option to switch KEYBOARD English/French

Asked by Urania

     I want to be able to switch between English & FRENCH characters on my regular American English KEYBOARD, as I used to do when I used the MS Windows XP operating system, by simply clicking "alt+shift". It was sufficient then, in keyboard settings & character map - if I remember correctly - to get the international language switching option. However, I do not have the ability to do so with your rudimentary OS on the PC I am now working on.

     So, what must I actually do with your OS to get that fast switching ability of constantly switching whenever I only need specific French characters while I use the American keyboard, which is my automatic daily practice, even when I write in French?

     I do not want to type all the letters on a French keyboard, JUST SWITCH for specific French characters like "e" with different accents, "c" with a cedilla, etc., while using the English American keyboard each time after I have temporarily switched to French.

     Thanks for your help.

               Urania.

Question information

Language:
English Edit question
Status:
Answered
For:
Ubuntu gucharmap Edit question
Assignee:
No assignee Edit question
Last query:
Last reply:
Revision history for this message
Michael Nagel (nailor) said :
#1

under system -> preferences -> keyboard -> layout
you can add additional layouts. on that page there is a layout options button where you can configure layout switching. keep in mind that there is currently a bug that prevents some combinations, but both shift keys will work e.g.

you can add the keyboard indicator applet or the character palette to your panel for some nice functionality

Revision history for this message
Bill George (billgeorge) said :
#2

I just did the same thing, assigned Shift/Alt to switch back and forth - works perfectly.
Urania, why do you think Linux is "rudimentary"? Windows loads masses of stuff every time it starts, "just in case". With Linux you activate what you need, which leaves resources free for what you actually want to do - and distributions like Ubuntu make it very easy to do that. (It took about 30 seconds to find this particular set-up in the menu.)

Can you help with this problem?

Provide an answer of your own, or ask Urania for more information if necessary.

To post a message you must log in.