Firstly please note that all k / K letters on this posting are altered to क / क (spiritual reasons.)

I am sorry to thrust this project to you (mailing list).  I am looकing for advice or if you have the time to construct a कeyboard mapping.  There seems to be some problem regarding "if you assign Mode_switch and ISO_Level3_Shift to different keys, you can assign up to six characters to one key!"
see http://tr.opensuse.org/SDB:Using_the_Extra_Keys_on_the_Keyboard

The diacritics are usually typed with non-diacritic letter.   It would be nice to have facility to use both in convenient way e.g. toggling with a Fonts / Scripts कey by permanently turning the Caps Locक to a Fonts / Scripts कey.

Could this be done - When this Fonts / Scripts  कey is pressed with a letter कey it toggles to diacritic letter 1 or 2 or  3 (depending on how many diacritics are there connected with a 'target' letter) - this toggling will need to factor in a 'remain at same spot' and toggle these diacritics feature.  When the Fonts / Scripts कey is released then the cursor would move to the next base.

Here are the target letters, the diacritics connected with them and the URL with more info about them:

A
Ā = http://www.fileformat.info/info/unicode/char/0100/index.htm
a
ā = http://www.fileformat.info/info/unicode/char/101/index.htm

D
Ḍ = http://www.fileformat.info/info/unicode/char/1e0c/index.htm
d
ḍ = http://www.fileformat.info/info/unicode/char/1e0d/index.htm

H
Ḥ = http://www.fileformat.info/info/unicode/char/1e24/index.htm
h
ḥ = http://www.fileformat.info/info/unicode/char/1e25/index.htm

I
Ī = http://www.fileformat.info/info/unicode/char/12a/index.htm
i
ī = http://www.fileformat.info/info/unicode/char/12b/index.htm

L
Ḷ = http://www.fileformat.info/info/unicode/char/1e36/index.htm
l
ḷ = http://www.fileformat.info/info/unicode/char/1e37/index.htm

L
L̐ = http://pastehtml.com/view/1az9crq.html - http://bit.ly/doq30H
l
l̐ = http://pastehtml.com/view/1az92sb.html  - http://bit.ly/chipOw

M
Ṁ ̇= http://www.fileformat.info/info/unicode/char/1e40/index.htm
m
ṁ = http://www.fileformat.info/info/unicode/char/1e41/index.htm

N
Ñ = http://www.fileformat.info/info/unicode/char/d1/index.htm
n
ñ = http://www.fileformat.info/info/unicode/char/f1/index.htm

N
Ṇ = http://www.fileformat.info/info/unicode/char/1e46/index.htm
n
ṇ = http://www.fileformat.info/info/unicode/char/1e47/index.htm

N
Ṅ = http://www.fileformat.info/info/unicode/char/1e44/index.htm
n
ṅ = http://www.fileformat.info/info/unicode/char/1e45/index.htm

R
Ṛ = http://www.fileformat.info/info/unicode/char/1e5a/index.htm
r
ṛ = http://www.fileformat.info/info/unicode/char/1e5b/index.htm

R
Ṝ = http://www.fileformat.info/info/unicode/char/1e5c/index.htm
r
ṝ = http://www.fileformat.info/info/unicode/char/1e5d/index.htm

S
Ṣ = http://www.fileformat.info/info/unicode/char/1e62/index.htm
s
ṣ = http://www.fileformat.info/info/unicode/char/1e63/index.htm

S
Ś = http://www.fileformat.info/info/unicode/char/15a/index.htm
s
ś = http://www.fileformat.info/info/unicode/char/15b/index.htm

T
Ṭ = http://www.fileformat.info/info/unicode/char/1e6c/index.htm
t
ṭ = http://www.fileformat.info/info/unicode/char/1e6d/index.htm

U
Ū = http://www.fileformat.info/info/unicode/char/016a/index.htm
u
ū = http://www.fileformat.info/info/unicode/char/16b/index.htm


Referring to the above 32 diacritics, in theory a diacritic letter  could have up to 7 diacritics 'sign' variations per letter:

1.  Macron
2. Dot Below
3. Candrabindu
4. Dot Above
5.  Tilde
6.  Dot Below & Macron
7.  Acute

and 2 diacritics 'case' (lower/upper sizes) variations per letter
- in 'total' up to 14 diacritics variations altogether per letter

In actuality, the maximum letter n/N has 6 diacritics sign/case variations and a/A only has 2 diacritics sign/case variations.

Thus if you can turn the Caps Locक into a Fonts / Scripts कey that can allow up to 7 diacritics variations using this toggle approach:

Fonts / Scripts कey press + letter कey tap once  = diacritic letter 1st variation (sign/case)

Fonts / Scripts कey press + letter कey tap twice  = diacritic letter 2nd variation (sign/case)

Fonts / Scripts कey press + letter कey tap thrice = diacritic letter 3rd variation (sign/case)

Fonts / Scripts कey press + letter कey tap four times  = diacritic letter 4th variation (sign/case)

Fonts / Scripts कey press + letter कey tap five times = diacritic letter 5th variation (sign/case)

Fonts / Scripts कey press + letter कey tap six times = diacritic letter 6th variation (sign/case)

Fonts / Scripts कey press + letter कey tap seven times = diacritic letter 7th variation (sign/case)

The above does not require the case कey (arrow upwards) to be used because the above has both lower and upper letters.

If you feel that 'case कey' producing upper case letters should be used just as it is with non-diacritic letters, then fine.  Thus this would mean:

- 50 percent variations of the above toggle with Fonts / Scripts कey press + letter कey tap for lower case letters, and
 
- other 50 percent variation of the above toggle Fonts / Scripts कey press + letter कey tap + caps कey for upper case letters.

"if you assign Mode_switch and ISO_Level3_Shift to different keys, you can assign up to six characters to one key!"
see http://tr.opensuse.org/SDB:Using_the_Extra_Keys_on_the_Keyboard
Does this mean it is possible?  Could 7 characters to one कey be possible?

Features to consider for the Fonts / Scripts कey development:

1. Toggle other कeyboard mapped layouts for example, languages and diacritics.
2. Access other fonts through toggling (Fonts / Scripts कey + another कey) without needing going every time to the particular application's micro layer.
3. Design more styles per letter and/or partner with other fonts and thus more styles on a font and accessing them through toggling (Fonts / Scripts कey + another कey) without needing to go to application's micro layer.

It would be nice to have some person/s on board and get these things done.


Best,


Meeकu