Created attachment 36431 [details] [review]
using X-SAMPA to input IPA

This patch replaces the current IPA input methods (Emacs IPA IM) with the
X-SAMPA sequences.
This is much more complete than the Emacs IPA IM, a lot more character can be
typed with the new IM.
X-SAMPA is an alternative to IPA, it is used by academics and in the industry.
For more information on X-SAMPA, please see
http://www.phon.ucl.ac.uk/home/sampa/x-sampa.htm or
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X-SAMPA

Created attachment 36489 [details] [review]
using X-SAMPA to input IPA

Same patch as before but with more tone characters (<T>, etc. for &#741;, etc.)

All the X-SAMPA sequences are covered, except for U\ and I\ which are not in
IPA nor in Unicode.
A few obscure IPA characters are still not inputtable but they are extremely
rarely used.

Created attachment 36490 [details] [review]
using X-SAMPA to input IPA

added subscript 1 to 5 for non-flat tones which are not yet supported by
Unicode.

e.g. /e₅₃/ (/e_5_3/) for a high falling /e/

Please consider adding your input method to gtk-im-extra
(http://gtk-im-extra.sourceforge.net/). We don't really want to expand the set
of input methods in gtk at this point.

This is not about expanding the set of input methods.

The current IPA IM is just bad because it's incomplete and get annoying when you
try to type succesives "ae" or "oe" but don't want the ligatures.
This patch (attachment 36490 [details] [review]) is just a suggestion.

This is still a bug because many commonly used IPA characters are missing.
Imagine not being able to input "z" in the default input.

To give an idea of how big the lack of IPA character is in the current IPA IM
here's how many IPA characters are subsituted by the current input:
42 unique characters

The suggested X-SAMPA sequences add most IPA characters, diacritics and modifiers:
147 unique characters

The difference, 110, is not really representative of how many characters are
currently missing (the sequences being different and for different characters)
but it still gives an idea of how big the lack is.

We'd remove the current IM-IPA method in core GTK+ if a better
one gets added to gtk-im-extra. There are basically two reasons we
don't want to spend a lot of time maintaining input methods modules
in the GTK+ core:

 - We want to encourage people to use native input method frameworks;
   basically the existance of modules like im-ipa or im-cyrillic was
   just done as a test for the input module framework, which was
   really intend as an interface to XIM/IIIMF/Windows IME, etc.

 - We just don't have the cycles to do a good job of applying patches
   to input method modules in GTK+.

Created attachment 36554 [details] [review]
using X-SAMPA to input IPA

Here's a cleaned up version of the X-SAMPA patch.

I'll try to see if I can get it included in gtk-im-extra.

Shouldn't all the broken input methods be removed, moved or fixed?

Could we just remove the IPA input method from the list offered by gtk apps?
It's incomplete whil gtk-im-extra and scim/uim have complete IPA IM.

Comment #7 + Comment #9 mean we should remove IPA from our tree now right?

Comment on attachment 36554 [details] [review]
using X-SAMPA to input IPA

Patch needs rework as GDK_* has changed for GTK3 to GDK_KEY_*: http://developer.gnome.org/gtk3/3.0/gtk-migrating-2-to-3.html#id1526314

the ipa input method has been removed in gtk 3.93