Multi-lingual Character Generator

This is a recommendation for a Windows utility, AllChars, that will improve the accuracy and visual appearance of everything you type.

1. Do you have to type in multiple languages, yet use a keyboard that lacks some of the characters you need?
   Even if you are not multi-lingual, you face this situation every time you have to type a foreign address. Yes, it's a nuisance to paste in the accented characters from CHARMAP; but if you don't, you risk being discourteous to the addressees.
2. Are you still using your computer as if it were a clanky old typewriter? Most of us are, without realizing it.
   Do you still use two hiafins for a dash? Do you use an asterisk for a bullet? Do you still use the single-quote and double-quote keys on your standard PC keyboards?

If so, you are not getting the quality text appearance that Truetype fonts make possible.

AllChars provides a quick, easy-to-remember way of creating all these special characters. It adds an extra function to the right-hand <Ctrl> key.

Tap <Ctrl>, (but don't hold it down). Then AllChars will take the next two characters you type and substitute another in their place.

So, for example,

<ctrl> e ' yields é
<ctrl> ' e yields é as well
<ctrl> ' E yields É
<ctrl> o " yields ö
<ctrl> C , yields Ç
<ctrl> n ~ yields ñ

... and so on.

The same principle applies to other special characters:

Americans can type <ctrl> - L to get £, and <ctrl> Y = to get ¥.
Stockbrokers and carpenters can type <ctrl> 1 4 to get ¼.
Lawyers and government officials can type <ctrl> P M to get ¶,
<ctrl> S M to get §, and make references to fine print with ‡ and †.
Programmers and inventors can make good use of <ctrl> t m for ™,
<ctrl> r o for ®, and <ctrl> c o for ©.

Last but not least, those who take joy in typographical perfection can splurge on hiafins, m-dashes, n-dashes, and properly-shaped quotation marks.

AllChars works with any standard Windows application, and with any Truetype or Adobe font that contains the special characters you want.

You can also configure it to use your own mnemonics.

I didn't design it, but I have used it consistently for several months.

It's reliable - and it's FREE, thanks to Jeroen Laarhoven, the Dutch programmer who created it.

To make it readily accessible, Brian Parkhurst has added it to his Toolbook support site at:

ToolBook URL Depository

Blair

--  Blair R. Martin / Kingston Learning Systems
--  82 Lower Union St., Kingston Ont. K7L 2N1, Canada
--  613-547-5287 / fax 613-547-1672
--  Blair R. Martin