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APL uses a large range of [[glyphs|special graphic symbols]] to represent most functions and operators. While keyboard mappings become memorized over time, entering APL characters can frustrate the beginner. However, a study involving high school students found that typing and using APL characters did not hinder the students in any measurable way. There are several convenient ways to enter the glyphs.
APL uses a large range of [[glyphs|special graphic symbols]] to represent most functions and operators. While keyboard mappings become memorized over time, entering APL characters can frustrate the beginner. However, a study involving high school students found that typing and using APL characters did not hinder the students in any measurable way. There are several convenient ways to enter the glyphs.


== Keyboard mappings ==
== How to Set up an APL Keyboard ==


Most of today's APLs use a mapping which derives from the original [[APL\360]] terminals' keyboard layout. For example, [[Dyalog APL]]'s standard US English layout for is as follows:
[[File:Adám Brudzewsky's in-browser language bar.png|thumb|right|The in-browser language bar]]
=== Web ===
 
[[Adám Brudzewsky]]'s [https://abrudz.github.io/lb/apl  in-browser language bar] adds APL keyboard functionality to most web pages on demand.
 
=== Text editors ===
 
Keyboard layout extensions exist for several popular [[text editors]] like VS Code, Emacs and Vim. This can be an alternative, or complementary, to system-wide settings.
 
=== Linux ===
{{Main|Typing glyphs on Linux}}
 
Most Linux distributions released after mid-2012 have Dyalog keyboard support included with the distribution.
 
[[File:Hacker's Keyboard + APL language.png|thumb|right|Hacker's Keyboard + APL language]]
=== Android ===
 
dzaima's [https://github.com/dzaima/hackerskeyboard Hacker's Keyboard + APL language] uses a [[wikipedia:Pointing_device_gesture#Touchpad_and_touchscreen_gestures|long-press]] to access APL glyphs.
 
=== Windows ===
 
* [[Adám Brudzewsky]]'s [https://github.com/abrudz/Kbd keyboard layouts for Windows], which uses <kbd>AltGr</kbd>.
 
* The [https://www.dyalog.com/apl-font-keyboard.htm#tab-1 Dyalog Unicode IME] uses <kbd>Ctrl</kbd>. It is also possible to install the [[wikipedia:Input_method|IME]] alongside a regular [[Dyalog APL]] installation:<br>[[File:Dyalog_APL_Installer.png|frameless|Dyalog APL IME selected in installer]]
 
== Approaches to Layout and Input ==
 
Most of today's APLs use a mapping which derives from the original [[APL\360]] terminals' keyboard layout. For example, Dyalog APL's standard US English layout for is as follows:
<pre>
<pre>
┌────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬─────────┐
┌────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬─────────┐
Line 21: Line 48:
Additional charts for other layouts are [https://dfns.dyalog.com/n_keyboards.htm available].
Additional charts for other layouts are [https://dfns.dyalog.com/n_keyboards.htm available].


There are multiple was to access the glyphs associated with a particular key.
There are multiple ways to access the glyphs associated with a particular key.
 
=== Text editors ===
 
Keyboard layout extensions exist for several popular [[text editors]] like VS Code, Emacs and Vim. This is in addition to the availability of the below system-wide settings.


=== Shifting key ===
=== Shifting key ===
Line 36: Line 59:


* [[APLX]] uses <kbd>AltGr</kbd> with an option to also use <kbd>Alt</kbd>
* [[APLX]] uses <kbd>AltGr</kbd> with an option to also use <kbd>Alt</kbd>
* [https://github.com/abrudz/Kbd Adám Brudzewsky's keyboard layouts for Windows] use <kbd>AltGr</kbd>
* Most Linux distributions released after mid-2012 have [https://forums.dyalog.com/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=210 Dyalog keyboard support] included with the distribution, for example, openSUSE 12.2, Ubuntu 12.10 and Fedora 17.


=== Prefix key ===
=== Prefix key ===
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* [[Adám Brudzewsky]]'s [https://abrudz.github.io/lb/apl in-browser language bar] recognises all the following as prefix keys: <kbd>`</kbd>, <kbd>½</kbd>, <kbd>²</kbd>, <kbd>^</kbd>, <kbd><s>º</s></kbd>, <kbd>§</kbd>, <kbd>ù</kbd>, <kbd>µ</kbd>, <kbd>°</kbd>.
* [[Adám Brudzewsky]]'s [https://abrudz.github.io/lb/apl in-browser language bar] recognises all the following as prefix keys: <kbd>`</kbd>, <kbd>½</kbd>, <kbd>²</kbd>, <kbd>^</kbd>, <kbd><s>º</s></kbd>, <kbd>§</kbd>, <kbd>ù</kbd>, <kbd>µ</kbd>, <kbd>°</kbd>.


[[File:Dyalog US keyboard.jpg|thumb|right|US keyboard with [[Dyalog APL]] glyphs]]
[[File:RIDE keyword lookup.png|thumb|right|RIDE keyword lookup]]
=== Hardware APL keyboard ===
=== Keyword look-up ===
 
A couple of hardware keyboards are being sold with APL symbols pre-printed onto the key caps:
 
* Dyalog sells [https://www.dyalog.com/apl-font-keyboard.htm#mainContent US English, UK English, and Danish keyboards].
 
* Unicomp sells both [https://www.amazon.com/Unicomp-Classic-Buckling-Spring-Keyboard/dp/B01M7V3M61/ref=sr_1_8 entire keyboards] and [https://www.pckeyboard.com/page/product/USAPLSET separate key caps] for their keyboard range.
 
== Keyword look-up ==


* The [https://github.com/Dyalog/ride/releases/latest Dyalog RIDE] (Remote Integrated Development Environment) allows hitting the prefix key (<kbd>`</kbd> by default, but configurable) twice, followed by the (beginning of the) name of a symbol or a functionality. It then displays a drop-down of choices with arrow keys to indicate choice and the Tab key to insert the symbol. E.g. <kbd>`</kbd>,<kbd>`</kbd>,<kbd>d</kbd>,<kbd>i</kbd>,<kbd>v</kbd>,<kbd>Tab↹</kbd> inserts <source lang=apl inline>÷</source>.
* The [https://github.com/Dyalog/ride/releases/latest Dyalog RIDE] (Remote Integrated Development Environment) allows hitting the prefix key (<kbd>`</kbd> by default, but configurable) twice, followed by the (beginning of the) name of a symbol or a functionality. It then displays a drop-down of choices with arrow keys to indicate choice and the Tab key to insert the symbol. E.g. <kbd>`</kbd>,<kbd>`</kbd>,<kbd>d</kbd>,<kbd>i</kbd>,<kbd>v</kbd>,<kbd>Tab↹</kbd> inserts <source lang=apl inline>÷</source>.


== ASCII symbol combination ==
=== ASCII symbol combination ===


* Many APL glyphs can be approximated by overlaying or juxtaposing two ASCII characters. [[ngn/apl]]'s scripted demo interface and [https://abrudz.github.io/lb/apl Adám Brudzewsky's in-browser language bar] allow such a pair of characters and hitting the Tab key to replace them with the corresponding APL character. For example, <kbd><</kbd>,<kbd>-</kbd>,<kbd>Tab↹</kbd> will insert <source lang=apl inline>←</source> and <kbd>T</kbd>,<kbd>o</kbd>,<kbd>Tab↹</kbd> will insert <source lang=apl inline>⍕</source>.
* Many APL glyphs can be approximated by overlaying or juxtaposing two ASCII characters. [[ngn/apl]]'s scripted demo interface and [https://abrudz.github.io/lb/apl Adám Brudzewsky's in-browser language bar] allow such a pair of characters and hitting the <kbd>Tab↹</kbd> key to replace them with the corresponding APL character. For example, <kbd><</kbd>,<kbd>-</kbd>,<kbd>Tab↹</kbd> will insert <source lang=apl inline>←</source> and <kbd>T</kbd>,<kbd>o</kbd>,<kbd>Tab↹</kbd> will insert <source lang=apl inline>⍕</source>.


== On-screen language bar ==
[[File:NARS2000 language bar.png|thumb|right|NARS2000 language bar]]
=== On-screen language bar ===


Several APL IDEs allow the display of a toolbar with a button for each APL glyph:
Several APL IDEs allow the display of a toolbar with a button for each APL glyph:
Line 74: Line 86:
* [[Dyalog APL]], [[NARS2000]], [[APL2]] and [[ngn/apl]]'s scripted demo interface  all have this feature.
* [[Dyalog APL]], [[NARS2000]], [[APL2]] and [[ngn/apl]]'s scripted demo interface  all have this feature.


=== Web browsers ===
[[File:Dyalog US keyboard.jpg|thumb|right|US keyboard with [[Dyalog APL]] glyphs]]
== Hardware ==
A couple of keyboards are being sold with APL symbols pre-printed onto the key caps:


* [[Adám Brudzewsky]]'s [https://abrudz.github.io/lb/apl  in-browser language bar] adds this to most web pages on demand.
* Dyalog sells [https://www.dyalog.com/apl-font-keyboard.htm#mainContent US English, UK English, and Danish keyboards].
 
* Unicomp sells both [https://www.amazon.com/Unicomp-Classic-Buckling-Spring-Keyboard/dp/B01M7V3M61/ref=sr_1_8 entire keyboards] and [https://www.pckeyboard.com/page/product/USAPLSET separate key caps] for their keyboard range.


{{APL development}}
{{APL development}}
{{APL glyphs}}
[[Category:APL character set]]

Revision as of 22:46, 4 June 2020

APL uses a large range of special graphic symbols to represent most functions and operators. While keyboard mappings become memorized over time, entering APL characters can frustrate the beginner. However, a study involving high school students found that typing and using APL characters did not hinder the students in any measurable way. There are several convenient ways to enter the glyphs.

How to Set up an APL Keyboard

The in-browser language bar

Web

Adám Brudzewsky's in-browser language bar adds APL keyboard functionality to most web pages on demand.

Text editors

Keyboard layout extensions exist for several popular text editors like VS Code, Emacs and Vim. This can be an alternative, or complementary, to system-wide settings.

Linux

Main article: Typing glyphs on Linux

Most Linux distributions released after mid-2012 have Dyalog keyboard support included with the distribution.

Hacker's Keyboard + APL language

Android

dzaima's Hacker's Keyboard + APL language uses a long-press to access APL glyphs.

Windows

Approaches to Layout and Input

Most of today's APLs use a mapping which derives from the original APL\360 terminals' keyboard layout. For example, Dyalog APL's standard US English layout for is as follows:

┌────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬─────────┐
│~ ⌺ │! ⌶ │@ ⍫ │# ⍒ │$ ⍋ │% ⌽ │^ ⍉ │& ⊖ │* ⍟ │( ⍱ │) ⍲ │_ ! │+ ⌹ │Backspace│
│` ⋄ │1 ¨ │2 ¯ │3 < │4 ≤ │5 = │6 ≥ │7 > │8 ≠ │9 ∨ │0 ∧ │- × │= ÷ │         │
├────┴──┬─┴──┬─┴──┬─┴──┬─┴──┬─┴──┬─┴──┬─┴──┬─┴──┬─┴──┬─┴──┬─┴──┬─┴──┬──────┤
│Tab    │Q   │W   │E ⍷ │R   │T ⍨ │Y   │U   │I ⍸ │O ⍥ │P ⍣ │{ ⍞ │} ⍬ │| ⊣   │
│       │q ? │w ⍵ │e ∊ │r ⍴ │t ~ │y ↑ │u ↓ │i ⍳ │o ○ │p * │[ ← │] → │\ ⊢   │
├───────┴┬───┴┬───┴┬───┴┬───┴┬───┴┬───┴┬───┴┬───┴┬───┴┬───┴┬───┴┬───┴──────┤
│Caps    │A   │S   │D   │F   │G   │H   │J ⍤ │K ⌸ │L ⌷ │: ≡ │" ≢ │Enter     │
│Lock    │a ⍺ │s ⌈ │d ⌊ │f _ │g ∇ │h ∆ │j ∘ │k ' │l ⎕ │; ⍎ │' ⍕ │          │
├────────┴──┬─┴──┬─┴──┬─┴──┬─┴──┬─┴──┬─┴──┬─┴──┬─┴──┬─┴──┬─┴──┬─┴──────────┤
│Shift      │Z ⊆ │X   │C   │V   │B   │N   │M   │< ⍪ │> ⍙ │? ⍠ │Shift       │
│           │z ⊂ │x ⊃ │c ∩ │v ∪ │b ⊥ │n ⊤ │m | │, ⍝ │. ⍀ │/ ⌿ │            │
└───────────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────────────┘

Additional charts for other layouts are available.

There are multiple ways to access the glyphs associated with a particular key.

Shifting key

It is quite common to use Ctrl or Alt or AltGr (right-side Alt) as an additional shifting key. For example, AltGr+AltGr+4 would give while AltGr+Shift+4 would give .

  • APLX uses AltGr with an option to also use Alt

Prefix key

A prefix key is a special key or character which is entered immediately before typing the corresponding key.

  • TryAPL and ngn/apl's scripted demo interface support ` as prefix key.
  • The Dyalog Unicode IME and the Dyalog RIDE (Remote Integrated Development Environment) uses ` by default, but allows choosing any key as prefix key.
RIDE keyword lookup

Keyword look-up

  • The Dyalog RIDE (Remote Integrated Development Environment) allows hitting the prefix key (` by default, but configurable) twice, followed by the (beginning of the) name of a symbol or a functionality. It then displays a drop-down of choices with arrow keys to indicate choice and the Tab key to insert the symbol. E.g. `,`,d,i,v,Tab↹ inserts ÷.

ASCII symbol combination

  • Many APL glyphs can be approximated by overlaying or juxtaposing two ASCII characters. ngn/apl's scripted demo interface and Adám Brudzewsky's in-browser language bar allow such a pair of characters and hitting the Tab↹ key to replace them with the corresponding APL character. For example, <,-,Tab↹ will insert and T,o,Tab↹ will insert .
NARS2000 language bar

On-screen language bar

Several APL IDEs allow the display of a toolbar with a button for each APL glyph:

US keyboard with Dyalog APL glyphs

Hardware

A couple of keyboards are being sold with APL symbols pre-printed onto the key caps:


APL development [edit]
Interface SessionTyping glyphs (on Linux) ∙ FontsText editors
Publications IntroductionsLearning resourcesSimple examplesAdvanced examplesMnemonicsISO 8485:1989ISO/IEC 13751:2001A Dictionary of APLCase studiesDocumentation suitesBooksPapersVideosAPL Quote QuadVector journalTerminology (Chinese, German) ∙ Neural networksError trapping with Dyalog APL (in forms)
Sharing code Backwards compatibilityAPLcartAPLTreeAPL-CationDfns workspaceTatinCider
Implementation ResourcesOpen-sourceMagic functionPerformanceAPL hardware
Developers Timeline of corporationsAPL2000DyalogIBMIPSASTSC
APL glyphs [edit]
Information GlyphTyping glyphs (on Linux) ∙ UnicodeFontsMnemonicsOverstrikesMigration level
Individual glyphs Jot () ∙ Right Shoe () ∙ Up Arrow () ∙ Zilde () ∙ High minus (¯) ∙ Dot (.) ∙ Del ()