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Still trying to remember ALT codes for accented characters, or using Character Map to insert symbols? There is an easier way...
If you frequently work with foreign languages, you may well find it awkward to type accented characters, symbols or other characters not represented on the standard UK keyboard. This was a problem I also had, until I was introduced to the Windows "United States International keyboard", which is a keyboard layout you can install in Windows that enables you to easily type the accented characters used in major European languages, using the AltGr key on the keyboard to access the additional characters. The problem with the US International keyboard is that, as its name implies, it is based on the US keyboard and therefore double-quote, at sign, hash sign and so on are in the wrong place.
Fortunately, there is a little-known Microsoft utility called the Microsoft Keyboard Layout Creator (MSKLC, available here), which is ideal for inveterate fiddlers like me. I've used it to put together a UK International keyboard, based on the UK keyboard layout but using the principles of the US International keyboard (retaining, in most cases, the established positioning of the various accented characters and symbols). I have also extended the layout to include more symbols (typically, stuff that I, as a translator and editor, need to be able to type from time to time, but also anything else I thought might be helpful to other users) and to cover more languages. The intention is to cover all Western European languages, not just the major ones. I am considering putting together an alternative version concentrating on Eastern European languages.
Some explanation may be beneficial for those not familiar with keyboard-layout diagrams: the characters shown on the right-hand side of each key are those accessed by pressing the AltGr key at the same time as the key concerned, in exactly the same way as one uses the Shift key. The character bottom-right is accessed with AltGr, whereas the character top-right requires Shift-AltGr. Where only a capital letter in shown top-right with nothing underneath it, this indicates that both lower-case and upper-case versions are available; by convention, only the upper-case version is shown on the diagram. Symbols in red indicate "dead keys", which are typically used for accents; you type the accent, and then the letter you want the accent to appear over (or under, or through). The accented characters available using dead keys are limited to the following:
grave (AltGr-`): aeiouwy
umlaut/diaeresis (AltGr-2): aeiouwy
caron/hacek (AltGr-5): csz
circumflex (AltGr-6): aeiouwy
acute (AltGr-'): aeiounwy
tilde (AltGr-#): ano
Other special notes:
Shift-AltGr-7/Shift-AltGr-9: German open quotes
Shift-AltGr-;: degree sign
Shift-AltGr-B: open bullet (not supported by all fonts)
AltGr-fullstop: medial/decimal point (also used in Catalan: l·l)
Please note that some fonts may not contain all characters, especially in the case of older fonts. All Windows system fonts (XP onwards) should include virtually everything though.
The keyboard is made available as a Microsoft setup package, and also as a .klc file in case you want to edit it yourself (if you later distribute your own version based on this, please credit this site as the origin). It works in Windows XP, Vista and 7, I believe – although I cannot provide any guarantees on this front, and all the software you will be using or installing is Microsoft's and out of my control, so I cannot take any responsibility should something go wrong. It is supplied "as-is". Having said that, the keyboard has been installed and tested on a variety of PCs with no problems. The current version is 1.2; if you have any problems with this version due to the large number of character assignments, you might want to try version 1.1, which is simpler; however, I haven't encountered any problems with 1.2 yet.
Basic installation procedure in XP (your mileage may vary considerably -- this is just brief guidance): Unpack ukintw12.zip into its own folder. Open folder, run setup.exe; wait for ‘Finished’ message. Go to Control Panel | Regional and Language Options, Languages tab, Details button. Click Add. Set “Input Language”: English (United Kingdom). Set “Keyboard layout”: UK-International. Click OK. Set “Default input language” to “English (United Kingdom) – UK-International”. Click OK. Click OK.
UK International (Western Europe) keyboard (version 1.2) -- setup package, zipped
UK International (Western Europe) keyboard (version 1.2) -- .klc (keyboard layout) file for MSKLC users
Old versions
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UK International (Western Europe) keyboard (version 1.1) -- setup package, zipped
UK International (Western Europe) keyboard (version 1.1) -- .klc (keyboard layout) file for MSKLC users
Feedback welcome -- please e-mail
. Due to time constraints, I'm afraid I cannot offer full support, but I hope you find the keyboard useful. It certainly makes my working day easier.