From Fedora Project Wiki

GNOME IBus Integration

Summary

Gnome 3.6 will provide support for input methods using IBus, in addition keyboard layout configuration.

The integration includes a gnome-shell input indicator combining keyboard layouts and input methods selection.

For this to be a smooth transition for Fedora users, various changes and testing are needed, and this is covered by this feature.

Owner

Current status

  • Targeted release: Fedora 18
  • Last updated: 2012-07-17
  • Percentage of completion: 40%

The bulk of the integration patches have been merged upstream for GNOME 3.5.4, and should appear shortly in Rawhide.

See http://live.gnome.org/ThreePointFive/Features/IBus for more detailed upstream status.

Detailed Description

This work partly extends and replaces the experimental gnome-shell extension called ibus-gnome3 that has been in Fedora since F16.

  • gnome-settings-daemon will not start ibus-daemon if it is requires rather than imsettings
  • users will be able to choose input methods in gnome-control-center along with keyboard layouts
  • gnome-shell input indicator will show the current keyboard layout or input method in use if they have been added
  • basic hotkey configuration for switch layouts and input methods will also be handled by gnome-control-center

Benefit to Fedora

Currently the ibus-gnome3 package is not enabled by default and users need to enable the ibus indicator manually in Fedora 17.

When the ibus integration is done in gnome-shell, ibus input methods will be available in the control-center region panel and in the gnome-shell keyboard input menu without any manual steps (other than making sure that ibus and suitable ibus engines are installed).

Scope

  • gnome-shell's input indicator will include input method support
  • in gnome-shell ibus will no longer runs an applet on the panel
  • gnome-control-center will provide ibus configuration
  • gnome-settings-daemon launches ibus-daemon and switches engines
  • gnome-control-center will provide basic configuration for hotkeys for changing keyboard layout and input methods

Nice to have in Fedora:

  • setup input method hotkey for CIJK users
  • setup default IMEs for CIJK users

How To Test

Install IBus and some engines, eg ibus-anthy.

Open gnome-control-center, region panel, input sources tab. Use the + button and add Anthy to the list of active input sources.

Verify that Anthy is now listed in the gnome-shell keyboard menu and can be activated from there.

Test that using Anthy to enter Japanese text works in gedit, firefox, and in gnome-shell itself, e.g. in the search entry.

Test that switching between keyboard layouts such as US layout and input methods such as Anthy works using both the shell menu and keyboard shortcuts.

Verify that the keyboard shortcuts can be changed in the control-center panel.

User Experience

gnome-shell input indicator supports input methods that have been configured.

gnome-control-center list available ibus input methods which can be selected for use.

Users will be able to configure hotkeys if they wish to switch keyboard layout or input method.

Dependencies

See https://live.gnome.org/ThreePointFive/Features/IBus for details on status of upstream patches.

  • gnome-shell depends on ibus libraries
  • gnome-control-center depends on ibus libraries
  • ibus-setup won't be accessible from GUI in gnome-shell, but input methods will be configurable from the control-center

Q: so can you clarify in our feature page, what features are approved/agreed to include in 3.6 and what features are proposed but not yet approved/agreed?
A: Currently approved patches are gnome-shell and switching engines by g-s-d. Running ibus-daemon and g-c-c is under the review.

Q: which features of the above contains ibus-setup replacement say?
A: g-c-c.

Q: When gnome-settings-daemon is implemented to run ibus-daemon

  • if imsettings disables to run ibus-daemon
  • im-chooser can be run by users
  • if any UIs provide the option to disable ibus-daemon
  • if ibus-daemon runs on any locales
  • if ibus-daemon runs without ibus engines
  • if imsettings needs to be run to export QT_IM_MODULE and XMODIFIERS

A: As of 3.5.4, gnome-settings-daemon will only activate ibus-daemon when needed - ie when the list of active input sources contains input methods requiring IBus. If you don't want ibus-daemon to run, you can just not add any such input sources to the list. Or you can uninstall ibus-daemon. Users can run im-chooser if they want to, but it will probably interfere with the Input Sources UI in the control-center.

Contingency Plan

gnome-3.6 upstream is planning to support ibus.

But in the worst case we could disable ibus support from gnome-settings-daemon, reenable imsettings for gnome and revert to using the upstream ibus applet in the gnome panel.

Documentation

ibus-xkb is also integrated for non-GNOME desktop newly. ibus-xkb provides preloaded engines, all XKB layout, variant ibus engines, frequently used input method list on ibus-setup, customizable trigger key on ibus-setup.

Release Notes

  • Input methods (based on IBus) have been integrated directly into GNOME3.

Comments and Discussion