How to use Windows Alt codes in Ubuntu

Question

This question was asked many times already:

Using ALT + Keycode for accents?

Ways to enter special characters? Is Alt+Numpad possible?

How can I type ASCII characters like Alt + numpad in Windows?

But none of the answers actually solve my problem. The proposed solution, using Ctrl+Shift+U is not answer to question how to use windows Alt codes.

After many months I have finally persuaded my mum to move from Vista to Ubuntu. But the Alt codes are not working there. Teach her to use the Unicode codes is not really a viable option.

Is there a way to enable the Alt codes in Ubuntu? If not native way, maybe recompiling keyboard driver, creating some wrapper, etc...

Again I'm not asking for the Unicode solution.

Solution 1

I'm very sorry to say but you want Ubuntu to be Windows, which is not going to happen tomorrow... :-(

Ubuntu is based on Linux, and although it has "windows" than can be dragged around a "desktop" and that it adheres to the CUA like Windows, it's just not the same thing! Asking for something and ruling out all possible answers is just going to leave you with an answer like this:

Sorry to be the harbinger of bad news, but what you're asking for is impossible...

Solution 2

One other thing you can do is press Control + Shift + u, and type the code for a character. For example, the symbol mu (μ) can be typed by pressing the above and typing 003bc and pressing space.

Solution 3

Although it's correct that you cannot type alt key codes, there is an alternative. You can enable the 'compose' key to enter special characters:

How to enable compose key in Gnome

Compose key combos

Comments

[Rinzwind]

Besides @fabby 's answer this is the method we use in Ubuntu: askubuntu.com/a/32793/15811 Oh and do not underestimate your mother. My seventy year old mother had not problems using composed keys ;)

[Saptarshee Das]

Trick to do this Open browser > f12 > elements tab > write the corresponding html code of that alt code> click outside > copy that symbol and enjoy Thank me later

[Hontvári Levente]

It is definitely not impossible. I am also somewhat interested in adding functionality to the Linux keyboard behaviour, specifically adding real Unicode keys (i.e. I would like to use characters of multiple languages without dead keys, Compose key, Ctrl+Shuft+U etc.). However, this will be a long term hobby project, because it seems the keyboard handling code is scattered over the kernel, X, console code.

[Hontvári Levente]

However, I think that the Compose key is much better than ALT + numpad, if most required characters have a Compose sequence. And even if not, AFAIK it can be customized.

[Fabby]

@HontváriLevente Nothing is impossible in FLOSS! What I should have said was: "You're not going to get this done without programming skills and getting Linus Torvalds himself to accept your code into the kernel"... ;-) "Impossible" is just the next best thing... >:)

[Hontvári Levente]

Fair enough. I misread the question and assumed that jnovacho was ready to modify the driver, but he only wrote that he was ready to recompile it.

[jnovacho]

@HontváriLevente If the modification would mean to change few lines, for the most used keys (@, $, §) I would be okay with that. It's just that I don't have time and skill to do complete overhaul of kernel module. I will go with it's not possible. The other answers were how to do X the Y way, which was not something I wanted to know.

[Just_Alex]

What is this called? Where can I find a table mapping keys-> symbols? Found at unicode-table.com.

[flurdy]

Unicodes unicode.org/charts