How to get default input method by set-input-method?

How to get default input method by set-input-method?

[Jean Louis]

For long time I have no idea how to go to the default input method by
using M-x set-input-method

I am using several input methods, mixing them and I use the M-x
set-input-method, not the keybinding.

How to get default input method by set-input-method?

Jean Louis

Re: How to get default input method by set-input-method?

[Eli Zaretskii]

> Date: Thu, 26 Dec 2024 11:37:51 +0300
> From: Jean Louis <bugs@gnu.support>
> 
> For long time I have no idea how to go to the default input method by
> using M-x set-input-method
> 
> I am using several input methods, mixing them and I use the M-x
> set-input-method, not the keybinding.
> 
> How to get default input method by set-input-method?

  M-: (get-language-info current-language-environment 'input-method) RET

Re: How to get default input method by set-input-method?

[Jean Louis]

* Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org> [2024-12-26 12:42]:
> > Date: Thu, 26 Dec 2024 11:37:51 +0300
> > From: Jean Louis <bugs@gnu.support>
> > 
> > For long time I have no idea how to go to the default input method by
> > using M-x set-input-method
> > 
> > I am using several input methods, mixing them and I use the M-x
> > set-input-method, not the keybinding.
> > 
> > How to get default input method by set-input-method?
> 
>   M-: (get-language-info current-language-environment 'input-method) RET

(get-language-info current-language-environment 'input-method) ➜ nil
current-language-environment ➜ "English"

I get nil, and then M-x set-input-method cannot go to nil

in fact there is no standard input method that I can find. I see here:

2 possible completions:
english-colemak
english-dvorak

I hope you understand the problem:

- I choose German postfix

- I may choose other input method, those are 2

- after that there is no function or possibility to get interactively
  into that nil

If you confirm that above is true, that there is no way to go back to
NIL for example, then I will use this function:

(defun rcd-input-method-nil ()
  "Reset `input-method' back to NIL."
  (interactive)
  (set-input-method nil))

Jean Louis

Re: How to get default input method by set-input-method?

[Eli Zaretskii]

> Date: Thu, 26 Dec 2024 14:17:28 +0300
> From: Jean Louis <bugs@gnu.support>
> Cc: help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org
> 
> * Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org> [2024-12-26 12:42]:
> > > Date: Thu, 26 Dec 2024 11:37:51 +0300
> > > From: Jean Louis <bugs@gnu.support>
> > > 
> > > For long time I have no idea how to go to the default input method by
> > > using M-x set-input-method
> > > 
> > > I am using several input methods, mixing them and I use the M-x
> > > set-input-method, not the keybinding.
> > > 
> > > How to get default input method by set-input-method?
> > 
> >   M-: (get-language-info current-language-environment 'input-method) RET
> 
> (get-language-info current-language-environment 'input-method) ➜ nil
> current-language-environment ➜ "English"
> 
> I get nil, and then M-x set-input-method cannot go to nil

Which is correct for "English".  If you type C-\, Emacs will ask you
what input method to turn on.  If there's a default input method,
Emacs doesn't ask.  Try:

  M-x set-language-environment RET French RET

Then type C-\ and Emacs will turn on the default input method without
asking.

Your question was about the default input method.

> in fact there is no standard input method that I can find. I see here:
> 
> 2 possible completions:
> english-colemak
> english-dvorak

They are not the default in this language environment.

> I hope you understand the problem:

I don't.

> - I choose German postfix
> 
> - I may choose other input method, those are 2
> 
> - after that there is no function or possibility to get interactively
>   into that nil

Again, you asked about the _default_ input method.

If you are now asking about a non-default input method you invoked by
name, then you can get it from current-input-method (but only as long
as the input method is active), or from default-input-method.

SOLVED - Re: How to get default input method by set-input-method?

[Jean Louis]

* Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org> [2024-12-26 15:07]:
> > Date: Thu, 26 Dec 2024 14:17:28 +0300
> > From: Jean Louis <bugs@gnu.support>
> > Cc: help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org
> > 
> > * Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org> [2024-12-26 12:42]:
> > > > Date: Thu, 26 Dec 2024 11:37:51 +0300
> > > > From: Jean Louis <bugs@gnu.support>
> > > > 
> > > > For long time I have no idea how to go to the default input method by
> > > > using M-x set-input-method
> > > > 
> > > > I am using several input methods, mixing them and I use the M-x
> > > > set-input-method, not the keybinding.
> > > > 
> > > > How to get default input method by set-input-method?
> > > 
> > >   M-: (get-language-info current-language-environment 'input-method) RET
> > 
> > (get-language-info current-language-environment 'input-method) ➜ nil
> > current-language-environment ➜ "English"
> > 
> > I get nil, and then M-x set-input-method cannot go to nil
> 
> Which is correct for "English".  If you type C-\, Emacs will ask you
> what input method to turn on.  If there's a default input method,
> Emacs doesn't ask.  Try:
> 
>   M-x set-language-environment RET French RET
> 
> Then type C-\ and Emacs will turn on the default input method without
> asking.

Thanks! That fully solved the problem. Now I remember that I used in
past C-\ -- and then for long time I used other keyboards where C-\
was not accessible so easy, as \ required different modifiers.

Now I am using again US keyboard and that is basically the answer to
my practicel miniscule issue 😊. Thanks much! 👍

Jean Louis

Re: How to get default input method by set-input-method?

[Eric S Fraga]

Response below/inline for email Eli Zaretskii wrote:
> (original email sent 26 Dec 2024 at 14:05)
> 
>> I hope you understand the problem:
>
> I don't.

I note that the OP has had their question answered but I have the same
question (the way I understood the original post).

Say I have a buffer in English with "the default input method" and then
change to, say, the TeX input method so I can type in some specific
characters easily, e.g. α by typing \alpha.  How do I get back to the
default using "M-x set-input-method"?  "nil" is not an option, is it?
The prompt indicates that hitting RET will keep the same input method.

Thank you.
-- 
Eric S Fraga via gnus (Emacs 31.0.50 2024-12-17) on Debian 12.8

Re: How to get default input method by set-input-method?

[Eli Zaretskii]

> From: Eric S Fraga <e.fraga@ucl.ac.uk>
> Date: Fri, 27 Dec 2024 15:57:11 +0000
> 
> Say I have a buffer in English with "the default input method" and then
> change to, say, the TeX input method so I can type in some specific
> characters easily, e.g. α by typing \alpha.  How do I get back to the
> default using "M-x set-input-method"?  "nil" is not an option, is it?
> The prompt indicates that hitting RET will keep the same input method.

I think I answered that?