How to type Malayalam in Inscript Keyboard

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Check list
1. Has Malayalam been activated?
2. Can you see the Language Bar?

If no, go back to the page Malayalam Typing - Enabling in Windows, and come back later.
If ready, proceed.

Set the Language bar to Malayalam and In-script Keyboard.

First of all, study the Keyboard layout of the Malayalam letters.

The On-screen Keyboard, shown above, can be brought on your screen, Start >> Help >> Type on-screen keyboard in the search box and hit Enter >> Click on Type without using the keyboard (On-screen Keyboard). Hit Shift+Alt or Select Malayalam from the Language Bar to see the Malayalam Layout.

Now, how do you write Malayalam? Vyanjanam followed by swaram.
Type ക to get ക.
First of all, study the Keyboard Layout.
To add a swaram to the vyanjanam just type ക ച ട ത or പ (right-fingered keys) followed by ി ീ ു ൂ ൃ െ േ ൈ ൊ ോ ൗ ം ഃ whichever you want (left-fingered keys) {this arrangement is what makes the typing easy} to get the lettes, say: കാ കി കീ കു കൂ കൃ കെ കേ കൈ കൊ കൊ കൗ കം കഃ etc.

To get koottakshaaram, split the component letters of the koottaksharm with a ് in the middle (like in the new lipi parishkaram of 1971). Eg: ക ് ത without the space in between renders ക്ത. This same method is applicable for any koottaksharam.

To get Chillaksharam (Make sure that Malayalam- Inscript and not Malayalam-Malayalam had been selected in the Language Bar, because rendering of chillaksharam is proper only in the former and never in the latter). Type the vyanjanam component of the chillu followed by ് ] (this ] is the ഞ key without shift) Eg: ന ് ] = ന്‍

CORRECTION : To get chillaksharam using Malayalam (default in Windows 7) type vyanjanam+്+Control_Shift_1 key-combination. Eg: ന+്+ContrlShift1 = ന്‍

See Video

To get nta properly type ന ് റ without the space in between = ന്റ.
(ന്‍റ is not the proper usage, but you can use it to type ഹെന്‍റി - ഹ െ ന ് ] റ ി ).

The Zero Width Non Joiner (ZWNJ) is a charecter that does not appear in the typed document. It is placed between two characters to disconnect two charecters that would otherwise be connected. Eg: In the word സോഫ്റ്റ്വേര്‍ ഫ്റ്റ് and വ should remain disconnected. Adding ' \ ' between ഫ്റ്റ് and വ keeps the letters disconnected to get സോഫ്റ്റ്‌വേര്‍.

Since you can get all letters properly without the Alt key modifier's 3rd layer its use has no additional advantage over the original In-script keyboard. Moreover this Atomic chillaksharam obtained with the Alt modifier keys does not match the shape and size of the accompanying font letters when typing in notepad offline. See below

Advantages of In-script:

1. It is the future
2. It is faster
3. It is more web-friendly
4. Type Malayalam directly the way you write Malayalam (No Copy-paste necessary).
5. It has lesser keystrokes.
6. It renders chillaksharams and all sorts of koottaksharams better.
7. The key-combinations to be remembered is negligible.
8. The layout has been standardized with uniformity for all Indian languages.
9. If you learn to type in any one Indian language you can type many other Indian languages.
10. Activation of the language in Windows is just once-in-a-life- time process.
11. On-line In-script  typing web-sites are available.
12. Type in Notepad and save file as UTF-8
13. Type directly into MS Office (Word, Excel, Power-point etc), Open Office, Graphics (Input text in MS Paint, Paint.NET etc), Web pages, E-mail, Chat, Blog pages etc etc.

Difficulty in learning

1. Key Layout has to be studied or labelled. (It is not as difficult as learning Qwerty!)

Keep trying even if you have difficulty in the beginning. Do not go back to Manglish transliteration even if you have difficulty to get chillaksharam. Review this page if necessary.

Good luck.

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