Input method areas

Complex input methods require direct dialog with users. For example, the Japanese Input Method may need to show a menu of candidate strings based on the phonetic matches of the keys that you enter.

The feedback of the key strokes appears in one or more areas on the display. The input method areas are as follows:

Status

Text data and bitmaps can appear in the Status area. The Status area is an extension of the light-emitting diodes (LEDs) on the keyboard.

Pre-edit

Intermediate text appears in the Pre-edit area for languages that compose before the client handles the data.

A common feature of input methods is that you press a combination of keys to represent a single character or set of characters. This process of composing characters from keystrokes is called pre-editing.

Auxiliary

Menus and dialogs that allow you to customize the input method appear in the Auxiliary area. You can have multiple Auxiliary areas managed by the input method and independent of the client.

Management for input method areas is based on the division of responsibility between the application (or toolkit) and the input method. The divisions of responsibility are as follows:

• Applications are responsible for the size and position of the input method area.
• Input methods are responsible for the contents of the input area. The input method area cannot suggest a placement.