Fwd: [IME API]Some Insights from Chinese Input Methods

-------- 原始消息 --------
主题: 	[IME API]Some Insights from Chinese Input Methods
重新发送日期: 	Mon, 16 Dec 2013 21:51:46 +0000
重新发送发件人: 	public-webapps@w3.org
日期: 	Mon, 16 Dec 2013 10:01:58 +0000
发件人: 	SongTao(桌面事业部) <SongTao@sogou-inc.com>
收件人: 	kochi@google.com <kochi@google.com>, public-webapps@w3.org
<public-webapps@w3.org>



Hello all,

It's very pleased to see we are making a great progress in IME API.

I do appreciate the second part of the spec about Chinese Input Composer
and Converter. It's true that Chinese IMEs are very similar to Japanese
IMEs. In fact, Chinese IMEs usually use a Phonetic Composer based on
Pinyin, which require the users to select the correct character from a
candidate window. Here's what I thought after reading the IME API WD as
a Chinese input method developer.

*1) The compatibility of the InputMethodContext:: oncandidatewindowshow.*

Most Chinese input methods use the input and candidate windows which are
self-rendered, instead of windows embedded to a certain position. That's
why I don't think the oncandidatewindowshow event can tell us whether a
window is blocked or notcorrectly. Why not try Composition Event? How
about hiding the suggestion when composition starts, and show it when
composition ends?

*2) Add support for web app to get the candidate list of IMEs.*

For the current suggestion list, we use compositionupdate event to get
the content of the input from the users, and construct our request only
based on the search of composition string. Could we further the search
request with the Candidate String, such as the case of search in Win8? I
believe by this the input method and search engine would work together
and give the users a better suggestion.

*3) Can we extend ime-mode in CSS and use it to hide or show the input
method window?*

If [2] can be solved, which means we could get a candidate suggestion
list, it will make sense to hide the input method window and self-render
the suggestion list, which will be very helpful for the input method in
web-games. I think the current ime-mode tag is used to star or end a
input method, is it possible that we use it to hide or show the input
method window some day?

These suggestions comes to me after reading the IME API as well as
Composition Event, Composition Interface, Input Method Context
Interface. Hope it helps.


--
Song Tao
Desktop Input Method Department
Sougou Inc.