New keyboard driver (beta)

[ArchivePoster]

Posted by: John Hudson
         
I have put a beta version of the new Tiro Biblical Hebrew keyboard driver at

http://www.tiro.com/resources/hebrew/BiblicalHebrew(Tiro)-1.2(beta).zip

The zip file contains the revised manual and a self extracting archive containing the installer file and dll. This release also includes an uninstaller, because you will need to remove the old version of this keyboard from your system before you can install the new one. Please refer to the manual for instructions.

Note that this new keyboard is designed to work with the new version of the font (beta 1.09 or greater). Please refer to the font manual for information about new Unicode characters and changes to earlier encoding recommendations.
         

[ArchivePoster]

Posted by: John Hudson
         
Andy, in answer to your keyboarding question in the other thread: in the new keyboard layout the masora/numeral dot is accessible via the [Q] key in its regular state.

Important: note that this dot is one of the characters that has a different encoding in the new font.
         

[ArchivePoster]

Posted by: John Hudson
         
I've been in contact with SIL, and will be producing a new keyboard driver for their layout also. I'm not sure when this will be ready.
         

[ArchivePoster]

Posted by: Ken Penner
         

I
suppose this wishlist for a keyboard driver should have been made earlier, but
perhaps it is not too late to improve it before it becomes
standard!

My
request is simple: don't move anything from the Israeli standard keyboard layout
(with one exception). I have been typing with the Israeli layout for some time
now, and I imagine I am by no means the only one who has become familiar with
its layout.

 

In my
view, a keyboard layout should be backward-compatible with existing standards
(as long as these are practical).

I.e.
the Israeli standard keyboard key layouts should be retained as much as
practicable.

I see
you have done this for the Hebrew consonants in the Tiro layout. Excellent!
These are of course the most used keys. Some standard manuals (I thought SBL was
one of them, but I can't find the reference now) recommend typing unpointed
Hebrew unless the vocalization is relevant to argument.

The
next most common characters typed are the sin/shin dot, dagesh, and vowels.
These are included in the standard Israeli keyboard, and therefore I suggest
these be placed on the same keys as the Israeli keyboard, but in a more
accessible way. Ideally, commonly used keys should be unshifted. However,
on the standard Israeli keyboard layout, one must press Caps Lock and
Shift to get the nikud (on the Number row). This is excessively annoying.
Instead, these can be placed on the same keys, but without having to press Caps
Lock and Shift. In other words, they would be in place of the numbers, for
which one can use the number pad. (If one really has need for the numbers on the
number row, e.g., on a laptop, perhaps they could be accessed from the number
row with Caps Lock on).

 

If
this means that a third "Israeli" layout should be created, that's fine. I do
think it would become the standard among Hebrew scholars, at least among those
who ever work in Israel.

 

So
here is my proposal. It really is almost the same as your beta Tiro layout, with
the exception of Nikud, modern punctuation, and numbers.

 

Consonants: as on the Israeli layout and your Tiro
layout.

Nikud:
on the same keys as the Israeli layout (the number row), but
unshifted

Other
Israeli keys (Shekel, Euro, yiddish letters, LRM, RLM): as on Israeli keyboard
(with AltGr). (Like the Tiro beta, but with the LRM and RLM on Control-[ and
-].)

Modern
punctuation: as on the Israeli layout (shifted number row).

Teamim
and other Biblical-only marks: as on the Tiro beta, unless this conflicts with
the above.

Numbers: on the same keys as the US/Tiro beta/Israeli layout (the number
row), but with Caps Lock.

 

Cooperatively,

 

Ken
Penner

McMaster/Hebrew

From: John Hudson [mailto:tiro@tiro.com]
 
Sent: July 27, 2005 3:17 PM
To: SBL
  Fonts
Subject: New keyboard driver (beta)

	New Message on SBL Fonts

New
    keyboard driver (beta)

Reply

Reply to Sender   Recommend Message 1 in                 Discussion

From: John Hudson I have put a beta version of the new                 Tiro Biblical Hebrew keyboard driver at                 http://www.tiro.com/resources/hebrew/BiblicalHebrew(Tiro)-1.2(beta).zip The                 zip file contains the revised manual and a self extracting                 archive containing the installer file and dll. This release also                 includes an uninstaller, because you will need to remove the old                 version of this keyboard from your system before you can install                 the new one. Please refer to the manual for                 instructions. Note that this new keyboard is designed to                 work with the new version of the font (beta 1.09 or greater).                 Please refer to the font manual for information about new                 Unicode characters and changes to earlier encoding                 recommendations.

View other groups in this
    category.

         

[ArchivePoster]

Posted by: John Hudson
         
Ken,

This is all possible but, yes, would require a nbew keyboard to be made. The problem is the presence of the te'amim and other Biblical only marks: I wanted to make a keyboard (Tiro) that would provide an easily learnable and intuitive layout for both nikud and te'amim, since this is what was missing in existing Hebrew keyboard layouts. The entire shift state of the Tiro keyboard is based on the principle that the arrangement of marks on the keyboard corresponds to their arrangement relative to a base letter, so that all above marks are in the top two rows and all below marks are in the bottom two rows. Not quite everything fits, but the exceptions are the postpositional left below marks, which are a separate class that need to be keyed after other below marks, so are logically separate.

A keyboard such as you describe would necessarily require much more jumbled and harder to remember input for te'amim. Some would need to be moved to the shift+altgr state. I'm happy to build the driver for such a layout, but I would ask someone else to design it. If I were to send you a PDF form layout in which you could assign Unicode values to keys, would you be interested in doing this? Alternatively, you could build your own layout using the MS Keyboard Layout Editor, which is quite easy to learn.
         

[ArchivePoster]

Posted by: twuandy
         
Dear John and Ken,
Am I missing something?  Since when is it possible to type in Nikud
directlly using the Windows Israeli keyboard?  I've had to assign all the
Nikud, which I pulled from the Symbol chart, to short-cut keys.  Ken writes:
"The next most common characters typed are the sin/shin dot, dagesh, and
vowels. These are included in the standard Israeli keyboard, and therefore I
suggest these be placed on the same keys as the Israeli keyboard, but in a
more accessible way."
And later on in the letter:
"Modern punctuation: as on the Israeli layout (shifted number row)."

My number keyboard using the Israeli keyboard is numbers, and my shift
number keyboard is "modern punctuation" as your second sentence indicatres.  
What are "the same keys as the Israeli keyboard" in your first sentence,
Ken?  Where is Nikud "included in the standard Israeli keyboard"?
Andy Fincke


>From: "John Hudson"
>Reply-To: "SBL Fonts"
>To: "SBL Fonts"
>Subject: Re: New keyboard driver (beta)
>Date: Sat, 6 Aug 2005 10:10:48 -0700
>


         

[ArchivePoster]

Posted by: Ken Penner
         

Thanks
for your openness to these suggestions, John.

I have
use MSKLC to create a keyboard layout implementing them,
attached.

It is
based on your Tiro 1.2 beta, with the following
modifications:

• All
    US-keyboard keys (letters, numbers, punctuation) are accessible, in the
    CapsLock state. This opens up several keys in the normal state (number row,
    OEM4 OEM6) for reassignment.


• The
    nequddot are still accessible on the middle keyboard row, but are also
    accessible from the number row in the normal state, on the same keys as
    the Israeli keyboard.


• This
    resulted in only three conflicts: in Tiro 1.2, sof pasuq, maqaf, and qadma
    were (in the normal state) on keys which are used in the Israeli keyboard
    for nequddot (shewa, holam, and qubbuts, respectively).




• Sof
      pasuq was moved to from OEM1 to OEM6


• Maqaf was moved from MINUS to Shift+MINUS; to make
      room, telisha gedola, maqdam, shin dot, sin dot, rafe, and holam were moved
      left by one key.


• Qubbuts was put on OEM5; paseq was moved to
      shift+OEM5; qadma was moved to (unshifted) OEM4.

I also
implemented some of the Israeli keys (LRM,RLM, rafe) with the Israeli key
assignments, which were unused in Tiro 1.2

 

I
tried to respect your design principles. Let me know if I did so to your
satisfaction.

 

Ken
Penner

McMaster/Hebrew

From: SBLFonts@groups.msn.com
  [mailto:SBLFonts@groups.msn.com] On Behalf Of John
  Hudson
Sent: August 6, 2005 2:11 PM
To: SBL
  Fonts
Subject: Re: New keyboard driver (beta)

	New Message on SBL Fonts

New
    keyboard driver (beta)

Reply

Reply to Sender   Recommend Message 5 in                 Discussion

From: John Hudson Ken, This is all possible                 but, yes, would require a nbew keyboard to be made. The problem                 is the presence of the te'amim and other Biblical only marks: I                 wanted to make a keyboard (Tiro) that would provide an easily                 learnable and intuitive layout for both nikud and te'amim, since                 this is what was missing in existing Hebrew keyboard layouts.                 The entire shift state of the Tiro keyboard is based on the                 principle that the arrangement of marks on the keyboard                 corresponds to their arrangement relative to a base letter, so                 that all above marks are in the top two rows and all below marks                 are in the bottom two rows. Not quite everything fits, but the                 exceptions are the postpositional left below marks, which are a                 separate class that need to be keyed after other below marks, so                 are logically separate. A keyboard such as you describe                 would necessarily require much more jumbled and harder to                 remember input for te'amim. Some would need to be moved to the                 shift+altgr state. I'm happy to build the driver for such a                 layout, but I would ask someone else to design it. If I were to                 send you a PDF form layout in which you could assign Unicode                 values to keys, would you be interested in doing this?                 Alternatively, you could build your own layout using the MS                 Keyboard Layout Editor, which is quite easy to             learn.

View other groups in this
    category.

         

[ArchivePoster]

Posted by: Ken Penner
         

Hi
Andy,

With Caps-lock on, and Shift pressed, I can
access the nequddot on the number row using the Windows XP Hebrew keyboard
layout. Does this not work for others?

Ken

From: SBLFonts@groups.msn.com
  [mailto:SBLFonts@groups.msn.com] On Behalf Of twuandy
Sent:
  August 8, 2005 12:11 PM
To: SBL Fonts
Subject: Re: New
  keyboard driver (beta)

	New Message on SBL Fonts

New
    keyboard driver (beta)

Reply

Reply to Sender   Recommend Message 6 in                 Discussion

From: twuandy Dear John and Ken, Am I missing                 something? Since when is it possible to type in Nikud                 directlly using the Windows Israeli keyboard? I've had to                 assign all the Nikud, which I pulled from the Symbol chart,                 to short-cut keys. Ken writes: "The next most common                 characters typed are the sin/shin dot, dagesh, and vowels.                 These are included in the standard Israeli keyboard, and                 therefore I suggest these be placed on the same keys as the                 Israeli keyboard, but in a more accessible way." And                 later on in the letter: "Modern punctuation: as on the                 Israeli layout (shifted number row)." My number keyboard                 using the Israeli keyboard is numbers, and my shift number                 keyboard is "modern punctuation" as your second sentence                 indicatres. What are "the same keys as the Israeli keyboard"                 in your first sentence, Ken? Where is Nikud "included in the                 standard Israeli keyboard"? Andy Fincke >From:                 "John Hudson" >Reply-To: "SBL Fonts"                 >To: "SBL Fonts"                 >Subject: Re: New keyboard                 driver (beta) >Date: Sat, 6 Aug 2005 10:10:48                 -0700 >

View other groups in this
    category.

         

[ArchivePoster]

Posted by: twuandy
         
Ken,
I don't get it.  You type in your word in Hebrew, then go back put on CAPS
LOCK, hit SHIFT and press a nikud.  Then you hit the left arrow and go to
the next letter and on and on until you're done with the word?  Or do you
type in a letter hit CAPS LOCK, hit SHIFT and enter a nikud as you type in
the word?
Andy



         

[ArchivePoster]

Posted by: twuandy
         
Dear Ken,
I went home and tested the Israeli keyboiard using CAPS-Lock and got the
following results:
qametz = shift-8
patach = shift-7
chirek = shift-` and shift-4
tsere = shift-2, shift-5 and shift-6
dagesh = shift-=
sin dot = shift-0
qametz-shewa = shift-3
shin dot = shift-0
That leaves me with no segol, no cholem, no shurek, no shewa, no sego-shewa,
no patach-shewa.  At shift-1 there is a double tsere - i.e. a 3-dot mark
under the letter.
Andy



         

[ArchivePoster]

Posted by: Ken Penner
         

Dear Andy,

You
can use the following link to see which keys should produce which
characters:

http://www.microsoft.com/globaldev/reference/keyboards.aspx

I
think it only works on Internet Explorer. Select Hebrew from the drop-down list.
Then click CapsLock and Shift to see the niquddot on the number row. Hover on a
key and it will show its character name and number.

You
should get the following, left to right:

Sheva

Hataf
Segol

Hataf
Patah

Hataf
Qamats

Hiriq

Tsere

Segol

Patah

Qamats

Sin
Dot

Shin
Dot

Holam

Dagesh/Mapiq

(Qubuts is on the  key)

 

Ken Penner, Ph.D. cand., McMaster
University
pennerkm@mcmaster.ca
Flash! Pro vocabulary software: http://s91279732.onlinehome.us/flash
or http://groups.yahoo.com/group/flash_pro/join

         

[ArchivePoster]

Posted by: Ken Penner
         

Hi
Andy,

You
see the problem with the Israeli keyboard. If I had to use it, I would type it
in logical order: a consonant, press Caps Lock, then Shift+its vowel point, then
Caps Lock off, and type the next consonant. It quickly becomes frustrating,
because it requires 4 keystrokes for each vowel. Hence my suggestion to put the
vowel points on unshifted keys. Any of the other keyboard layouts mentioned on
this list (whether SIL, Tiro, or my own) greatly improve the process of typing
vocalized Hebrew. The Tiro layout requires two keystrokes (shift+middle row);
SIL requires two for long vowels and one for short vowels, and mine (number row)
uses one keystroke.

Ken

Ken Penner
McMaster/Hebrew

         

[ArchivePoster]

Posted by: twuandy
         
Ken,
Don't you know how to assign short-cut keys?  You choose the symbol you want
from the symbols charts - and these contain all the Hebrew vowels - and
assign it a shortcut key.  Mine are thus:
alt-1 = qamatz
alt-2 = patach
alt-3 = chirek
alt-4 = tsere
alt-5 = segol
alt-6 = cholem
alt-7 = shurek
alt-8 = qubuts
alt-9 = dagesh
alt-0 = sin dot
ctrl-1 = qamats-qubuts
ctrl-2 = patach-qubuts
ctrl-3 = segol-qubuts
ctrl-4 = shin dot
I hope I spelled them right; "qubuts" I learned from you.  I call it shewa
(the two dots under the letter vertically arranged to indicate
vowellessness).  To typ ahav "he loved" you type alef, alt-1, he, alt-2,
bet.  The assignation of shortcut keys is done right in the symbol pane.  
Select the symbol as if you were going to insert it and instead assign a
shortcut key.
Andy

>From: "Ken Penner"
>Reply-To: "SBL Fonts"
>To: "'SBL Fonts'"
>CC: "'twuandy'"
>Subject: Re: New keyboard driver (beta)
>Date: Thu, 11 Aug 2005 18:20:20 -0700
>


         

[ArchivePoster]

Posted by: Ken Penner
         

I do
know how to assign short-cut keys in Microsoft Word. Do you find this method of
inputting Hebrew preferable to using a system-level keyboard
layout?

For
character names, see page 461 of the Unicode Standard 4.1, at http://www.unicode.org/charts/PDF/U0590.pdf

Ken

Reply

Reply to Sender   Recommend Message 13 in               Discussion

From: twuandy Ken, Don't you know how to assign               short-cut keys? You choose the symbol you want from the               symbols charts - and these contain all the Hebrew vowels - and               assign it a shortcut key. Mine are thus: alt-1 =               qamatz alt-2 = patach alt-3 = chirek alt-4 =               tsere alt-5 = segol alt-6 = cholem alt-7 =               shurek alt-8 = qubuts alt-9 = dagesh alt-0 = sin               dot ctrl-1 = qamats-qubuts ctrl-2 = patach-qubuts ctrl-3               = segol-qubuts ctrl-4 = shin dot I hope I spelled them               right; "qubuts" I learned from you. I call it shewa (the two               dots under the letter vertically arranged to indicate               vowellessness). To typ ahav "he loved" you type alef, alt-1,               he, alt-2, bet. The assignation of shortcut keys is done right               in the symbol pane. Select the symbol as if you were going to               insert it and instead assign a shortcut               key. Andy >From: "Ken Penner"               >Reply-To: "SBL Fonts"               >To: "'SBL Fonts'"               >CC: "'twuandy'"               >Subject: Re: New keyboard               driver (beta) >Date: Thu, 11 Aug 2005 18:20:20               -0700 >

         

[ArchivePoster]

Posted by: twuandy
         
Ken,
I find your proposal attractive.  I'm for it.  Could you write out briefly
the names of the vowels.  I've evidently lost my sense of what shurek is.  
It still seems to me that you could achieve what you want by simply
assigning the number keys as short-cuts to the nikudim.  But maybe assigning
shortcut keys is overarching - i.e. it applies for all keyboards.  And that
wouldn't work
Andy

>From: "Ken Penner"
>Reply-To: "SBL Fonts"
>To: "SBL Fonts"
>Subject: Re: New keyboard driver (beta)
>Date: Sat, 6 Aug 2005 09:58:27 -0700
>


         

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