<Multi_key> is undefined

<Multi_key> is undefined

[jonetsu]

Hello,

The use case is being able to type pinyin characters.  The actual
pinyin characters, whit the punctuation marks.  Two of them are
easy to have using a German keyboard.  The two others are
accessible using the so-called 'compose key'.

Using Linux Mint 17 (Ubuntu based), KDE's System Settings are
used to assign the compose key to Scroll Lock.  Using this to
write 'ă' in kconsole terminal works fine.  It also works well in
the Claws-mail email client, as well as firefox.

But not in emacs 24.4.1 (and previous versions for that matter)
where the following is displayed as soon as the Scroll Lock
compose key is pressed:

<Multi_key> is undefined

How can this be made to work in emacs ?  This would be very practical.

Thanks.

Re: <Multi_key> is undefined

[Emanuel Berg]

jonetsu <jonetsu@teksavvy.com> writes:

> The use case is being able to type pinyin
> characters.  The actual pinyin characters, whit the
> punctuation marks.  Two of them are easy to have
> using a German keyboard.  The two others are
> accessible using the so-called 'compose key'.
>
> Using Linux Mint 17 (Ubuntu based), KDE's System
> Settings are used to assign the compose key to
> Scroll Lock.  Using this to write 'ă' in kconsole
> terminal works fine.  It also works well in the
> Claws-mail email client, as well as firefox.
>
> But not in emacs 24.4.1 (and previous versions for
> that matter) where the following is displayed as
> soon as the Scroll Lock compose key is pressed:
>
> <Multi_key> is undefined

We had this question or a version of it not long ago -
see if you can grep the web for gnu.emacs.help and
'<Multi_key> is undefined', then follow the white
rabbit from there.

FTR, I have the compose key up and running and
configurable both in the Linux VTs and in X, including
Emacs both cases, but I don't use the Scroll Lock key
for this (thanks heaven) so I can't help you with
details, but it should definitely be possible, so
keep digging!

-- 
underground experts united
http://user.it.uu.se/~embe8573

Re: <Multi_key> is undefined

[Stefan Monnier]

> OK, found the thread.  Will go through it...  Any short 
> answer that will not disable ibus which I also use ?

All I can say is that any answer which involves mentioning Multi_key in
the .emacs file is fundamentally wrong (it might provide a crutch, tho,
of course).


        Stefan

Re: <Multi_key> is undefined

[Eric Abrahamsen]

jonetsu <jonetsu@teksavvy.com> writes:

>> From: Rusi <rustompmody@gmail.com> 
>> Date: 04/08/15 23:00 
>> Subject: Re: Re[2]: <Multi_key> is undefined 
>   
>> 1. Try starting emacs with unset XMODIFIERS and see if the problem goes away
>
> I have tried:
>
> XMODIFIERS="" emacs
>
> and:
>
> /usr/bin/env -u XMODIFIERS emacs 
>
> And both of them get rid of the '<Multi_key> is undefined' emacs
> message, but that's it.  The letter with the accent, as it appears at
> the (k)console, firefox, sylpheed-claws client, etc... is not shown in
> emacs.
>
>> 2. Why/what do you use ibus for?
>
> Chinese.  Well, I try, as it seems to be quite broken in Linux Mint
> 17.  Either it is broken, or the OS input method has seen some
> changes.  emacs does have a Chinese input mode these days although it
> is really not nice to use.  I'm used to ibus and emacs and have
> written a lot of text easily that way, on a previous OS (Linux Mint
> 14, which I still boot when I have specifically Chinese text to
> write).  Now I would like to use a more recent OS, and add actual
> pinyin notation alongside Chinese hanzi.

I can't help with the compose key problem, as unsetting XMODIFIERS does
work for me, but I found ibus eventually unusable in Emacs. I've
switched to fcitx for system input, which works okay, but it doesn't
work in Emacs either! The Emacs package manager has an input method
called chinese-pyim which I'm finding quite good -- it takes a bit to
train, but after that it's very nice to use. Or do as I'm trying to do,
and learn the Wubi input method...

Sorry, no actual solution to your problem, but some alternatives...

Eric

Re: <Multi_key> is undefined

[Stefan Monnier]

> I would say if half a dozen random apps respect an input method and emacs
> doesn't, thats probably worth a bug-report.

Violent agreement.  FWIW, this looks similar to
http://debbugs.gnu.org/17928, which was supposedly fixed in 24.4, so if
your Emacs is older, try a more recent version, and if it's newer, then
try to hysterically hit M-x report-emacs-bug and then calmly fill the
report with as many details as you can.


        Stefan