java.awt.im.spi
Interface InputMethodDescriptor


public interface InputMethodDescriptor

This interface provides information about an InputMethod before it is loaded.

Since:
1.3

Method Summary
 InputMethod createInputMethod()
          Creates a new instance of the input method.
 Locale[] getAvailableLocales()
          Returns the locales supported by the input method this describes.
 String getInputMethodDisplayName(Locale inputLocale, Locale displayLanguage)
          Returns a user visible name of the input locale, displayed in the specified locale.
 Image getInputMethodIcon(Locale inputLocale)
          Returns a 16x16 icon for the input locale.
 boolean hasDynamicLocaleList()
          Test whether the input method this describes has a static or dynamic locale list.
 

Method Detail

getAvailableLocales

Locale[] getAvailableLocales()
                             throws AWTException
Returns the locales supported by the input method this describes. This allows the selection of input methods by locale (by language only, or also by country and variant), via InputContext.selectInputMethod(Locale). The returned list should ignore pass-through locales, so it is usually a subset of locales for which InputMethod.setLocale(Locale) returns true. If hasDynamicLocaleList() returns true, this is called each time information is needed, allowing dynamic addition or removal of supported locales.

Returns:
the list of supported locales
Throws:
AWTException - if the input method is not available

hasDynamicLocaleList

boolean hasDynamicLocaleList()
Test whether the input method this describes has a static or dynamic locale list. For example, this would return true if the list of supported locales depends on adapters currently loaded over a network.

Returns:
true if the locale list is dynamic

getInputMethodDisplayName

String getInputMethodDisplayName(Locale inputLocale,
                                 Locale displayLanguage)
Returns a user visible name of the input locale, displayed in the specified locale. The inputLocale parameter must be one obtained from the list in getAvailableLocales(), or null for a locale-independent description of the input method. If a translation to the desired display language is not available, another language may be used.

Parameters:
inputLocale - the locale of the input method, or null
displayLanguage - the language of the result
Returns:
the name of the input method when using the given inputLocale

getInputMethodIcon

Image getInputMethodIcon(Locale inputLocale)
Returns a 16x16 icon for the input locale. The inputLocale parameter must be one obtained from the list in getAvailableLocales(), or null for a locale-independent icon for the input method.

Parameters:
inputLocale - the locale of the input method, or null
Returns:
a 16x16 icon for the input method when using the given inputLocale

createInputMethod

InputMethod createInputMethod()
                              throws Exception
Creates a new instance of the input method.

Returns:
the newly created input method
Throws:
Exception - if anything goes wrong