Arabic Keyboards in Arboreal

Arboreal offers several methods for typing Arabic text.

1. If your operating system provides an Arabic input method, you will not need to use the alternate keyboard arrangements provided by Arboreal.

2. A Buckwalter keyboard layout allows you to type Arabic text using Buckwalter transliteration conventions. (Text will appear, however, in Arabic characters, rather than the ASCII Roman characters used in the Buckwalter encoding.) Characters may be typed using the following keys (assuming that you have a US English keyboard):

   

   Note: This picture has been borrowed from the Xerox Arabic input Java applet. The Arboreal software is not in any way related to this applet.

3. Arboreal also provides a simple keyboard for typing Arabic in Romanization. Diacritics and special characters can be entered as follows:

   	Type a, u, or i and then _ for a bar above the letter. Type t or d and then _ for a bar below the letter.
   	Type g or s and then + for a caron/hacek above the letter. Type h and then + for a breve below the letter.
   	Type h, s, d, t, or z and then < for a dot below the letter. Type g and then < for a dot above the letter.
   	Type ' (single quote) for hamza. Type " (double quote) for ʿayn.

4. To switch between keyboards, type Ctrl-Q. The keyboard layouts in order are: default; Greek (Beta Code); Arabic Romanization; Arabic Buckwalter. A more intuitive means of selecting keyboard layouts is planned for the future.

5. To enter text in the Buckwalter display mode, no special keyboard layout is necessary, as all Buckwalter symbols are ASCII.