Features/IMDesktopIntegration

= Input Method and Desktop Integration =

Summary
Improve input method integration on the desktop so that input methods can be started, stopped, and switched dynamically.

Owner

 * Name: AkiraTagoh

Current status

 * Targeted release:  Fedora 10
 * Last updated: 2008-03-19
 * Percentage of completion: 90%
 * Remain to be completed
 * Qt/KDE support
 * Implement code in Qt to switch immodule against QtSettings dynamically.
 * XIM support
 * --(Implement code to switch XIM server.)--
 * Implement a dummy XIM server acting for @im=none.

Detailed Description
Currently there are annoying limitations when using input methods on the desktop: for example it is necessary to restart the desktop to enable or disable an input method. There are also key conflicts between input methods and applications. This feature plan is to improve the integration at the toolkit level to fix the above issues.

Benefit to Fedora
This feature will improve the usability for people who use input methods, and also for those who don't and are annoyed with input method hotkeys conflicting with applications hopefully, because input method could be being started/stopped as needed and take an effect without restarting. this feature would be useful and helpful for Live image.

Scope
This feature can be broken down into:
 * 1) disabling/enabling the input method without restarting the desktop, which means the input method is being started/stopped as needed.
 * 2) changing the input method without restarting the desktop
 * 3) hotkey configuration

Test Plan

 * 1) make sure all the changes, including enabling/disabling/changing the input method is applied immediately for GTK+ applications
 * 2) * http://bugzilla.gnome.org/show_bug.cgi?id=502446
 * 3) build an infrastructure to bring up the input method on demand
 * 4) im-chooser support)
 * 5) apply to the GTK+ applications on Xfce
 * 6) apply to the Qt applications
 * 7) apply to the X applications

User Experience
Users isn't required to restart the desktop to do something for the input method.

Dependencies
Patches to gtk+, input methods, other toolkits, and desktops need to be accepted upstream.

Contingency Plan
Revert to current xinput.d and environment variables system as a fallback.

Documentation
Promoting on flash movie is: http://tagoh.fedorapeople.org/im-chooser/imsettings/imsettings-demo.html

Release Notes
not yet.

Comments and Discussion
See Talk:Features/IMDesktopIntegration