--- Forwarded Message from Derek Roff <[log in to unmask]> ---
>Date: Tue, 21 Oct 2003 17:07:18 -0600
>From: Derek Roff <[log in to unmask]>
>To: Language Learning and Technology International Information Forum <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Re: #7291.2 Disappearing Keyboard Icon in OS X (!)
>In-Reply-To: <[log in to unmask]>
>References: <[log in to unmask]>
------------------
I know of three different issues affecting the menu bar keyboard icon
in Mac OS X. As David and others pointed out, there is a nifty
design feature in the OS, which allows quick rotation between
selected input methods and/or keyboard layouts.
> Yes. Almost certainly you're inadvertently hitting
> command-spacebar, which is the command to rotate among the
> installed (selected) keyboard layouts within the currently
> selected input method. You also have the option of turning on
> command-option-spacebar which will select the next installed input
> method.
In addition, there is the dubious design feature, which may
automatically switch keyboards, when you switch applications. For
example, suppose you are working in a program that supports Unicode,
and you have selected a Unicode keyboard. If you switch to an
application which doesn't support Unicode (and sadly, many apps still
don't), your keyboard will immediately change to a non-Unicode
keyboard layout (probably a Roman layout). When you change back to
the first application, the selected keyboard will _not_ change back
to Unicode. I find this very annoying, when I am cutting and pasting
between apps with different capabilities. A work-around is to create
a keyboard layout that registers itself with the OS as a Roman
layout, but can generate Unicode characters. I do this at the
website <http://wordherd.com/keyboards/>.
>>
but I've noticed that switching to a new app will require resetting
the
desired keyboard. For example, if you are typing in Japanese with
kotoeri
input in Word, then switch to Dreamweaver, the keyboard will switch
back to
US, and you'll have to reset it to kotoeri. <<
Finally, I believe that there is a bug, which sometimes causes the OS
to lose track of which, if any, keyboard or input method is selected.
On starting up the computer, there may be no keyboard icon visible at
all. Or it may have reset itself to a different choice than when you
shut down. Or it may have set itself to a keyboard that you never
even selected as an option. My G4 seems to like Turkish, for some of
its periodic flights of fancy.
The most frequent symptom of this bug, for me, is for the menu bar
keyboard icon to disappear entirely. Sometimes restarting will
restore the icon. Sometimes it will cause the problem. I mentioned
earlier that Repairing Permisions seems to help, but it isn't
guaranteed. Going to System Preferences>International>Input Menu,
and selecting or deselecting any keyboard will bring back the menu
bar icon, at least for a while. When my computers are in this state,
pressing <command-space> has no visible effect. In contrast to
another posting, I have observed this on machines which don't have
Carbon Copy Cloner installed. It has happened to me even after a
completely clean install on a newly initialized disk. I haven't yet
observed the problem on OS 10.2.8, but I have only been running it
for a few days.
A tangential problem: Final Cut Pro 3 and 4 will instantly crash
when I have certain custom keyboards selected, and use key
combinations like command-S. If you have problems with Final Cut
crashes, try switching back to the US keyboard, and see if that
helps.
Derek Roff
Language Learning Center, MSC03-2100
Ortega Hall Rm 129, 1 University of New Mexico
Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001
505/277-7368, fax 505/277-3885
Internet: [log in to unmask]
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