bug#37051: 26.2.90; feature request: C-x 8 <SYMBOL> Prefix Command for letter with macron

[Robert Pluim]

>>>>> On Wed, 21 Aug 2019 00:05:11 +1000, VanL <van@scratch.space> said:

    >> On 20 Aug 2019, at 00:44, Robert Pluim <rpluim@gmail.com> wrote:
    >> 
    VanL> I'd like to be able to type the 'a' and 'i' with macron in 'Cháng
    VanL> Xiāng Sī (Everlasting Longing) by Bai Juyi'.
    >> 
    >> Would you consider using the chinese-sisheng input method? That has
    >> mappings for all of those. In fact, digging some more, thereʼs the
    >> hawaiian-prefix method as well, which has far fewer mappings, so
    >> shouldn't interfere too much with normal typing.
    >> 
    >> Otherwise it could be added to the C-x 8 map, but Iʼm having a hard
    >> time finding a prefix thatʼs both free and reasonably mnemonic for
    >> MACRON, unless we want to turn 'C-x 8 =' into a prefix map, with
    >> 'C-x 8 = =' meaning 'insert MACRON'.

    VanL> How about a C-u before `C-x 8 -               ­' for to `insert 
MACRON'?

C-x 8 already uses the prefix argument to mean COUNT, so I donʼt think
that will work.

    VanL> I fail to find instructions to use chinese-sisheng in [1]
    VanL> and the listings from describe-mode, describe-bindings don't
    VanL> have `ī' in them, for example.

It doesnʼt appear to be documented in the manual, but itʼs easy enough
to use. Turn it on and type eg

Cha

You'll see "Cha[1234ino]" in the echo area. If you then type "1",
you'll get:

Chā

Similarly

Xia1 => Xiā
Si1 => Sī

and so on.

    VanL> C-x <RET> C-\ h <TAB> ; has no hawaiian-prefix method
    VanL> completion but hebrew.

Sorry, that was added in emacs-27, and youʼre on emacs-26.

Robert