# Fcitx

FCITX (Flexible Input Method Framework) is a input method framework aiming at providing environment independent language support for Linux. It supports a lot of different languages and also provides many useful non-CJK features.

## Installation

fcitx can be installed with Pacman from the [community] repository.

In order to have a better experience in gtk and qt programs (especially gtk programs) (e.g. better cursor following) and get rid of many unsolvable problems/bugs caused by xim, please install the corresponding input method modules for gtk and qt: fcitx-gtk2 (for gtk2 programs), fcitx-gtk3 (for gtk3 programs), fcitx-qt4 (for qt4 programs) and fcitx-qt5 (for qt5 programs). You can install four of them (not including fcitx-qt5 which is not so popular for now) in a bundle by issuing this command:

     pacman -S fcitx-im

## Using FCITX to Input

Before you can make use of FCITX for input, you have to setup some environment variables. It is quite simple.

- Adding the following lines to your desktop startup script files (`.xprofile` or `.profile` when you are using KDM, GDM or LightDM, and `.xinitrc` when you are using startx or Slim). With these lines, fcitx will work along with gtk/qt input method modules and support xim programs (Please make sure the necessary input method modules are already installed):

     export GTK_IM_MODULE=fcitx
     export QT_IM_MODULE=fcitx
     export XMODIFIERS="@im=fcitx"

Warning: Do NOT use `.bashrc` to do this. It is used for initializing an interactive bash session. It is not designed for non-interactive shell, nor for X session initialization. Moreover, setting environment variables in it can confuse diagnostic tools which are generally executed from command line so that these environment will appear as being set currectly for them even if they are not for the X session.

Optionally, you can also choose to use xim in your gtk and/or qt programs, in which case you need to change the corresponding lines above as following:

     export GTK_IM_MODULE=xim
     export QT_IM_MODULE=xim

Warning: Using xim can sometimes cause problems that are not solvable by any input method including not being able to input, no cursor following, application freeze on input method restart. For these xim related problems, Fcitx cannot provide any fix or support. This is the same with any other input method framework, so please use toolkit (gtk/qt) input method modules instead of xim whenever possible
Note: Gtk2 uses `/usr/lib/gtk-2.0/2.10.0/immodules.cache` as immodule cache file since 2.24.20. If you have set `GTM_IM_MODULE_FILE` environment variable or do not use install script of official packages to update the cache, please change/clear the environment variable and use `/usr/bin/gtk-query-immodules-2.0 --update-cache` to update immodule cache.

- Re-login to make such environment effective.

If you are using any XDG compatible desktop environment such as KDE, GNOME, XFCE, LXDE, after you relogin, the autostart should work out of box. If not, open your favorite terminal, type:

    $ fcitx

To see if fcitx is working correctly, open an application such as leafpad and press CTRL+Space (the default shortcut for switching input method) to invoke FCITX and input some words.

If Fcitx failed to start with your desktop automatically or if you want to change the parameters to start fcitx, please use tools provided by your desktop environment to configure xdg auto start or edit the `fcitx-autostart.desktop` file in your `~/.config/autostart/` directory (copy it from `/etc/xdg/autostart/` if it doesn't exist yet).

If your desktop environment does not support xdg auto start, please add the following command to your startup script (after the environment variables are set up properly).

    $ fcitx

When other input methods with xim support is also running, Fcitx may fail to start due to xim error. Please make sure no other input method is running before you start Fcitx.

## Configuration

Fcitx provides GUI configure tool. You can install either kcm-fcitx(based on kcm), fcitx-configtool(based on gtk3), or fcitx-configtool-gtk2(based on gtk2, unsupported) from AUR.

Fcitx does not supports manual config while it is GUI.

## Desktop Environment Integration

### Gnome-Shell

You can install kimpanel from extensions.gnome.org or gnome-shell-extension-kimpanel-git package in AUR, which provides a similar user experience as ibus-gjs.

Since GNOME is trying its best to break every single input method, in order to use Fcitx, you will need to remove all input sources from gnome-control-center, clear all the hotkeys for input methods and issue the following command to disable iBus integration:

    $ gsettings set org.gnome.settings-daemon.plugins.keyboard active false

### KDE

You can install kcm-fcitx and kdeplasma-addons-applets-kimpanel.

kcm-fcitx is a kcontrol module for fcitx.

kdeplasma-addons-applets-kimpanel is a plasmoids providing native feeling under kde. Simply add kimpanel to plasma and fcitx will automatically switch to it without extra configuration.

## Install other components of fcitx

All components of fcitx will requires fcitx to restart after install.

### Keyboard layout integration

fcitx-keyboard is now built-in supported. Open a configuration tool (kcm-fcitx or fcitx-configtool mentioned above), you might want to uncheck the "Show only current language" and find your keyboard layout.

In order to enable spell checking, press ctrl + alt + h when fcitx is on a input method provides by fcitx-keyboard. Then that's it, you can type long word, to see whether it works.

### Chinese Input

fcitx built-in provides fcitx-pinyin and fcitx-table inside fcitx package, which supports Pinyin and table-based input method, for example, Wubi.

If you want better support for pinyin, you can install, fcitx-cloudpinyin, fcitx-sunpinyin, fcitx-googlepinyin or fcitx-libpinyin.

If you need Bopomofo support, you can install fcitx-chewing or fcitx-libpinyin.

If you need Cangjie, Zhengma, Boshiamy support, you can install fcitx-table-extra.

### Japanese Input Method

Install fcitx-anthy, fcitx-mozc or fcitx-kkc.

### Korean Input Method

Install fcitx-hangul.

### Vietnamese Input Method

Install fcitx-unikey

### Sinhala Input Method

Install fcitx-sayura

### Other language

m17n provides quite a long other language support, you can install m17n support for fcitx with fcitx-m17n

## Clipboard Access

You can use fcitx to input text in you clipboard (as well as a short clipboard history and primary selection). The default trigger key is Control-;. You can change the trigger key as well as other options in the Clipboard addon configure page.

NOTE: This is NOT a clipboard manager, it doesn't hold the selection or change it's content as what a clipboard manager is supposed to do. It can only be used to input from the clipboard.

Warning: Some client doesn't support multi-line input so you may see the multi-line clipboard content pasted as a single line using fcitx-clipboard. That's either a bug or feature of the program been input and it's not something fcitx is able to help with.

## Troubleshooting

- Emacs

If your LC_CTYPE is English, you may not be able to use input method in emacs due to a old emacs' bug. You can set your LC_CTYPE to something else such as "zh_CN.UTF-8" before emacs starts to get rid of this problem.

The default fontset will use `-*-*-*-r-normal--14-*-*-*-*-*-*-*' as basefont(in src/xfns.c), if you do not have one matched(like terminus、or 75dpi things, you can look the output of `xlsfonts'), XIM can not be activated.

- Input method module

Warning: You may still be able to use input method in most programs without the input method module, however, you may have unsolvable weird problems if you do so.
Warning: for firefox above version 13, the popup menu may fail to work due to xim, please make sure that fcitx-gtk2 along with a latest version fcitx are installed.

- Ctrl+Space fail to work in GTK programs

This problem sometimes happens especially when locale is set as English. Please make sure your GTK_IM_MODULE is set correctly.

See also FAQ

If you have set the *_IM_MODULE environment variables to fcitx but cannot activate fcitx, please check if you have installed the corresponding input method modules.

Some programs can only use xim, if you are using these programs, please make sure your XMODIFIERS is set properly and be aware of the problems you may have. These programs includes: all programs that are not using gtk or qt (e.g. programs that use tk, motif, or xlib directly), emacs, opera, openoffice, libreoffice, skype

If you cannot enable fcitx in gnome-terminal under gnome and the above way doesn't work, try selecting Fcitx in the right click Input method menu.

### Buildin Chinese Pinyin Default NOT ACTIVE

If your locale is `en_US.UTF-8`, fcitx did NOT enable the buildin Chinese Pinyin input method by default. There is only `fcitx-keyboard-us` input method enabled. You can get a notice by `fcitx-diagnose` command like this:

       ## Input Methods:
           1.  Found 1 enabled input methods:
                   fcitx-keyboard-us
           2.  Default input methods:
               **You only have one input method enabled, please add a keyboard input method as the first one and your main input method as the second one.**

Then you should add `Pinyin` or `Shuangpin` input method to actived input methods by the GUI configure tool.

## See also

- Fcitx GitHub
- Fcitx Google Code
- Fcitx Wiki

Category:

- Internationalization