Jskad is launched via Java Web Start. Java Web Start is a technology from Sun which allows users to launch Java applications directly from a web browser. Java Web Start is supported by Windows, Linux, Solaris, and Mac OS X 10.1, and so Jskad should work on all of these platforms.
Note that after you've run Jskad twice, it will ask you whether or not you want to create a shortcut to Jskad on your desktop. If you say yes, then you can launch Jskad from your desktop in future, without having to visit our web site. Every time Jskad runs, it will automatically check our site for updates - unless you're offline, in which case Jskad will just run the version which is cached on your computer.
Note that to run Jskad you must have the Tibetan Machine Web family of fonts installed.
Note also that due to a bug in earlier versions of Java, you should run Jskad under Java Runtime v. 1.4. If you are running Windows, Linux, or Solaris and you have an earlier version installed, please uninstall it, and then install Java Runtime v. 1.4.
When you fire up Jskad, a glitz-free window will pop up in the center of your screen. Start typing and you'll get Tibetan. If you get garbage instead, that probably means that you haven't installed the TibetanMachineWeb fonts.
A menu bar appears at the top of the window. If you are running Jskad as an application, you'll see four menus: File, Edit, Tools, and Info. If you're running Jskad as an applet, you'll only see Edit, Tools, and Info.
'File' provides basic options for opening, closing, saving, and printing Rich Text Format (RTF) documents. To start a new document, choose 'New'. To open an already existing document, choose 'Open'. In either case, if there is any text in the current Jskad window, a new window will be opened up. To close a Jskad window, choose 'Close' or press the 'X' button. You will be prompted to save if you haven't already done so.
To save, choose 'Save' or 'Save As'. Like other applications, 'Save' saves under the current name, while 'Save As' lets you save under a new name.
When you choose 'Print', a print preview window will pop up. If you don't like the look of the preview, you may want to press the 'Page Setup' button to change the margins or paper orientation. Then press the 'Print' button. Note: Do not use the 'Page Setup' options that are made available after you press the 'Print' button - they may not work.
The 'Edit' menu lets you cut, copy, and paste Tibetan text, switch back and forth between Tibetan and English, and set document preferences. These topics are covered elsewhere, in Copying and Pasting, Typing Tibetan, and Typing English.
The 'Tools' menu provides options to help users who are Converting Wylie to Tibetan, Converting Tibetan to Wylie, and Changing Keyboards.
Jskad lets you input Tibetan text according to several popular keyboard input methods. The default keyboard is the Extended Wylie keyboard. Other supported keyboards include Tibetan Computer Company Keyboard #1, Tibetan Computer Company Keyboard #2 , and Nitharta's Sambhota Keymap One.
Jskad automatically opens up in Tibetan-entry mode, so all you have to do to get Tibetan is start typing. If you are in Roman-entry mode, then you will need to first switch to Tibetan-entry mode. Do this by pressing Escape, or by choosing 'Toggle Tibetan/Roman' from the 'Edit' menu. The default point size for Tibetan text is 36. To change this go to 'Preferences' in the 'Edit' menu.
Due to a bug in Jskad, the keyboard may freeze and do nothing if you type something which is not a Tibetan character in the currently installed keyboard. To regain control press the spacebar or a number key.
Note also that there is currently no syllable-wrapping in Jskad. Lines are wrapped at whitespace, but not at tshegs. We are actively seeking a solution to this problem.
With Jskad you are not restricted to just typing Tibetan. You can also type English or other European languages. If you are in Tibetan-entry mode, you can switch to Roman entry-mode by pressing Escape, or by selecting 'Toggle Tibetan/Roman' from the 'Edit' menu. If this doesn't get you into Roman-entry mode, then Roman entry-mode has been programmatically disabled.
You can change the font and/or point size of Roman-based text entry by selecting 'Preferences' from the 'Edit' menu.
Jskad supports RTF copy and paste. That means that you can copy Tibetan back and forth between Microsoft Word and Jskad. To do so, you can use standard keyboard shortcuts (Ctrl-A for select all, Ctrl-X for cut, Ctrl-C for copy, and Ctrl-V for paste).
Note that not all applications support RTF copy and paste. Therefore, you cannot, for example, copy from Jskad and paste into Microsoft Excel.
One of the most useful features of Jskad is its ability to convert from Extended Wylie to Tibetan. There are three ways to do this:
All three of these options are suitable for most situations. However, if you are converting a lengthy document, you are advised to use the 'Import' option.
In all cases, Wylie can only be converted to Tibetan if it is valid Extended Wylie. If there is any invalidity, the entire conversion will halt. An informational message will appear, with a guess as to what the problem is. Take special note of the fact that Microsoft Word's 'smart quotes' cannot be converted. If you are copying from Microsoft Word, please turn off smart quotes (see Troubleshooting). Remember also that Jskad does not know the difference between Wylie and English. Just because you can see that a string of text is Wylie doesn't mean that a computer knows that it is!
Another useful feature of Jskad is its ability to convert from Tibetan to Extended Wylie. Simply select the Tibetan you want to convert, and then choose 'Tools - Convert Tibetan to Wylie' from the menu bar. The text will be converted, and will appear as Wylie in the default Roman font and point size (see Typing English).
Remember that Jskad only works with the TibetanMachineWeb family of fonts. Therefore, it will only recognize TibetanMachineWeb as Tibetan. Any other Tibetan fonts will be assumed to be non-Tibetan.
As already mentioned, Jskad supports four different keyboard input methods:
The default keyboard is Extended Wylie. To change to another keyboard, choose 'Tools - Keyboards' and then select the keyboard you want to use.
When Jskad loads up, it unjars 'jskad.jar' and looks in the directory 'org/thdl/tib/text/' for a file called 'default_keyboard.ini'. If it finds no such file, then the keyboard defaults to Extended Wylie. Therefore, if you want Jskad to default to another keyboard, you must (a) unjar 'jskad.jar', (b) create a 'default_keyboard.ini' file, (c) put it in the above-named directory, and (d) rejar 'jskad.jar'. If you want one of the already existing non-default keyboards to be the default keyboard, then make a copy of its corresponding .ini file, and rename it as 'default_keyboard.ini'.
You can also create your own keyboards. A keyboard file has five parts:
Sections (c)-(e) are structured in exactly the same way. A line consists of a value, an equals sign, and another value, for example "k=K". This means that to get the Tibetan character associated with Wylie 'k', you must press 'K'. If there is no right part of the equation, then there is no way in this keyboard to get the relevant character. For example, if you see "k=", that means that there is no way in this keyboard to get the Tibetan character associated with Wylie 'k'. Be careful with whitespace, which is not ignored: for example, " = " means [space bar] = [space bar].
Although the three additional keyboards included in this installation always define only one keystroke per character/vowel, it is possible to define a keyboard in which multiple keystrokes correspond to single characters/vowels, as in the Extended Wylie keyboard. However, punctuation is only ever allowed to correspond to a single keystroke. Below is a sample (partial) keyboard, with key parts explained, and much omitted:
Sambhota keyboard //Everything before <?parameters?> is taken to be a comment.
<?parameters?> //describes the logic of the keyboard
has sanskrit stacking=true //is there a stack key for sanskrit stacks?
has tibetan stacking=true //is there a stack key for tibetan stacks?
is stacking medial=false //is the stack key medial, ie like '+' in g+y, or not, as in +gy
stack key=f //what is the stack key? must be single character
has disambiguating key=false //is there a key to distinguish between Wylie gy and g.y?
disambiguating key= //if so, what is it?
needs a chen before vowels=true //for a-chen plus vowel, must you type a-chen first?
has 'a' vowel=false //is there a dummy 'a' vowel?
is achung consonant=true //can achung take part in consonantal stacks?
<?characters?> //characters include consonants and numerals
k=k
kh=K //left value is Extended Wylie & right is equivalent in Sambhota
g=g
ng=G
f= //no equivalent of 'f' in Sambhota
<?vowels?>
a=a
i=i
u=u
e=e
o=o
<?punctuation?>
= //read as [Space] = [Space]
/=,
Some common problems:
If all else fails, remove Java and Jskad from your computer, and then reinstall both.