Re: [tlug] Evolution does write Japanese - kubuntu

[Travis Cardwell <travis.cardwell@example.com>]

Hi,

On 2015年02月12日 10:13, Dr. R. O. Stapf  wrote:
> Thanks for your advice.

You are welcome!  Apologies for slow reply!

> I am still a newbie in Linux, thus need to ask back a bit.

No problem!

> Does this mean I need to enter the code you gave me from
> 
> "#!/bin/bash
> ... to ....
> evolution
> 
> in the terminal as a command to first see if all works?
<SNIP>
> Additional question:
> What does the 2 characters "#!" in front of /bin/bash means and do?

The first line ("#!/bin/bash") is a convention for specifying the command
to execute a script with.  The "#" character generally specifies that the
line is a comment and can be ignored, but the "!" character after it
indicates that a command follows.  This script is therefore executed using
/bin/bash.

The lines beginning with "export" set environment variables, which can
determine how a program runs.  Some programs do not use Japanese correctly
if certain environment variables do not exist.  As Steve pointed out, not
all of the ones that I specified are (likely) required.  Trying all of
them, however, can give you an indication of if environment variables are
the issue or not.  If the test works, then you can try commenting out some
"export" lines (by putting a "#" character at the beginning) and determine
which one(s) is/are actually required.  If the test does not work, then
you know to investigate other possibilities.

The last line ("evolution") simply starts Evolution.  Since the
environment variables are declared using "export", they are exported into
the environment started with this last line, instructing Evolution how to
behave.

To do a quick check, you do not need a script.  Simply open a terminal and
enter each "export" line, one at a time.  This specifies the environment,
and then running "evolution" will start Evolution.  If there are any
errors, they should be displayed in the terminal.  Note that these
settings are not permanent in any way; any command you run from that
terminal will have them, but they go away when you close the terminal.

I suggested creating a script because it allows you to make and test
modifications, such as commenting out lines to see if they are not
necessary.  To do this, create a plain-text file using a text editor.
(Make sure that the file is plain-text and not "rich-text.")  Include all
of the lines (including the "#!" line) and save the file in your home
directory using a name that indicates what it does.  I would name it
something like "evolution-ja.sh", where the ".sh" extension indicates that
it is a shell script.  To run the script, open a terminal, (navigate to
the correct directory if you did not save it in your home directory,) make
the script executable, and run the script.  For example:

    $ chmod 755 evolution-ja.sh
    $ ./evolution-ja.sh

Note that the "$" symbols at the beginning of the lines indicate a command
line prompt; you should not type them.  The first line makes the script
executable, and the second line runs it.  If there are any errors, they
should be displayed in the terminal.

It is possible to run the script by clicking an icon, but you would not
see any errors in that case.  If environment variables are indeed the
issue, then my guess is that an IM setting is all that is needed to fix
it, as Evolution is a high-profile project and probably handles locales
well.  In that case, you can make the settings permanent by putting them
into an ".xprofile" settings file and remove the ("evolution-ja.sh") test
script, as IM settings should not have adverse affects on other software.
 I have run into software, however, that is not very well designed and had
to run in a Japanese locale in order to support Japanese input.  In such
cases, a script like "evolution-ja.sh" can be used to launch the program
with the necessary settings without affecting other software.

Good luck!

Travis