Development guide for Input Method developers/Distributors

Information files for Input Method

To make Input Methods available from IMSettings, every Input Methods that hopes so has to have the information file to let IMSettings know. those files is usually put under /etc/X11/xinit/xinput.d in Fedora. the filename has to contain .conf as suffix. otherwise im-info-daemon will just ignores them. but Input Method doesn't support multiple languages such as XIM doesn't have to have .conf suffix. xim.conf can deals with such configuration files properly for appropriate languages according to current locale.

Available parameters

The following parameters can be described as the shell environment variables like FOO=BAR.

• AUXILIARY_PROGRAM=string

An optional program that may want to bring up for Input Method, such as the panel and the toolbar and so on.

• AUXILIARY_ARGS=string

A list of command line options for AUXILIARY_PROGRAM.

• GTK_IM_MODULE=string

GTK+ immodule name that want to use.

• ICON=string

An icon file to use in GUI say.

• IMSETTINGS_IGNORE_ME=boolean

A parameter to hide Input Method from the inventory. you however can still take an action against such Input Method via IMSettings.

• LONG_DESC=string

An optional long description to explain what this Input Method is.

• PREFERENCE_PROGRAM=string

An optional program that set up Input Method. IMSettings itself do nothing on this parameter. but other tools, such as im-chooser will take an action for that.

• PREFERENCE_ARGS=string

A list of command line options for PREFERENCE_PROGRAM.

• QT_IM_MODULE=string

Qt immodule name that want to use.

• SHORT_DESC=string

An optional short description to explain what this Input Method is. this variable is also sued for the key to do something on IMSettings. e.g. to start/stop Input Method and get the information and so on. so this parameter has to be unique.

• XIM=string

This variable is used for XIM. actually it looks like XMODIFIERS=@im=$XIM.

• XIM_PROGRAM=string

A XIM server be brought up to communicate through XIM protocol.

• XIM_ARGS=string

A list of command line options for XIM_PROGRAM.