What files are installed in the Language & Input settings of the Welcome app?

Is there any possibility to find out what specific language packages are installed prior to clicking on the button in Language & Input > Complex Input > Chinese? It would be great if any additional information is included, especially since I have read that there are several different Chinese language packages available in the Ubuntu environment.

All of the software installed in Welcome and the Boutique are in applications.json:

/usr/share/ubuntu-mate-welcome/js/applications.json

I have wondered if I should add a --query= parameter to pass to Welcome to fetch details like this… but thought about more (optional) advanced details in the Boutique like package names.


For the Chinese option, it installs/removes these packages:

  • fcitx
  • fcitx-frontend-gtk2
  • fcitx-frontend-gtk3
  • fcitx-frontend-qt4
  • fcitx-sunpinyin

You could use Synaptic to view their package descriptions for further details, or to see what files are included.

1 Like

I think this is a good idea. An optional, advanced details tab listing what package names will be installed (also for the Additional Codecs button) would give a new user more control over the system. It also has a certain educational value by slowly introducing package names and what they are designed to do.

1 Like

I have installed fcitx through the Software Boutique but I am having trouble getting it to work properly in Ubuntu MATE 16.04. The context menu to the application icon in the panel strangely alternates between these two layouts whereas one of them (screenshot 1) looks like it was not correctly rendered by the MATE environment and the one which adopts the default theme colours correctly doesn't allow access to the configuration options in the context menu (see screenshot 2).

Screenshot 1:

Screenshot 2:

When I click on ConfigureFxitx or ConfigureIMPanel the MATE menu is activated (but not opened) and it looks like this:

Is there any possibility to receive fcitx updates through the Software Boutique? I couldn't find any information on how to make sure what version I have installed on the fcitx GitHub page. Are these problems perhaps related to different gtk versions?

I also followed the installation instructions on Pinyin Joe's Chinese Computing Help Desk for Ubuntu. The screenshots on his page showing how to configure IMEs also seem to suggest that the version I have installed is not the latest one for Ubuntu 16.04? I cannot find any option to switch between traditional and simplified Chinese characters.

I truthfully do not have any answers… Screenshot 1 could be an indication it’s using a framework other than GTK, like Qt, but I do not know otherwise. :confused:

I haven’t ever used these packages, all I know is that these language options have always been in Welcome since the beginning (15.04/15.10). If there’s a working, stable PPA that could be used, we can consider it.

Now I got an error message, maybe it explains a bit more? How about dividing this thread into another one related to fcitx?