scripting input methods (was back (batch) translate chars to keyboard ev

Rustom Mody <rustompmody@gmail.com> wrote:
I have some bunch of sanskrit (devanagari) to type. It would be easiest for me if I could have the
English (roman) as well as the sanskrit (devanagari).

For example using the devanagari-itrans input method I can write the gayatri mantra using

OM bhUrbhuvaH suvaH
tatsaviturvarenyam
bhargo devasya dhImahi
dhiyo yonaH prachodayAt

and emacs produces *on the fly* (ie I cant see/edit the above)

ॐ भूर्भुवः सुवः
तत्सवितुर्वरेण्यम्
भर्गो देवस्य धीमहि
धियो योनः प्रचोदयात्

Can I do it in batch mode? ie write the first in a file and run some command on it to produce the second?

On Mon, Feb 13, 2012 at 9:45 AM, Nick Dokos <nicholas.dokos@hp.com> wrote:

Yup, it can be done, probably in multiple ways but here is one.

I saw your question on the python list and did a bit of digging: I came
up with a method that probably will work but will require more work to
flesh out. The key was that input methods read events one at a time and
(from the Elisp manual):

-- Function: read-event &optional prompt inherit-input-method seconds
This function reads and returns the next event of command input,
waiting if necessary until an event is available. Events can come
directly from the user or from a keyboard macro.

So if you could get the text to become the body of a keyboard macro,
you could change the input method, execute the macro and that would
submit the text to the input method as if you had typed it.

Trying the theory, I started a keyboard macro, typed in OM and a newline
and ended the keyboard macro. I can then switch the input method to
devanagari-itrans, execute the macro and presto! I get the proper symbol
(at least to my untrained eyes).

You can insert the definition of a macro in a buffer (and name it, edit it,
save it to a file and load the file later, and execute the macro by name as
if it were a function (which it is, strictly speaking). The OM macro above
turns out to look like this :

(fset 'om
(lambda (&optional arg) "Keyboard macro." (interactive "p") (kmacro-exec-ring-item (quote ([79 77 return] 0 "%d")) arg)))

I would change the python (or whatever) program to produce the whole
fset form into a file, then start emacs, load the file, switch input
method and execute the macro: M-x om.

Nick

Thanks for your efforts Nick!
Some questions:
1. Why fset?

I can get the following to work

(defun om (&optional arg)
"Keyboard macro."
(interactive "p")
(kmacro-exec-ring-item '([79 77 return] 0 "%d") arg))

so assuming its just a stylistic question. [If not please enlighten]
By 'work' I mean after this definition, M-x om inserts ॐ into the buffer if devanagari-itrans is active. So far so good

After that I am a bit stuck:
2. kmacro-exec-ring-item has just this much documentation.

kmacro-exec-ring-item is a compiled Lisp function in `kmacro.el'.

(kmacro-exec-ring-item ITEM ARG)

Execute item ITEM from the macro ring.

From:	Rustom Mody
Subject:	scripting input methods (was back (batch) translate chars to keyboard events)
Date:	Mon, 13 Feb 2012 12:50:28 +0530