OpenOffice.org Writer is usually my preferred word processor for creating Tibetan & Dzongkha documents.
I. Installing OpenType layout engine with Tibetan script support.
Windows Xp or 2000 users must first enable complex script support in Windows and install an updated version of Uniscribe (usp10.dll) with Tibetan script support. see: Updating Uniscribe For Tibetan In Windows 2000 & Xp .
This is not necessary for OpenOffice users using Windows Vista or Linux platforms.
II Enabling Complex Text Layout (CTL) in OpenOffice.
Choose: Tools - Options - Language Settings - Languages…
- User interface: Default.
- Locale setting : choose "Dzongkha" (Note: there
is currently no "Tibetan" locale in OpenOffice.org
since Tibetan locale details have only recently been submitted
to the Common Locale Data
Repository [CLDR] and
they are as yet incomplete.)
- Decimal separator key: - Same as locale setting or may be changed as you prefer.
- Default currency:
allows you to specify the default currency that is used in the currency
format and the currency fields. Default is the same as the locale
setting, so you may want to change this.
- Default languages for documents:
- Western: English (UK) - or whatever you want.
- CTL: Dzongkha ("Tibetan" is not yet an available choice)
- Western: English (UK) - or whatever you want.
- Enabled for Asian languages: - here you can activate support for "Asian" (Chinese, Japanese, Korean) languages if you want to.
- Enabled for complex text layout (CTL): - Activates complex text layout support - essential for Tibetan script, Devanagri etc.
Next, Choose: Tools - Options - Language Settings - Complex Text Layout…
- Use Sequence checking: If Sequence Input Checking (SIC) is
enabled, OpenOffice.org will not allow a character next to another if
this is forbidden by a rule.
- Restricted: Prevents the use as well as the printing of illegal character combinations.
- Restricted: Prevents the use as well as the printing of illegal character combinations.
- Cursor control:
Used to select the type of text cursor movement and text selection for
mixed text (right-to-left mixed with left-to-right text direction) -
this is for use with scripts such as Arabic.
- Logical: The text cursor moves to the text end with Arrow Right
and to the text begining with Arrow Left.
- Visual: The text cursor moves to the right with Arrow Right and to the left with Arrow Left.
- Logical: The text cursor moves to the text end with Arrow Right
and to the text begining with Arrow Left.
III. Setting default fonts for Tibetan script text.
Choose: Tools - Options - OpenOffice.org Writer - Basic Fonts (CTL)…
In this dialog you should type-in or select the names of OpenType / Unicode Tibetan script fonts for all options. These settings do not affect your default fonts for Latin script text and only apply when you enter Tibetan / Dzongkha characters in a document.
- Basic fonts:
- Default:
CTL font to be used for the Default Paragraph Style. Can be overridden
by explicitly defining another font in any style used for paragraphs.
- Size: Specifies the size of the font.
- Heading: Specifies the CTL font to be used for headings.
- List: Specifies the CTL font for lists and numbering and all derived styles.
- Caption: CTL font used for the captions of images and tables.
- Index: CTL font used for indexes, alphabetical indexes, and tables of contents.
- Default:
CTL font to be used for the Default Paragraph Style. Can be overridden
by explicitly defining another font in any style used for paragraphs.
- Current document only: If you check this the settings
will only apply to the current document. If you frequently work with
Dzongkha or Tibetan, do not check this option.
- Default button: If you click this button the values visible in the dialog box will be set back to OO.org installation values. You probably don't want to do this as it will undo all the changes you have just made!