Table (Fcitx 5)

This is about the table engine in Fcitx 5.

Supported languages

The table engine is specifically designed to support special type of Input method used by Chinese. Those input method converts a series of ascii key into one character or a word, like a dictionary "table". The table usually targets 1-to-1 mapping to reduce the requirements to make manual selection from multiple candidates word, but user will need to memorize the rules of how such table is encoded in order to type the characters. Commonly, the encoding is based on the strokes of Chinese characters, but there are also phonetic and stroke hybrid encoding to make it easier to memorize.

While the engine itself is designed for Chinese input method, it can also be used to simulate certain keyboard layout or implement a phonetic style input method. Such tables are packaged in fcitx5-table-other, e.g. IPA.

Features

Auto select

This is a feature that is usually referred as "顶功" in Chinese. It allows user to type directly without manually select from candidates. Usually it is used in two different ways:

• When there is only one match and the typed code is large equal to certain length, the unique candidate will be selected automatically.
• When it is impossible to find a match for the next typed key combined with existing input, the previous candidate will be selected automatically.

Sorting

There are 3 different supported way of sorting the candidates.

• No sort, which provides the stable order of candidates.
• Fast, which will adjust the selected candidate to the first place immediately.
• Frequency, which will adjust the candidate based on how frequency the word is typed. The more you type a certain word, it will be placed in the front in the candidate.

Modify dictionary on the fly =

The default binding is Ctrl + 8. You will need to type or select some text first in order to use this feature. When the table supports rule to create new mapping for a word, new word can be added manually with this feature.

Another way is that if you want to forget a typed candidate, in order to reset the frequency, you can use the forget key, which is default binding to Ctrl + 7.

Reverse lookup

There are mainly two ways of using this feature: 1. press modify dictionary key 2. Use pinyin key