Editing Unicode (section)

=== Input methods ===
{{Main|Unicode input}}

Because keyboard layouts cannot have simple key combinations for all characters, several operating systems provide alternative input methods that allow access to the entire repertoire.

[[ISO/IEC 14755]],<ref>{{Cite web
 | title         = ISO/IEC JTC1/SC 18/WG 9 N
 | url           = https://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~mgk25/volatile/ISO-14755.pdf
 | access-date   = 2025-04-12
 | archive-url   = https://web.archive.org/web/20250122223453/https://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~mgk25/volatile/ISO-14755.pdf
 | archive-date  = 2025-01-22
 | url-status    = live
}}</ref> which standardises methods for entering Unicode characters from their code points, specifies several methods. There is the ''Basic method'', where a ''beginning sequence'' is followed by the hexadecimal representation of the code point and the ''ending sequence''. There is also a ''screen-selection entry method'' specified, where the characters are listed in a table on a screen, such as with a character map program.

Online tools for finding the code point for a known character include Unicode Lookup<ref>{{Cite web
 | surname       = Hedley
 | given         = Jonathan
 | year          = 2009
 | title         = Unicode Lookup
 | url           = https://unicodelookup.com/
 | access-date   = 2025-04-12
 | archive-url   = https://web.archive.org/web/20250330001809/https://unicodelookup.com/
 | archive-date  = 2025-03-30
 | url-status    = live
}}</ref> by Jonathan Hedley and Shapecatcher<ref>{{Cite web
 | surname       = Milde
 | given         = Benjamin
 | title         = Unicode Character Recognition
 | url           = https://shapecatcher.com/
 | year          = 2025
 | archive-url   = https://web.archive.org/web/20250402224851/https://shapecatcher.com/
 | archive-date  = 2025-04-02
 | url-status    = live
}}</ref> by Benjamin Milde. In Unicode Lookup, one enters a search key (e.g. "fractions"), and a list of corresponding characters with their code points is returned. In Shapecatcher, based on [[Shape context]], one draws the character in a box and a list of characters approximating the drawing, with their code points, is returned.