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FAQ#

Some frequently asked questions.

How to import table#

fcitx5-android#175 adds the support of importing table based input method, so after 0.0.3-43, you can import table with following steps:

  1. Obtain the configuration file of the input method (the filename extension should be .conf or .conf.in) and table dictionary (the filename extension should be .dict or .txt) to be imported. Take "zhengma" as an example, you can download zhengma.conf.in and zhengma.txt at fcitx/fcitx5-table-extra.
  2. Open the App, navigate to Addons → Table (click the gear button on the right) → Manage Table Input Methods, and click the plus button in the lower right corner. Select the second term, i.e. "From separate files", in the dialog that pops up.
  3. In the new dialog, click "Input method configuration file" and select zhengma.conf.in obtained in step 1; click "Table dictionary" and select zhengma.txt obtained in step 1; and click OK button.
  4. A notification of "Importing zheng,a.conf.in" should be created by the App. If the files are correct, the operation may take a few seconds. Then, you will see "Zhengma" in the list.

How to import table manually#

In order to import a table manually, you need to have a correct input method configuration file .conf and convert the table dictionary in .txt form into .dict form using libime_tabledict command line tool.

  1. Obtain the configuration file of the input method (the filename extension should be .conf or .conf.in) and table dictionary (the filename extension should be .dict or .txt) to be imported. Take "zhengma" as an example, you can download zhengma.conf.in and zhengma.txt at fcitx/fcitx5-table-extra.
  2. Open zhengma.conf.in with your favorite editor and modify the path specified after [Table] File= to table/zhengma.dict.
  3. Run command libime_tabledict zhengma.txt zhengma.dict to convert the table dictionary. This tool is usually provided by package called libime or libime-bin among Linux distributions.
  4. Copy modified zhengma.conf in step 2 to /sdcard/Android/data/org.fcitx.fcitx5.android/files/data/inputmethod/.
  5. Copy converted zhengma.dict in step 3 to /sdcard/Android/data/org.fcitx.fcitx5.android/files/data/table/.
  6. Restart the App (remove the task or just use force stop)

Warning

Absolute paths above may not apply if you configured work profile. We recommend using the builtin file manager (via DocumentsUI) to manage the data of Fcitx5 for Android. You can access the files in /sdcard/Android/data/org.fcitx.fcitx5.android/files/ by selecting "Fcitx 5 for Android" in the sidebar of DocumentsUI. No third-party file manager/adb/root permission are required.

Note

Create inputmethod and table if they don't exist.

How to remove input method entry#

Swipe left on the entry until the backgournd changes to red with a trash can icon.

fcitx5-android#170 adds multi-selecting deletion, so after 0.0.3-37, you can click the edit (pencil) button in top right corner of the input method list to enter the multi-selecting mode, where checkbox will appear in the front of the input method name. You can check the input methods to be deleted, and click the delete (trash can) button in the top right corner.

Hint

The same operation applies to other list-like UI, such as pinyin dictionary, punctuation mapping, etc.

How to adjust the order of input methods#

Long press on the entry util a shadow appears below, and then drag the entry to change the order.

How to modify uncommitted text#

When preedit shows in the keyboard, you can swipe on the space key to move the cursor; If it shows in application, you can move the cursor to the desired position directly by clicking.

Hint

This is useful when composing long sentences or modifying already entered contents.

Note

To make preedit shows in application, enable Show preedit in application in Global Options and Pinyin. Then, disable Ignore system cursor position in Behavior. If the cursor jumps to the left after a moving, please disable Fix embedded preedit cursor at the beginning of the preedit in Pinyin.

How to reset the input state#

To clear the preedit and candidates, press and hold the backspace key, swiping left for a distance.

How to export configruation files or user dictionary#

The configuration files, input history, and user dictionary are saved to the external storage. The default path is /sdcard/Android/data/org.fcitx.fcitx5.android/files/. The input history and user dinctionary for Pinyin/Shuangpin are at data/pinyin/user.{dict,history}; those for Wubi are at data/table/${name}.{dict,user.history}.

Warning

Absolute paths above may not apply if you configured work profile. We recommend using the builtin file manager (via DocumentsUI) to manage the data of Fcitx5 for Android. You can access the files in /sdcard/Android/data/org.fcitx.fcitx5.android/files/ by selecting "Fcitx 5 for Android" in the sidebar of DocumentsUI. No third-party file manager/adb/root permission are required.

How to import Pinyin dictionary#

Fcitx 5 supports custom pinyin dictionaries, which are stored in data/pinyin/dictionaries. Fcitx 5 for Android registers three supported file types: .dict, .scel, and .txt, so you can import the the dictionary by opening the file with Fcitx5 for Android.

Hint

You can also manage dictionaries using Pinyin Dictionaries in settings.

What's the format of Pinyin dictionary#

The pinyin dictionary to be imported has to be in one of the following three formats:

  • sougou scel dict, a .scel file
  • libime text format, a .txt file where word, full pinyin, and weight form into three columns, e.g. 
      拼音  pin'yin 0
  • libime binary format, a .dict file which can be converted from text format using command line tool libime_pinyindict

We recommend using .txt format if you want to make your own dictionary.

Note

When importing .scel or .txt dictionary, it will be automatically converted into .dict format.

Hint

You may refer to the builtin emoji dictionary as an example of libime text format.

Hint

Some third-party pinyin dictionaries may provide libime binary format ready to be imported, such as fcitx5-pinyin-zhwiki and mw2fcitx.

How to input emoticon, emoji, or specific unicode symbol#

Press and hold , key, swiping towards one of the three icons popped up.

drawing

The first icon actives unicode mode. You can search unicode by code or description:

drawing

Hint

You can find the details of unicode symbols at Unicode Character Table or List of Unicode characters.

The second icon switches to emoji keyboard:

drawing

The :-) key below switches to emoticon keyboard.

The third icon actives quick phrase:

drawing

How to fix the keyboard overlapping with the navigation bar#

The keyboard may overlap with the navigation bar on some specific devices:

drawing

The reason is not clear, but it can be fixed by setting Navigation bar background to Follow keyboard color in Theme settings.

What is "Activate By Default" in "Global Options"#

What is "Share Input State" in "Global Options"#

This feature allows you to share the input context (mostly the active input method) between Apps. There are three options:

  • All: always use same input method when switching between Apps
  • Program: remember last used input method for each App
  • No: this is the default value. On Android, there is only one InputContext for each App, this option behaves exactly the same as Program

How to customize OpenCC conversion profile?#

Open "Addons - Simplified and Traditional Chinese Translation", Set "Translate engine" to "OpenCC".

To configure conversion, set "OpenCC profile for Simplified to Traditional" to one of the following values:

  • s2hk.json Simplified Chinese to Traditional Chinese (Hong Kong variant)
  • s2t.json Simplified Chinese to Traditional Chinese
  • s2tw.json Simplified Chinese to Traditional Chinese (Taiwan Standard)
  • s2twp.json Simplified Chinese to Traditional Chinese (Taiwan Standard) with Taiwanese idiom

To configure the reverse, set "OpenCC profile for Traditional to Simplified" to one of the following values:

  • hk2s.json Traditional Chinese (Hong Kong variant) to Simplified Chinese
  • hk2t.json Traditional Chinese (Hong Kong variant) to Traditional Chinese
  • jp2t.json New Japanese Kanji (Shinjitai) to Traditional Chinese Characters (Kyūjitai)
  • t2hk.json Traditional Chinese (OpenCC Standard) to Hong Kong variant
  • t2jp.json Traditional Chinese Characters (Kyūjitai) to New Japanese Kanji (Shinjitai)
  • t2s.json Traditional Chinese to Simplified Chinese
  • t2tw.json Traditional Chinese (OpenCC Standard) to Taiwan Standard
  • tw2s.json Traditional Chinese (Taiwan Standard) to Simplified Chinese
  • tw2sp.json Traditional Chinese (Taiwan Standard) to Simplified Chinese with Mainland Chinese idiom
  • tw2t.json Traditional Chinese (Taiwan standard) to Traditional Chinese