Freeware utility to Type French Characters using a UK Computer and Keyboard
Screen shots of utility:
GETTING STARTED (The following help document can be displayed by clicking 'Help' within the utility)
(VISTA users: Microsoft has removed the functionality in their new operating system 'Vista' that enabled keystrokes to be sent to other applications. Sorry, but beyond my control. This utility works fine on Windows XP, 2000, 98, ME. I will release a new tool shortly that works around this limitation. Watch this space!)
To use this utility, first open a document you want to work with such as a Microsoft Word document or a notepad text file or create a new Outlook Express email. Then run this program - it will remain on top of other windows. You may want to position the window so it is handy but out of the way. Commence typing using your application until you need to enter a French accented character, then using the mouse simply click the relevant character, the utility will insert the relevant character into your document at the current typing position as though it had been typed on the keyboard.
CAPS - As you may expect this toggles lower case and upper case characters.
SHIFT - This toggles upper and lower case characters BUT only for the next character clicked. The case then reverts back to how it was before. Typically use the shift button when starting a new sentence and only one capital letter is needed.
MS WORD - Click this button in if you are working with a Microsoft Word document or the accented characters may not appear as you would expect, specifically the é may appear as an €.
Leave the 'MS Word' button out when typing other types of document such as Notepad or Outlook Express emails.
When creating emails within Outlook Express using this utility, upon clicking ‘Send’ you may be queried by Outlook Express how you wish to send the email. If so click the option ‘Send as Unicode’. This will ensure that the French accented characters are retained and should be displayed correctly on the recipients computer.
If you have any suggestions or feedback about this
utility, or have ideas for other utilities or software please contact
me.
Happy French Typing!
TROUBLESHOOTING
This utility was tested on PC’s with UK regional settings and UK keyboards on several applications including Microsoft Word 2000, XP (SP2) Notepad and Outlook Express version 6. If you have earlier versions of operating system or other software they may not be equipped to handle Unicode and hence incapable of displaying the accented French characters. Note also that PC’s not set with the UK regional settings may handle the characters generated by this utility differently and give the wrong characters.
First ensure that the captions on the French accented buttons match the above. If they do not then it is likely that your computer is not set to UK regional settings or has an older operating system that cannot handle the characters correctly.
There may be circumstances when either none of the French characters are inserted into your document or strange symbols may appear instead. Firstly ensure that your document has ‘the focus’ i.e. that your document is the active window and the cursor is flashing where you want to type, just as you would do when using the keyboard to enter text. If what you type goes into the document then it has ‘the focus’ and clicking the accented French characters in this utility should insert them at your current cursor position.
If the wrong characters or symbols are appearing, have you got the ‘MS WORD’ button pushed in/out? It must be pushed in when working with Microsoft Word documents and usually be out when working with other documents such as Notepad or when creating Outlook Express emails.
Another cause of incorrect symbols appearing is due to the font being used. It may simply be that the font you are using does not support the accented French characters. If this is the case just use a font that does support them.
Some applications can only accept standard English A-Z letters and characters and either cannot handle accented French characters, or actively filter them out, preventing them from being entered in the fist place. This can happen is some applications where the programmer has over enthusiastically validated the input to prevent garbage from being entered and has inadvertently blocked none English characters too.
The French character that looks like the letters ‘oe’ squashed together is not supported in the UK regional settings as one of the standard extended characters, so this may not appear correctly in some applications.
You may notice a brief flicker by this utility after you click an accented character. This is normal behaviour as the utility hides itself out of the way while the keystroke(s) are sent to whatever then becomes the active window, the utility then re-appears ready for use again.
Warning. This utility works by sending keystroke(s) to whatever application has the current active window. You are advised not to click the accented French characters unless you already have a document of some kind open – in the same way you should not press letters on your keyboard unless you know what application is going to receive them, otherwise the keystrokes may not be understood or worse, misinterpreted by whatever application is currently active.
This utility is supplied free of charge and consequently has no official technical support. However, if your problem is not listed above, please email me. While I cannot guarantee to investigate or resolve all problems, if time permits, I will do what I reasonably can.