On Sat, Jun 12, 2010 at 05:41:55PM -0700, bugzilla-daemon@freedesktop.org wrote:
> Avestan is an archaic language that recently got encoded in Unicode, version
> 5.2.
> The Avestan block is located in Plane 1.
> 
> A layout for Avestan has been designed by Ernst Tremel,
> http://ubuntuforums.org/showpost.php?p=9365469&postcount=32
> 
> An XKB layout has been created and is attached.
> 
> Sergey, is it OK to include this layout (considering it is an archaic
> language)?

Will anyone actually use it, or does this just exist for its own sake?

The intended audience for this variant are scholars who want to digitise documents in the Avestan script. One such person is the designer of the layout, who also intends to help other scholars in their community.
His website is http://www.skytower.org/~ernstjtremel/ and has done similar work with other scripts, including OpenType font design and an Avestan font.

I looked into the support of historic scripts in Windows 7; there is at least one, Osmanya (in Plane 1) (http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/goglobal/bb688099.aspx#W7 )

The alternative to not including this variant in xkeyboard-config would be for those scholars to add manually the variant. There are already several such cases, including http://www.frame-poythress.org/poythress_articles/2007KeyboardGreekHebrew.htm

(Relevant blog post: http://simos.info/blog/archives/1134 )

Added as ir(ave) into "exotic" section.

Created attachment 41904 [details]
key <AB10> has to be changed

This is the new configuration of key <AB10>

key <AB10> { [ U10B3F, 		U2E31 ] }; // 𐬿 ·

I would not like to override the entire variant. Could I just change the line you mentioned?

This Avestan keyboard Layout still is not integrated into Ubuntu up to version 12.04.
In former versions my own Avestan keyboard layout as discribed by Simos Xenitelis was working.
But now it is not working any more.

I proceeded like described in
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=188761&highlight=layout&page=4

But when I tried to add this new keyboard layout 
"Avestan"
or any other like
"Indisch" or "Tamil"
I get this error messages 

Fehler beim Aktivieren der XKB-Konfiguration.
Dies kann verschiedene Gründe haben.

Falls Sie dies als Fehler melden, fügen Sie
die Ausgaben folgender Befehle bei:
 • xprop -root | grep XKB
 • gsettings get org.gnome.libgnomekbd.keyboard model
 • gsettings get org.gnome.libgnomekbd.keyboard layouts
 • gsettings get org.gnome.libgnomekbd.keyboard options

ernst@UbuntuErnst:~$ xprop -root | grep XKB
_XKB_RULES_NAMES_BACKUP(STRING) = "evdev", "pc105", "de", "", ""
_XKB_RULES_NAMES(STRING) = "evdev", "pc105", "de", "", "grp:ctrl_alt_toggle"
ernst@UbuntuErnst:~$ ^C
ernst@UbuntuErnst:~$ gsettings get org.gnome.libgnomekbd.keyboard model
''
ernst@UbuntuErnst:~$ ^C
ernst@UbuntuErnst:~$ gsettings get org.gnome.libgnomekbd.keyboard layouts
['de', 'ir\tavestan', 'in', 'in\ttam']
ernst@UbuntuErnst:~$ gsettings get org.gnome.libgnomekbd.keyboard options
['grp\tgrp:ctrl_alt_toggle']
ernst@UbuntuErnst:~$ 

ernst@UbuntuErnst:~$ xprop -root | grep XKB
_XKB_RULES_NAMES_BACKUP(STRING) = "evdev", "pc105", "de", "", ""
_XKB_RULES_NAMES(STRING) = "evdev", "pc105", "de,in,in", ",,tam", "grp:shift_caps_toggle,grp:ctrl_alt_toggle"
ernst@UbuntuErnst:~$ gsettings get org.gnome.libgnomekbd.keyboard model
''
ernst@UbuntuErnst:~$ gsettings get org.gnome.libgnomekbd.keyboard layouts
['de', 'in', 'in\ttam', 'ir\tavestan']
ernst@UbuntuErnst:~$ gsettings get org.gnome.libgnomekbd.keyboard options
['grp\tgrp:shift_caps_toggle', 'grp\tgrp:ctrl_alt_toggle']
ernst@UbuntuErnst:~$

How to solve this problems.

PS: In former Ubuntu Versions there were no problems adding this new "Avestan" keyboard layout
==================================================================
After the update from August 10 th 2012 to
Linux 3.2.0-29 generic-pae
the problem of not being able to install my Avestan keyboard layout
still continued.

I'll add the results for
 • xprop -root | grep XKB
 • gsettings get org.gnome.libgnomekbd.keyboard model
 • gsettings get org.gnome.libgnomekbd.keyboard layouts
 • gsettings get org.gnome.libgnomekbd.keyboard options


 • xprop -root | grep XKB
_XKB_RULES_NAMES_BACKUP(STRING) = "evdev", "pc105", "de", "", ""
_XKB_RULES_NAMES(STRING) = "evdev", "pc105", "de", "", ""

 • gsettings get org.gnome.libgnomekbd.keyboard model
''


 • gsettings get org.gnome.libgnomekbd.keyboard layouts
['de', 'in', 'in\ttam', 'ir\tavestan']

 • gsettings get org.gnome.libgnomekbd.keyboard options
['grp\tgrp:shift_caps_toggle', 'grp\tgrp:ctrl_alt_toggle']

In these web sites you may see the importance of Avestan languge
http://www.omniglot.com/writing/avestan.htm
http://www.avesta.org/language/vocab.htm
http://www.alanwood.net/unicode/avestan.html
http://www.avesta.org/language/writing.htm
http://www.avesta.org/avesta.html
http://translate.google.de/translate?hl=de&langpair=en|de&u=http://skyknowledge.com/new-avestan.htm
http://www.avesta.org/Desai%20Learning%20Avesta%20Compendium/Desai%20Learning%20Avesta%20Compendium_opf_files/slideshow.htm
http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~iranian/
http://www.avesta.org/kanga/dictionary_opf_files/
http://www.avesta.org/kanga/grammar_opf_files/

The Avestan keyboard layout was added on March 2011 to xkeyboard-config 
http://cgit.freedesktop.org/xkeyboard-config/commit/symbols/ir?id=f836c210a4e4007715b149d4736a447c56b7cbaa
and the layout is present in Ubuntu 12.04.

However, it appears to me that the layout tool does not pick up the Avestan layout, and does not provide a way to add it from the graphical user interface.

Ernst, could you please check if Avestan is in the list of layouts in Ubuntu 12.04? I am using a localised Ubuntu 12.04, with partial translations, so I may miss it.


The layout should appear as "Persian (Avestan)", or as "Avestan" in the list.

We will probably need to file a report at Launchpad for this.

I checked the keyboard layouts' list and I neither found "Avestan" nor "Iran-Avestan" nor "Persian-Iran-Avestan" nor the German equivalents "Awestisch" nor Persisch-Awestisch"

And when I proceed as Simos Xenitelis suggested:
 
A. Open the Dash and type 'dconf'. The dconf-editor app should appear.
If not, then install from the Software Centre the 'dconf-editor' app.

B. In dconf-editor, navigate to

/org/gnome/libgnomekbd/keyboard/

C. Change the 'layouts' file to include Avestan.

for example

BEFORE: ['us', 'gr']
AFTER:  ['us', 'gr', 'ir\tave']

the new Avestan keyboard is functioning.

But it is not shown in the keaboards' list as
"Avestan" or (in German) as "Awestisch")
but as "Persian" (in German as "Persisch")

But it should have been shown as "Avestan" resp. "Persian-Avestan" or "Iran-Avestan" 
(in German as "Awestisch" or "Persisch-Awestisch")

Sergey, Ubuntu 12.04 does not show the Avestan layout in the Keyboard layout selection settings.

Is this an xkeyboard-config issue (layout name is not such that will be picked by the GUI) or is it an Ubuntu bug?

It is ubuntu bug (or missing feature). It seems they ignore base.extras.xml file. Ideally, GUI tools should provide some option to show "exotic" materials from "extras" section. But there is no obligation...

In gnome, till 3.4, there is gconf option /org/gnome/libgnomekbd/desktop/load-extra-items

(In reply to comment #11)
> It is ubuntu bug (or missing feature). It seems they ignore base.extras.xml
> file. Ideally, GUI tools should provide some option to show "exotic" materials
> from "extras" section. But there is no obligation...
> 
> In gnome, till 3.4, there is gconf option
> /org/gnome/libgnomekbd/desktop/load-extra-items

Thanks Sergey!

I've opened a bug report at Launchpad for this, at
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/gnome-settings-daemon/+bug/1037180