
+On a window system, you should not need to do anything special to use
+these keys; they should simply work. On a text-only terminal, you
should use the command @code{M-x set-keyboard-coding-system} or the
-Custom option @code{keyboard-coding-system} to specify which coding
-system your keyboard uses (@pxref{Specify Coding}). Enabling this
-feature will probably require you to use @kbd{ESC} to type Meta
-characters; however, on a Linux console or in @code{xterm}, you can
-arrange for Meta to be converted to @kbd{ESC} and still be able type
-8-bit characters present directly on the keyboard or using
-@kbd{Compose} or @kbd{AltGr} keys. @xref{User Input}.
-
-@item
-You can use an input method for the selected language environment.
-@xref{Input Methods}. When you use an input method in a unibyte buffer,
-the non-@acronym{ASCII} character you specify with it is converted to unibyte.
+variable @code{keyboard-coding-system} to specify which coding system
+your keyboard uses (@pxref{Specify Coding}). Enabling this feature
+will probably require you to use @kbd{ESC} to type Meta characters;
+however, on a console terminal or in @code{xterm}, you can arrange for
+Meta to be converted to @kbd{ESC} and still be able type 8-bit
+characters present directly on the keyboard or using @kbd{Compose} or
+@kbd{AltGr} keys. @xref{User Input}.
@kindex C-x 8
@cindex @code{iso-transl} library
@cindex compose character
@cindex dead character
@item
-For Latin-1 only, you can use the
-key @kbd{C-x 8} as a ``compose character'' prefix for entry of
-non-@acronym{ASCII} Latin-1 printing characters. @kbd{C-x 8} is good for
-insertion (in the minibuffer as well as other buffers), for searching,
-and in any other context where a key sequence is allowed.
+For Latin-1 only, you can use the key @kbd{C-x 8} as a ``compose
+character'' prefix for entry of non-@acronym{ASCII} Latin-1 printing
+characters. @kbd{C-x 8} is good for insertion (in the minibuffer as
+well as other buffers), for searching, and in any other context where
+a key sequence is allowed.
@kbd{C-x 8} works by loading the @code{iso-transl} library. Once that
-library is loaded, the @key{ALT} modifier key, if you have one, serves
-the same purpose as @kbd{C-x 8}; use @key{ALT} together with an accent
-character to modify the following letter. In addition, if you have keys
-for the Latin-1 ``dead accent characters,'' they too are defined to
-compose with the following character, once @code{iso-transl} is loaded.
-Use @kbd{C-x 8 C-h} to list the available translations as mnemonic
-command names.
-
-@item
-@cindex @code{iso-acc} library
-@cindex ISO Accents mode
-@findex iso-accents-mode
-@cindex Latin-1, Latin-2 and Latin-3 input mode
-For Latin-1, Latin-2 and Latin-3, @kbd{M-x iso-accents-mode} enables
-a minor mode that works much like the @code{latin-1-prefix} input
-method, but does not depend on having the input methods installed. This
-mode is buffer-local. It can be customized for various languages with
-@kbd{M-x iso-accents-customize}.
+library is loaded, the @key{ALT} modifier key, if the keyboard has
+one, serves the same purpose as @kbd{C-x 8}: use @key{ALT} together
+with an accent character to modify the following letter. In addition,
+if the keyboard has keys for the Latin-1 ``dead accent characters,''
+they too are defined to compose with the following character, once
+@code{iso-transl} is loaded.
+
+Use @kbd{C-x 8 C-h} to list all the available @kbd{C-x 8} translations.
@end itemize
@node Charsets