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On Linux/Ubuntu, I have found a few options for entering special characters:

  • AltGr+Key and Shift+AltGr+Key on keyboards that have AltGr; those can be found on the Keyboard Layout Chart in Ubuntu. For example, Shift+AltGr+Q produces Ω. Keyboard layout chart on Ubuntu
  • Unicode input with Shift+Ctrl+U <unicode> <RET>, which works in almost all applications in Ubuntu 17.04 and in GTK applications for older Ubuntu versions and other distributions. For example, Shift+Ctrl+U 2209 <RET> creates ∉
  • The Compose key which, after enabling, combines two characters to one, for example <Compose> 1 2 produces ½ or <Compose> B . produces Ḃ.
  • And finally, dead keys like ~ and ^ which do not immediately produce a character but modify the keyboard layout for the next key press. For example, ~ a produces ã, ~ = produces ≃, ^ i produces î, and ^ ^ produces ^.

Where can I find a reference for dead keys?

Simon A. Eugster
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  • It sounds to me as if you understand this quite well. What kind of reference is it you would like to see? – Gunnar Hjalmarsson Feb 27 '18 at 14:21
  • Something like [this list](https://help.ubuntu.com/community/GtkDeadKeyTable) which lists all possible characters that can be produced with dead keys. – Simon A. Eugster Feb 27 '18 at 14:58
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    To use dead keys, they need to be available in the keyboard layout you are using. For instance, to see which dead keys are present in the _German (Switzerland)_ layout, you can study the `/usr/share/X11/xkb/symbols/ch`file. Considering that, the usefulness of such a complete reference appears to be limited. Doesn't the Gtk list you pointed at provide sufficient guidance? – Gunnar Hjalmarsson Feb 27 '18 at 15:20
  • It does almost (I found it after posting this question). It would help a bit more to really see the character that is produced instead of a textual description. But if there is no such list, then so be it. Thanks for the hint about xkb symbols, that looks like a good source of truth once one understands how it works. – Simon A. Eugster Feb 27 '18 at 21:15
  • Background: I want to find out if I can create letters like the ộ in the city name [Hội An](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H%E1%BB%99i_An) without the unicode input method. With an overview table this is easy to confirm or deny. – Simon A. Eugster Feb 27 '18 at 21:18
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    I see. I don't think there exist dead keys for characters as special as the one you mentioned. If you often need to type those, you may want to consider a custom keyboard layout. – Gunnar Hjalmarsson Feb 27 '18 at 21:28

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