internationalizationipadkeyboardsmart-keyboard
I bought the new iPad Pro 10.5" and with it the Apple Smart Keyboard with the US Layout. Now I am constantly switching between writing in german, english and some french.
Therefore I would like to access special characters like in macOS or in iOS:
So how can I access the special character menu via the Apple Smart
Keyboard?
The characters included in the popovers are defined in property lists inside the /System/Library/Input\ Methods/PressAndHold.app/ bundle.
I was able to change à to y by editing /System/Library/Input\ Methods/PressAndHold.app/Contents/Resources/Keyboard-en.plist and logging out and back in.
(note the escape in "Input Method" if you're copy pasting)
<key>Roman-Accent-a</key>
<dict>
<key>Direction</key>
<string>right</string>
<key>Keycaps</key>
<string>a y á â ä æ ã å ā</string>
<key>Strings</key>
<string>a y á â ä æ ã å ā</string>
</dict>
You can use the same keyboard combinations as on OS X to create accented characters. Here are the commands for each:
After you press the ⌥ (option/alt key) combination, the accent character will show up. Then, typing the next character will replace the accent with the accented character, if possible. If the character you type cannot have that accent, the accent will stay, followed by the character.
Best Answer
You should be able to use the standard Apple option key shortcuts, such as ⌥ + e, then e produces é. One list is here.
For the german "Umlaut", it is:
⌥ + u (for Umlaut) and then the letter (like a, u or o)
So: ⌥ + u and then a produces “ä”