# alt+numbers for French accents are all different on my laptop



## huyimin

i followed the instruction to type French accents using alt key + numbers combination, so i typed alt+136,alt+137,alt+138 they should be shown as ê,ë and è, but what i have got are ˆ, ‰ and Š respectively, i used a Asus  U5F laptop and the results are all the same in 2 inputting methods French(Canada) and English(United State), any solutions to fix this? thanks!


----------



## cnxtrans

If you are using Windows, it could depend on your Regional Settings.


----------



## JiPiJou

By trying different combinations of numbers, I was able to reproduce the characters mentioned by *huyimin*. I don't know what the *4-letter codes* represent. But perhaps that will suggest a solution to computer geeks :

Alt + 136 = ê
Alt + 137 = ë
Alt + 138 = è
Alt + *0*136 = ˆ
Alt + *0*137 = ‰
Alt + *0*138 = Š


----------



## mec_américain

Look at your keyboard. Mine has the regular QWERTY arrangement, but in smaller blue lettering, it says:

Key, Number
M/0
J/1
K/2
L/3
U/4
I/5
O/6
7/7
8/8
9/9

I have a Fn (function) that's like a "2nd" button on calculators. If I press and hold Fn + Alt, then press J, L, O, I get ê.

Plan B: Attach a standard keyboard computer to your laptop.

Plan C: Edit your responses in word, use Insert/Symbol. The copy the whole thing and drop into a reply box in here.

Clarification: On my computer at least, you have to use the separate keypad to insert the codes, not the numbers above the letters.  Laptops don't have that keypad, but some (all?) manufacturers improvised around that by making it a secondary function of the regular keyboard.


----------



## jann

Hello Huyimin, 

I've moved your question to the Comments & Suggestions forum, which is the appropriate place to ask for help with the Alt codes listed in our French-English sticky.

I suspect that JiPiJou has identified the problem: most of our accent codes are listed with THREE numbers only, but there are also FOUR-number codes that include an initial zero.

The alt codes are degenerate, which is to say that there are often two different codes to produce the same symbol or accent (often one with three numbers, and one with four).  If the three-number alt codes do not work for you, please try using the four-number codes.  An extensive list can be found here.

Let us know if this fixes your problem.  If not, you'll notice that we have several other accent methods listed in the sticky... so going out an purchasing an external keyboard is not necssary! 

Jann
Moderator



PS.  Mec Américain: Laptop users generally have to activate the Number Lock feature (Function + Numlock).  This makes the J, K, L keys produce numbers 1, 2, 3, etc, without it being necessary to hold down the function key all the time. Once number lock is activated - and only once it is activated - can they use the alt number combinations to produce accented letters.


----------



## mec_américain

jann said:


> Let us know if this fixes your problem. If not, you'll notice that we have several other accent methods listed in the sticky... so going out an purchasing an external keyboard is not necssary!


 
If OP is like me, there's an extra one lying around from an obsolete computer; no need to go buy anything.  

However it depends also on usage.  I wouldn't drag the extra keyboard to the coffee shop, but I would use it at home, for instance (I learned a lot of the codes long ago, and it's just faster for me.  I hate laptop keyboards anyway).



jann said:


> PS. Mec Américain: Laptop users generally have to activate the Number Lock feature (Function + Numlock). This makes the J, K, L keys produce numbers 1, 2, 3, etc, without it being necessary to hold down the function key all the time. Once number lock is activated - and only once it is activated - can they use the alt number combinations to produce accented letters.


 
I have both laptop and desktop and much prefer the desktop, so I haven't looked at other ways you might do it.  I just tried mine with your Numlock method and it doesn't seem to work in MSWord (though it may work in a reply window like this).  It triggers Word to drop down Insert/Symbol, interestingly enough, apparently anticipating my intention.

By the numlock method, for "déjà," you'd type d, then Fn Numlock to activate, then JLM, then Fn Numlock to deactivate, then type j, then Fn Numlock to activate, then JLL, then Fn Numlock to deactivate?


----------



## jann

mec_américain said:


> By the numlock method, for "déjà," you'd type d, then Fn Numlock to activate, then *alt *JLM, then Fn Numlock to deactivate, then type j, then Fn Numlock to activate, then *alt* JLL, then Fn Numlock to deactivate?


Almost.*  I've added the missing keystrokes in pink.  

*alt *JLM = Press and hold the Alt key.  While you're holding it down, strike and release the keys J, L, and M in consecutive order (i.e., corresponding to numbers 1, 3, 0 on the laptop numeric keypad).  Then release the Alt key.

Failing to hold down Alt should just create numbers instead of accents if you have succeed in activating the number lock (i.e., you would type the number 130, one hundred and thirty).  But if you don't get the number lock turned on successfully, then you could definitly activate various menus in MS Word (e.g., alt + I activates Insert)... and this could explain how you end up with the "insert symbol" dialog box.  

Some people experience a known and easily resolvable conflict between the Alt key method and FireFox access keys.  Info at the very end of this post.

The Alt method is obviously a bit belabored on a laptop unless you have an external numeric keypad...  which is why I don't use it personally. 

*Actually, being lazy, I think I would type _déà_ and then go back to insert the J in the middle to get _déjà_. That way I'd need only one activation/deactivation sequence with NumLock.


----------



## mec_américain

jann said:


> *Actually, being lazy, I think I would type _déà_ and then go back to insert the J in the middle to get _déjà_. That way I'd need only one activation/deactivation sequence with NumLock.


 
Ah yes, left out the Alt, thanks.  

Lazy?  I know what you mean.  I think it's good to have a lot of little tricks up your sleeve, including the old ctrl-c/ctrl-v to copy and paste.  In the thread about devoir, someone used "dû" so rather than look up the code, I just copied it from the previous post.

Ever on the lookout for lazy shortcuts, I tried changing the MSWord default to French, then did a spell check. It helped but still misses a lot (a vs. à goes unnoticed/unflagged, for instance).


----------



## jann

mec_américain said:


> Ever on the lookout for lazy shortcuts, I tried changing the MSWord default to French, then did a spell check. It helped but still misses a lot (a vs. à goes unnoticed/unflagged, for instance).


If you use FireFox, you can do the same... by installing the French (or Spanish, etc.) dictionary plugin.  Information here.


----------

