Talk:Compose key

message: This article is horrible. Not only is it so poorly explained as to be nearly incomprehensible, it also contains numerous grammatical mistakes. The article doesn't ever actually explain how the key works. It gives *opinions* about where the key should be on a keyboard without substantiation (who ever wrote it must have amazingly dexterous thumbs, btw). Someone really needs to spend an afternoon or two fixing this.  — Preceding unsigned comment added by Transfire (talk • contribs) 22:45, 24 August 2016 (UTC)
thread_title:  Horribly written 

message: Does anyone know a computer/computer keyboard that has an compose key? --Abdull 12:37, 8 February 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: LK201-family keyboards from Digital Equipment Corporation routinely had them. So do Sun Microsystems keyboards. I've now added that to the article. - Atlant 12:38, 8 February 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: I would assume they're more common in countries where their alphabet has accented/modefied letters. Fresheneesz 18:45, 9 March 2006 (UTC)
replies: text:  Not at all. In fact, to my knowledge, only UNIX keyboards have them (or rather, keyboards made by UNIX vendors). Languages that use accented/modified letters usually have them directly on the keyboard, use so-called dead keys (which are kinda like automated compose keys so ', e = é, but mean you can't do sequences like Compose, a, e = æ), or use an Alt Graphics key. I'm presently uploading a picture of my Sun Type 5c keyboard's Compose key (and some context) to help illustrate this article. —Felix the Cassowary 14:01, 8 July 2006 (UTC)
replies: text:  Here I describe how you set your Windows-key as compose-key on any Linux: http://wiki.linuxquestions.org/wiki/Configuring_keyboards --ThorstenStaerk (talk) 04:14, 19 May 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  Does anyone know a computer/computer keyboard that has an compose key? 

message: The current photo is dark and has flash glare. A nice one would be good. —Ben FrantzDale 22:20, 19 January 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  New photo? 

message: motorola  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 59.95.103.73 (talk) 13:36, 16 January 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  mobail compoes 

message: Here are some mac ones:  (sorry it's not a table; i'll change it later)
option plus `  gives `
option plus 1 gives ¡
option plus 2 gives ™
option plus 3 gives £
option plus 4 gives ¢
option plus 5 gives ∞
option plus 6 gives §
option plus 7 gives ¶
option plus 8 gives •
option plus 9 gives ª
option plus 0 gives º
option plus - gives –
option plus = gives ≠
option plus [ gives “
option plus ] gives ‘
option plus \ gives «
option plus ; gives …
option plus ' gives æ
option plus , gives ≤
option plus . gives ≥
option plus / gives ÷
option plus shift plus `  gives `
option plus shift plus 1 gives ⁄
option plus shift plus 2 gives €
option plus shift plus 3 gives ‹
option plus shift plus 4 gives ›
option plus shift plus 5 gives ﬁ
option plus shift plus 6 gives ﬂ
option plus shift plus 7 gives ‡
option plus shift plus 8 gives °
option plus shift plus 9 gives ·
option plus shift plus 0 gives ‚
option plus shift plus - gives —
option plus shift plus = gives ±
option plus shift plus [ gives ”
option plus shift plus ] gives ’
option plus shift plus \ gives »
option plus shift plus ; gives Ú
option plus shift plus ' gives Æ
option plus shift plus , gives ¯
option plus shift plus . gives ˘
option plus shift plus / gives ¿
70.112.111.214 (talk) 16:10, 20 April 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: Sorry, but the Mac key sequences listed above have nothing to do with the compose key. Rather they are a kind of secondary-shift combinations akin to the PC AltGr key. There is also a dedicated article for the Mac Option key, where I think this list would actually belong. ― Simo Kaupinmäki (talk) 18:33, 22 June 2010 (UTC)
thread_title:  there should be a comprehensive list of compose key characters for MS Win, *nix, and Mac 

message: I'm not motivated to deal with this right now, but it should be noted that Gnome has its own list of compose-key sequences, and they're different from the list in this article, and some of the standard characters are unavailable, for instance "½", motivating Gnome users to implement a workaround.  Also different "locales" may have different standard lists.  "It just works" fail. Foogus (talk) 03:29, 19 October 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  Gratuitous complexity warning 

message: It doesn't make much sense to see the "IBM/Windows keyboard (US layout)" at the bottom of the page. I suggest the template should either be removed from this page or somehow extended with stuff like Command, Compose and Fn keys (perhaps by simply listing them below the main image). --78.60.171.149 (talk) 14:24, 24 May 2009 (UTC)
replies: text:  Well, I just removed the template. It doesn't seem to appear on Command key page, so I assume it's OK to remove it from here too.--78.60.171.149 (talk) 14:27, 24 May 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  The Keyboard template 

message: Fist of all, a preliminary remark (that may bring out to an another issue) : I assume that in this article 
*when the + symbol join two keys icons (or text) this means that you have to press the two keys at the same time 
*when the , symbol join two keys icons (or text) this means that you have to press the first key, then release it and then press the second key. 
(And they may sum up to three keys, four keys, and so on)
Is this right?
(This may bring to an issue: Should we write down this explanation in the article? or -if possible- put a wikilink to a page where this convention is explained?)
Well, I read this in the "Compose key in various computer systems" section:
:: Note that it is common for + to be mapped to the compose key, but for + to be mapped to the fourth "keyboard level" modifier.
If + symbol has the meaning told above (that the keys are pressed at the same time), which is the difference between + and + , and how may they yield different results? --79.50.131.134 (talk) 18:30, 21 January 2012 (UTC)
replies: text: It means the "down" for both keys proceeds the "up" for both keys (ie there is a period of time while both are held down). It is certainly impossible for a user to actually close the contacts at the exact same time, even when rounded to the rate at which the keyboard scans for events. In most cases it does not matter which is pushed first, or which is released first, and I think that can be assumed by default. But software bugs and purposeful design like you described may require a particular order. In that case I would always show them in the order they need to be pressed and mention this fact if it is considered important.Spitzak (talk) 19:50, 21 January 2012 (UTC)
replies: text: So the difference is in the order of pressing down. Ok.  p.s. I've found notation at Keyboard shortcut#Notation --79.50.131.134 (talk) 22:38, 21 January 2012 (UTC)
thread_title:  Convention about + and ,  . And are Shift + AltGr and AltGr + Shift different? 

message: Not shown in the table, but works here also via --. I dunno whether it's standard, so I'm still hesitating about adding it into the list. -andy 77.191.220.116 (talk) 12:46, 25 May 2012 (UTC)
replies: text: Thanks for the hesitation – minimizing number of listed items as possible is desirable, i think;… in the same time, choosing most intuitive variants? I would rather change  to  (for ă (breve)). —Mykhal (talk) 16:05, 10 April 2024 (UTC)
replies: text: … done. —Mykhal (talk) 16:22, 10 April 2024 (UTC)
thread_title:  a-circle (''å'', e. g. Swedish) 

message: Would be good to explain how this works in Ubuntu config.  Looks like ` becomes a compose with-accent character.
All the best: Rich Farmbrough, 20:58, 17 August 2017 (UTC)
replies: text: That sounds like a "dead key", not a Compose key. I suspect you chose some non-English keyboard layout.Spitzak (talk) 17:38, 18 August 2017 (UTC)
thread_title: Extended WinKeys