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> a European national keyboard is by itself in general a keyboard group
composed of three levels (one unshifted, one shifted, one obtained with AltGr).
In practice, the keyboards I have seen with an additional
level generally need and use a pair of additional levels. The issue is that if a
lowercase character x is on a level, then you want to be able to get the
uppercase version of it X by using that same level plus a shift key. So in
practice you end up with plain, plain+shifted, alternate,
alternate+shifted.
âMark
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Monday, July 26, 2004 07:24
Subject: RE: Much better Latin-1 keyboard
for Windows
At 13:00 2004-07-23, Mike Ayers wrote:
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
On Behalf Of Alain LaBontÃ
Sent: Friday, July 23,
2004 5:39 AM
> [Alain] There is no Â
plane  at all in ISO/IEC 9995. This is ISO/IEC
>
10646 terminology, which also has a term called "group", but it is
not
> the same thing (and yet, you do not find
the notion of plane, group, row
> and cell
complicated while it is indeed multiple enough to make it more
> difficult to remember). I think you did not try hard
to understand the
> concept of keyboard groups,
even if I have explained it to you many
>
times (^;
I don't know about "complicated", but I just don't understand
the terms. I have read your explanation of keyboard groups, but I
still don't quite grasp the meaning. Part of the problem is that your
explanation includes other terms that I don't understand, either. Can
you please point me to further, preferrably more pedantic
explanations?
[Alain] Here are the "pedantic"
definitions of ISO/IEC 9995-1 (1994 version, which will be revised this year,
most likely). There is no other notion than "level" and "group":
4.12
level: A logical state of a keyboard providing access to a collection of
graphic characters or elements of graphic characters. Usually these graphic
characters or elements of graphic characters logically belong together, such
as the capital forms of letters. In certain cases the level selected may also
affect function keys.
4.9 group: A logical state of a keyboard
providing access to a collection of graphic characters or elements of graphic
characters. Usually these graphic characters or elements of graphic characters
logically belong together and may be arranged on several levels within a
group. The input of certain graphic characters, such as accented letters, may
require access to more than one group.
In less pedantic terms:
- a standard American keyboard layout is by itself a keyboard group
composed of two levels (one unshifted, one shifted).
- a European national keyboard is by itself in general a keyboard
group composed of three levels (one unshifted, one shifted, one obtained
with AltGr).
Any national group is group 1 by definition according
to ISO/IEC 9995. Group 2 is a Latin supplementary group to access those
Latin-script-written languages not accessible with a national group 1 also
using Latin script. Other groups are still not numbered and their actual
access not standardarized.
Is it allright now? Definitions could be
bettered, I know.
Alain
PS: I forgot: given that there are
typically more than 1 shifted state on non-American keyboards, ISO/IEC 9995
talks about level select. ("Shift" key becomes "Level 2 select", "AltGr"
becomes "Level 3 select" -- now one can use synonyms, but ISO standardization
may be used as a pivot for all the different synonyms in existence). "Group
select" is just an extension when you need to go to other languages (other
groups") or to more than 3 levels:
4.13 level select: A function that,
if activated, will change the keyboard state to produce characters from a
different level.
4.10 group select: A function that, if activated,
will change the keyboard state to produce characters from a different group.
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