Using and optimizing fcitx5

Recently, I found that many people in the archlinuxcn group are using fcitx5, so I decided to give it a try.

Note: fcitx5 does not support Sogou Input Method, Baidu Input Method, etc. Users who prefer these input methods can ignore this article.

Author's environment: archlinux+kde.

Installation#

Currently, archlinux has complete support for fcitx5. For arch users, just follow these steps:

# Uninstall fcitx4 related programs
sudo pacman -Rs $(pacman -Qsq fcitx)
# Install fcitx5 framework, configuration tool, and input method modules
sudo pacman -S fcitx5-im
# Install input method engines, currently available options are fcitx5-chinese-addons/fcitx5-rime/fcitx5-chewing
# Rime configuration is more complex, I have not used chewing personally, this article uses chinese-addons
sudo pacman -S fcitx5-chinese-addons

This will successfully install fcitx5.

Next, if you want to enable fcitx5 in programs, you need to set the environment variables:

# Write the following content in ~/.xprofile
export INPUT_METHOD=fcitx5
export GTK_IM_MODULE=fcitx5
export QT_IM_MODULE=fcitx5
export XMODIFIERS=@im=fcitx5

Auto Start#

By default, fcitx5 does not auto start. To enable automatic startup, you can choose one of the following methods:

Add fcitx5 to the autostart settings of your desktop environment (using KDE as an example):

Execute the following command:

sudo cp /usr/share/applications/fcitx5.desktop ~/.config/autostart/

Then restart your computer and add the desired input method in fcitx5 configuration (for general users, please choose Pinyin):

Skins#

Currently, there are limited skins available. It is recommended to use the visually appealing fcitx5-material-color:

sudo pacman -S fcitx5-material-color

For users of other desktop environments, please refer to the project's README.md to modify the configuration file.

KDE users can switch themes by going to Settings -> Regional Settings -> Input Method -> Additional Configuration -> Classic User Interface -> Theme:

Dictionaries#

Next is the crucial step of configuring dictionaries. Currently, the repository provides 2 dictionaries:

fcitx5-pinyin-zhwiki: Chinese Wikipedia entries
fcitx5-pinyin-moegirl: Moegirl Encyclopedia entries

For users using the fcitx5-chinese-addons input method engine, the dictionaries will be automatically enabled upon installation.

In addition, we can also import Sogou dictionaries:

For KDE users, you can import Sogou dictionaries by going to Settings -> Regional Settings -> Input Method -> Pinyin -> Dictionary -> Import.
For other users, you need to manually open the "Fcitx5 Configuration" software and manually configure it in the Pinyin input method.

Encountering Problems?#

Refer to the arch wiki: Troubleshooting.
Leave a comment under this article and I will try to answer.

Summary#

In my opinion, a well-configured fcitx5 is just as good as Sogou Input Method, and even more stable. Highly recommended.

References#

Fcitx5 - ArchWiki