French layout apostrophe/accent key
As of build 410.
There was a post about the apostrophe key on the alpha layer of the French keyboard somewhere, but I can't find it anymore.
The AZERTY layout now has an apostrophe key but comparing EFKey with the native keyboardfor French, there are some discrepancies.
1) Apostrophe key as an option
Give the user a choice whether they want to have the apostrophe key or not by having it as a toggleable "language extra keys"-setting.
With it enabled, it can be added to the AZERTY layout to the right of the bottom row. It can then also be added to the right of the home row in QWERTY and QWERTZ layout.
With the native keyboard, users have the same choices of those three layouts with or without the apostrophe (actually QWERTZ+apostrophe is not an option in native).
2) Context dependent apostrophe or accent
Right now the apostrophe key only types an apostrophe. But it should be able to create accents as well.
Right after an unaccented vowel it should show a grave, acute or circumflex depending on the vowel and change the preceding vowel to the accented version.
a > à
e > é
i > î
o > ô
u > û
After an already accented vowel or any other letter at the end of words (even when end in a digit) the it should show and produce the apostrophe.
In any other case (beginning of a liner, after space, after a number, after punctuation) it should show the acute.
The long press popup should show different things as well depending on what is shown on the key itself.
From the right to the left of the popup (i.e. closest to key to further away):
ˋ > ´ ˋ ˆ ¨
´ > ´ ˋ ˆ ¨
ˆ > ´ ˆ ˋ ¨
' > ' ’ ‘ `
Discussion
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@muleluku part 1 is done and will be in 2.1.3, the next App Store update. French now shows the "Language extra keys" toggle under the language in Typing, and it controls the apostrophe key: AZERTY keeps it in the bottom row next to N, QWERTY and QWERTZ get it at the end of the home row after L. On AZERTY it stays on by default so nothing changes for people already using it. On QWERTY/QWERTZ it's off until you turn it on.
Part 2 is still open. I want the behavior right before I build it, and two things aren't clear to me from your description.
When the key shows the acute at the start of a line or after a space, what does tapping it actually insert? A bare ´, an accent that waits for the next vowel, or something else?
And digits: you wrote that a word ending in a digit gets the apostrophe, but also that after a number it shows the acute. Is the difference letters followed by a digit (like a4) vs. a standalone number (like 2024)?
All my infos are just from playing around with the native keyboard for French, I don't actually know any French, so I don't k ow the logic a d reason behind the things.
But as to you questions.
a) with the acute showing after a space and on a new line, it just insert a bare ´. A vowel typed after that just gets appended → ´a
b) That's exactly right, after a number (2, 7, 2026, "2,3", 1.9) it's an acute. And after a word it's an apostrophe, and letters followed by digits seem to count as words (a4)
@muleluku part 2 is in as well, also for 2.1.3. It's a separate switch under French, "Accents on the apostrophe key", right below "Language extra keys". It's off by default so the AZERTY apostrophe doesn't change for anyone who's used to it.
With it on the key follows your rules: after a, e, i, o, u it shows ˋ ´ ˆ and changes the vowel, after a word (a4 too) it's the apostrophe, and after a number, a space or punctuation it's a bare ´. The long-press sets match the native keyboard.
One place I went off your description: after "qu" the key stays an apostrophe. Taken literally the rule turns qu'il, jusqu'à or lorsqu'on into "qû", and that never happens in French. After a swipe the accent goes on the swiped word, so cafe becomes café.
Apostrophe after qu is how the native keyboard handles it as well. Good catch.
In the native keyboard, the order (right to left) in the popup for a and e (and after whitespace, etc.) is the same:
a > ˋ > ´ ˋ ˆ ¨
e > ´ > ´ ˋ ˆ ¨
In EFKey they differ in the popup:
a > ˋ > ˋ ´ ˆ ¨
e > ´ > ´ ˋ ˆ ¨
Don't know if any French user minds at all, you decide if that's something worth considering.
@muleluku changed it, after a the popup now goes ´ ˋ ˆ ¨ from the key, same as after e and after a space. It's in build 426 and will be in 2.1.3 on the App Store. Tapping the key still gives à. Holding it and letting go without sliding now gives á, because ´ is the cell right next to the key.
After i, o and u EFKey shows ˆ ´ ˋ ¨. Your first report had ´ ˆ ˋ ¨ for that one, so does the native keyboard put the acute next to the key there too? I left it alone until I know.
Right, there's a difference here too. Didn't notice it before. Native has the acute first.
@muleluku switched it to match your screenshot, after i, o and u the popup now goes ´ ˆ ˋ ¨ from the key. It's in build 427 and will be in 2.1.3 on the App Store. Tapping still gives î, ô, û. Holding and letting go without sliding gives the acute now, same as after a.
The order in the popup appears correct now, but whatever I choose from the popup, it still applies or prints the accent shown on the key.
@muleluku that was a real bug, not the order. Whatever you picked in the popup got thrown away and the key's own accent went in instead, and it's been like that since the accent key first shipped. Fixed in build 428, and it'll be in 2.1.3 on the App Store. Picking ˋ after e now gives è, ¨ after i gives ï, and with no vowel before the cursor you get the bare mark you picked. A plain tap still gives the accent shown on the key.
Done. Can't find any faults. And I can finally remove French for good from my keyboard.