How to type special characters easily in KDE
One of the niftier but lesser known features it Windows is the ability to use Alt Code Sequences to type special characters, such as accented letters. Anybody who has done work in a foreign language on a computer knows the value of having this functionality. Good news … KDE allows you to do this but even easier and more intuitive than the cumbersome Windows “Alt + 130” style. Here’s how:
Go into KDE System Settings. Go to Input Devices. With Keyboard selected on the left, choose the advanced tab on the right. Under “Compose key position”, select which key you want to use as the equivalent of the Windows alt key. I recommend using the Left Win key. After selecting your desired key, Apply the changes.
Now you can type special characters by holding your Compose Key, then typing the relevant sequence. Some examples:
?? = ¿
!! = ¡
‘e = é
‘a = á
‘i = í
‘o = ó
‘u = ú
~n = ñ
(c = ©
(r = ®
A full list of these sequences can be found here.
That “full list” is lacking ← and → ( compose + ).
This appears to be a fuller list: http://fsymbols.com/keyboard/linux/compose/
The interrobang ‽ is another not on those lists: comp. + ? + !
It’s a bit tricky for the letters Ñ & ñ
On KDE5 Plasma make sure to press:
1) SHIFT KEY + ~KEY + N to get ñ
2) SHIFT KEY + ~KEY + n to get Ñ
If you have Caps Lock on then it will give you a lowercase result and vice versa.
Sorry, forget to include “Compose Key”
1) ComposeKey + SHIFT KEY + ~KEY + N to get ñ
2) ComposeKey + SHIFT KEY + ~KEY + n to get Ñ