How to enter Unicode symbols?

[Sergei1]

@Aragorn

Here’s one last thing you can try. Rename the file ~/.local/share/kded5/keyboard/session/layout_memory.xml with a .bak suffix, log out and log back in. If it works, then great. If you’re getting keyboard problems, rename the file again.

OK, I renamed this file by adding .bak suffix, cleared ~/.cache directory, logged out and then logged in, and… nothing… I can’t enter Unicode in KDE apps.

[Aragorn]

One last thing you can try is install ibus-qt. You will need to add the following lines to /etc/environment…

GTK_IM_MODULE=ibus
QT_IM_MODULE=ibus
XMODIFIERS=@im=ibus

… and you’ll then also need to log out and back in before it’ll work. More details here.

This below is a post at the Endeavour OS forum about ibus-qt. See if this helps you.

IBus and Qt Applications

[ydar]

I’ve also for several years have had problems with entering Unicode characters in KDE, since I rarely need to, I just use KCharSelect. Setting up the compose key as suggested above seems to work too.

I use a typical 105 key US keyboard (Lenovo brand), and my locale is en_CA (maybe that’s my problem, I don’t know)

Honestly, I just assume it’s some weird KDE quirk, and don’t bother wasting time on getting it to work.

[dmt]

@Aragorn

What’s even funnier is that the rest of us can do it everywhere else as well.

Actually I just dug out my laptop with KDE and I have the same issue, admittedly I don’t use the feature much.

[medmedin]

1. sudo pacman -S ibus manjaro-asian-input-support-ibus
2. logout and relogin

manjaro-asian-input-support-ibus simply installs the correct env vars and autostart file via these two files:

/etc/profile.d/input-support.sh

# https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/IBus
im=ibus
export GTK_IM_MODULE=$im
export QT_IM_MODULE=$im
export XMODIFIERS=@im=$im
export INPUT_METHOD=$im
export SDL_IM_MODULE=$im

/etc/xdg/autostart/ibus.desktop

[Desktop Entry]
Name=IBus
Type=Application
Exec=ibus-daemon -drx
Terminal=false

Arch Wiki recommends adding --panel=/usr/lib/kimpanel-ibus-panel to make it work also with Input Method Panel widget, I tried it and didn’t seem to work.

Packages / Community / manjaro-asian-input-support · GitLab

I tested it and unicode typing worked perfectly inside Qt apps.

[Aragorn]

Yes, same thing here. I was under the impression that it did work here at my end because it works in chromium, which is the browser I’m using right now. But indeed, it doesn’t work in konsole or kwrite.

Setting up the compose key is simple, however. I did that via the advanced settings tab for the keyboard.

[dmt]

@medmedin

1. sudo pacman -S ibus manjaro-asian-input-support-ibus
2. logout and relogin

Yep, that works.

[Sergei1]

@Aragorn

I was under the impression that it did work here

Ha-ha-ha
Oops, looks like some super experts here don’t know something.

[Sergei1]

• Strange problems with your clock
• Strange sorting issues in dolphin
• No ability to enter Unicode symbols
• Strange sorting order of servicemenus in dolphin, it’s not alphabetical

I think I will give Manjaro Cinnamon a try.

[Aragorn]

@Sergei1

Oops, looks like some super experts here don’t know something.

I never said I knew everything. We are all only volunteers here. And we’re very patient ones too apparently, given that this thread has by now made it to 70 (!) posts.

---

@Sergei1

No ability to enter Unicode symbols

The solution was provided in post #65 by @medmedin. It is up to you to take his advice and put it into practice, but if you’re not interested, then that’s on you.

@Sergei1

I think I will give Manjaro Cinnamon a try.

Great! We’re already anxiously anticipating the problems you’ll be having with that one.

[soundofthunder]

In konsole:

echo -e '\u2042' '\u2641'

… seems to work as expected. Copy the result to a UTF-8 text document, for example. Why? Why not, eh?!