Input Methods
The following describes how to type Chinese characters using an English-only keyboard.
The input text box takes Bo Po Mo Fo (BPMF), pinyin and English as input.
On the bottom of the window, the BPMF characters are provided in the tab for the user to click and add.
The pinyin tab is also provided, although all of them, except the ü character, are already available on the keyboard.
Some commonly used Chinese characters are also provided under the ‘Common’ tab.
Once a user has entered the input, all the possible matching Chinese/English phrases will be displayed in the Suggestion Box to allow a user to select a corresponding phrase or word. In addition to exactly matched phrases or words, Worchid will also attempt to look ahead a few more characters to display the partially matched phrases.
The following are special characters to facilitate mouse-less typing:
-
ESC - The ESC key (on the left top corner of the keyboard) is used to clear the Chinese suggestions on the right side.
Please note that the ESC key works only in Firefox and Internet Explorer.
You can also use the ‘Esc’ button on the right top corner of the Suggestion Box to clear suggestions.
- PgDn and PgUp keys - used to show different pages in the suggestion box. You can also use 'Prev' and 'Next' to navigate the pages.
- Numbers (0-9) – used to select Chinese words in the suggestion box.
For instance, the following 3 input methods are the same for retrieving Chinese phrase '我愛你':
| Input Method | 我 | 愛 | 你 |
|---|---|---|---|
| English only | i 1 | love 1 | you 1 |
| Pinyin only | wo 1 | ai 1 | ni 1 |
| BPMF only | ㄨㄛˇ 1 | ㄞˋ | ㄋ一ˇ 1 |
You can also mix all three input methods in your input.
Inputting Numbers
As numbers (0-9) are used for selecting the suggestions, in order to input numbers, you will need to make sure that the Suggestion Box does not appear.
If is does, it must be cleared by clicking on the “Esc’ key on right top corner of the Suggestion box, or typing ESC key (Firefox and IE only).
Once the Suggestion box is cleared, you can then proceed to input numbers.
Auto substitute punctuation
When ‘Auto substitute punctuation’ checkbox is selected, the English comma character will be replaced by the Chinese comma character and the English period character will be replaced with the Chinese period character automatically.
Shorthand
You can enter shorthands for English, Pinyin and BPMF to retreive the Chinese phrases. For instance,
- Enter the English abbreviation 'asap' and you will see '越快越好' being displayed as the suggesion.
- Enter the pinyin 'mmhh' and you will see '馬馬虎虎' being displayed as one of the suggestions.
- Enter the BPMF 'ㄇㄇㄏㄏ' and you will see '馬馬虎虎' being displayed as one of the suggestions.
Chinese Language Selection and Translation
You can click the drop-down list to select either Traditional or Simplified Chinese.
Once you choose the desired language, the context in the input area will be translated to the selected language automatically.
Supported Browsers
Currently we support Firefox, Internet Explorer and Chrome browsers.
Please note that the ESC key is not supported by the Chrome browser and you will have to click the 'Esc' key on the right top corner of the Suggestion box to clear the Suggestion box.