Is it possible to create my own input method for windows?

Question

i currently use Microsoft input method and Google method for my native language called Amharic but they are not giving me what am looking for. Microsoft has weird typing mechanism and Google is so much good but i needed something more.

i have good c++ knowledge , but not much on C programming , i hate structural , and i hate MFC is there an resource that can help me make an input method for windows OS specially windows 7,8.

Answer 1

MSDN documents the Text Services Framework.

TSF provides a simple and scalable framework for the delivery of advanced text input and natural language technologies. TSF can be enabled in applications, or as a TSF text service. A TSF text service provides multilingual support and delivers text services such as keyboard processors, handwriting recognition, and speech recognition.

Microsoft has published a set of guidelines for implementing IMEs and has notes about third-party IMEs. They have also published a sample IME.

Answer 2

Google Input Methods can be customized. You can create your own scheme which means you can define which keystroke or a set of keystrokes map to what unicode character. Follow the guide in the following url: http://www.google.com/inputtools/windows/canonical.html

File name: visual-geez.scm version: 1.0 name: visual-geez ha ሀ hu ሁ hi ሂ

Put the above file in the schemes directory under the installation directory of the input method (for example: C:\Program Files\Google\AmharicInputMethod\schemes and then restart the input method (change to another language and change back to amharic). Enable the newly created scheme by clicking the settings (cog) button -> schemes -> visual-geez Now when you start typing you will see the transliteration rules have changed to your newly created scheme.