Editing Smart Common Input Method

{{short description|Input method software platform containing support for more than thirty languages}}
{{primary sources|date=April 2015}}
{{Infobox software
| name = Smart Common Input Method
| title = Smart Common Input Method
| logo = Scim logo.jpg
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| released = <!-- {{Start date and age|YYYY|MM|DD|df=yes/no}} -->
| discontinued = 
| latest release version = 1.4.18
| latest release date = {{Start date and age|2017|07|31}}
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| programming language = [[C (programming language)|C]]
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| genre = [[Input method]]
| license = [[GNU GPL]], [[GNU LGPL]]
| website = {{URL|https://github.com/scim-im/scim}}
}}

The '''Smart Common Input Method''' ('''SCIM''') is a platform for inputting more than thirty languages on computers, including Chinese-Japanese-Korean style character languages ([[CJK characters|CJK]]), and many [[European languages]]. It is used for [[POSIX]]-style [[operating system]]s including [[Linux]] and [[BSD]]. Its purposes are to provide a simple and powerful common interface for users from any country, and to provide a clear architecture for programming, so as to reduce time required to develop individual input methods.

== Goals ==
The main goals of the SCIM project include:

* To act as a unified frontend for current available input method libraries. [[Language binding|Bindings]] to [[uim]] and [[M17n (library)|m17n]] [http://www.m17n.org] library are available (as of August 2007).
* To act as a language engine of IIIMF (an input method framework).
* To support as many input method protocols/interfaces as existing and in common use.
* To support multiple operating systems. (Currently, only POSIX-style operating systems are available.)

[[Image:SCIM.Input Method list.png|thumb|right|Some of the input methods managed by SCIM]]

== Architecture ==
SCIM was originally written in the [[C++]] language but has moved to pure [[C (programming language)|C]] since 1.4.14.<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20120811034543/http://www.scim-im.org/news/scim_news/a_new_stable_version_has_been_released_the_main_change_is_the_incorporation_of_scim_bridge A new stable version has been released, the main change is the incorporation of scim-bridge. / scim News / News / SCIM - SCIM]}}</ref> It abstracts the input method interface to several [[class (computer science)|classes]] and attempts to simplify the classes and make them more independent from each other. With the simpler and more independent interfaces, developers can write their own input methods in fewer lines of code.

SCIM is a ''modularized'' IM platform, and as such, components can be implemented as dynamically loadable modules, thus can be loaded during [[Run time (program lifecycle phase)|runtime]] at will. For example, input methods written for SCIM could be IMEngine modules, and users can use such IMEngine modules combined with different interface modules (FrontEnd) in different environments without rewrite or recompile of the IMEngine modules, reducing the compile time or development time of the project.

SCIM is a high-level library, similar to [[X Input Method|XIM]] or [[IIIMF]]; however, SCIM claims to be simpler than either of those IM platforms. SCIM also claims that it can be used alongside XIM or IIIMF. SCIM can also be used to extend the input method interface of existing application toolkits, such as [[GTK+]], [[Qt (toolkit)|Qt]] and Clutter via IMmodules.<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20070804081736/http://www.scim-im.org/projects IMmodules]}}</ref>

== Related projects ==
'''SKIM''' is a separate project aimed at integrating SCIM more tightly into the [[KDE|K Desktop Environment]], by providing a GUI panel (named ''scim-panel-kde'' as an alternative to ''scim-panel-gtk''), a KConfig config module and setup dialogs for itself and the SCIM module libscim. It also has its own plugin system which supports on-demand loadable actions.

'''t-latn-pre''' and '''t-latn-post''' are two input methods that provide an easy way for composing accented characters, either by preceding regular characters with diacritic marks (in the case of t-latn-pre), or by adding the marks subsequently (in the case of t-latn-post). Their main advantage is the large number of composed characters from different languages that can be entered this way, rendering it unnecessary to install, for example, separate keyboard layouts.<ref>An overview of the available characters can be found at the M17n library website: {{cite web |url=http://www.m17n.org/common/m17n-docs-en/m17nDBData.html |title=The m17n Library |access-date=2009-01-19 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081122041546/http://www.m17n.org/common/m17n-docs-en/m17nDBData.html |archive-date=2008-11-22 }}</ref>  These input methods are available for SCIM through the [[M17n (library)|M17n library]].

== See also ==
{{Portal|Free and open-source software}}
* [[Input method]]
* [[Intelligent Input Bus|IBus]]
* [[List of input methods for UNIX platforms]]
* [[uim]]

== References ==
<references />

== External links ==
* [http://www.m17n.org/ m17n Multilingualization]
* {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140628182338/http://www.scim-im.org/ |date=June 28, 2014 |title=Ancient SCIM homepage }}

{{Input Method}}

[[Category:Freedesktop.org]]
[[Category:Input methods]]
[[Category:Free software programmed in C++]]