superscripting and subscripting of numbers

[sebigbos]

Hey there,

is there a possibility to superscript or subscript numbers in a text in any program by keyboard? Like this: x² or H₂O.

[jlittle]

Maybe you're asking for a compose key? In system settings, input devices, keyboard, advanced tab, position of compose key, I have it set to "Pause", as I don't otherwise use it. Then, if I type
pause, ^, 7 I get ⁷, and pause, _, 8 I get ₈

I'm not sure the best place to f8ind the sequences, but I look at /usr/share/X11/locale/en_US.UTF-8/Compose.

[Tom_ZeCat]

In what context are you doing this? I know it can be done in LibreOffice Writer, but I'm not sure about elsewhere. In LO Writer, you can type "H2O" and then highlight the 2 and hit Ctrl+Shift+B to make the 2 a subscript. Then for X squared, you can write "X2" and then highlight the 2 and hit Ctrl+Shift+P to make that 2 a superscript. It sometimes works if you cut and paste that elsewhere. I'll do it here: H₂O. X²

However, it does not work to cut and paste it everywhere. I looked around in Kubuntu's settings at System Settings ===> Input Devices ===> Keyboard ===> Advanced, which is where I set up a system of putting accent marks on characters, as in "Café", but I'm not finding a way to do superscripts and subscripts. Maybe it's there and I'm just not finding it.

[jlittle]

In what context are you doing this?

Possibly excepting input methods (I know nothing about them), any keyboard input. As long as the font has the characters, the compose key makes them. I tried lots, LibreOffice, konsole, dolphin (typing a new file name), kate, knotes... Only kcalc didn't work (but Qalculate! does, 22² = 484).

[sebigbos]

Thanks for your answers.

LO is not the problem, I'm looking for something not being dependant of the program used. So the thing with the compose key sounds good.

Maybe you're asking for a compose key? In system settings, input devices, keyboard, advanced tab, position of compose key, I have it set to "Pause", as I don't otherwise use it. Then, if I type
pause, ^, 7 I get ⁷, and pause, _, 8 I get ₈

I tried to use caps lock as compose key. Your code for "⁷" is working but the one for subscripting does not. I use a german keyboard and layout, so the "_" isn't reachable without using caps.
I couldn't figure out yet how the working of the compose key is configured, is there a list of codes or can I edit this?

[jlittle]

I'm confused by the fact that /usr/share/X11/locale/en_US.UTF-8/ exists, but /usr/share/X11/locale/de_DE.UTF-8/ does not.

However, maybe a ~/.XCompose will do the job. I have compose t u to give me 👍:

include "%S/en_US.UTF-8/Compose"
<Multi_key> <t> <u>    : "👍" U1F44D # THUMBS UP SIGN​

I just added

<Multi_key> <s> <2> : "₂"
​

logged out and in, to restart X11, and compose s 2 gives me ₂. ("s2" is the RFC1345 mnemonic for subscript 2, or so the vim help tells me.) To get the appropriate characters in the first place, you could copy lines from /usr/share/X11/locale/en_US.UTF-8/Compose, from the "Superscripts and Subscripts" section.

[sebigbos]

Hm, I'm not sure wether I got that right. I copied my /usr/share/X11/locale/en_US.UTF-8/compose to ~/.XCompose . Then I tried to change the entries there, So for example

<Multi_key> <underscore> <0>            : "₀"    U2080 # SUBSCRIPT ZERO

to

<Multi_key> <SOMETHING ELSE> <0>            : "₀"    U2080 # SUBSCRIPT ZERO

For <SOMETHING ELSE> I tried <q> (because it's nearby the ^), <dash> or <hyphen> or <-> (because this is the key where caps _ is located) and some other letters but nothing happens. Superscripting with compose ^ ² is still working though.

Do I have to activate or load the ~/.XCompose somehow?

[jlittle]

Do I have to activate or load the ~/.XCompose somehow?

It is read at the DE startup, so you have to log out.

[sebigbos]

so I did but nothing happens