I was trying to send this mail for the past few days. It was not getting distributed probably because it is lengthy. So, I am trying to send it as two emails. This first part is being continued in the next email
Hi David, > OK. I wonder whether the problem you're having with using XCompose > is that although those three characters <U0D19> <U0D4D> <U0D19> > look independent of each other in the file, the keystrokes that > generate them might not be. Not having your layout, I don't think > I can test whether you get the behaviour I think you do, that > when you put the cursor at the beginning of a *typed* line that > looks like the next one and press Delete once: > ങ്ങ > you get > ങ > whereas I get > ്ങ > Is that right? I am sorry if I didn't explain properly and for not attaching the keyboard layout (I assumed no one would want to go through the rather boring lines. I am attaching my .XCompose, the layout file in (the variant I wrote is named mal_puthuniraA) , and the keyboard file. To get the ligated conjunct using this layout, I type L while holding down Shift followed by f (or j) without shift and then L while holding down Shift. When these characters are typed, the program will show the ligated conjunct form if its font supports the form or else it displays the three characters separately. So, when you go to the beginning of ങ്ങ and press delete once, you should get ്ങ or the entire ങ്ങ is deleted (based on how the program treats the ligated conjnct form). There are issues in displaying ligated forms by various programs and I assume that by extension there will be problems while deleting also. More over, the < ് > is a combining mark. So, some programs will treat the charcter preceeding < ് > and the < ് > as one character. In Konsole, the ligated conjunct is formed correctly, but the width calculated for display is slightly off and so the cursor is placed over the character. When I use Home key to go to the beginning of the line and then press Delete, I get ങ്. When I get to the end and press backspace also, I get the same result. If I press back space a second time, the ങ് is deleted. Note that both characters are deleted with one back space. If I move to the beginning of ങ്ങ and then press right arrow once and then press space once, I get ങ് ങ. In Kate, deleting from the beginning deletes the entire ങ്ങ, backspace from the end deletes the entire one character at one time giving ങ് followed by ങ.Moving to beginning and inserting a space adds the space after ങ്ങ. I don't think these variations in handling Indic scripts is related to the problem of Composing. But, please do check the keyboard layout I am attaching. If the reason why the single line <W> : "a long sentence" in .XCompose is not working as expected is found out, I think my problem would be solved.
.XCompose
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keyboard
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