I’ve been studying German for 4 years or so now, and since I began, I’ve been pounding away with alt-code keys. Alt+0220 for Ü, alt+0246 for ö, etc. I just discovered something which will save me quite a bit of time: DeKey.
It’s a custom German keymap for Windows Vista or Windows XP, which allows you to easily type letters commonly used in German, e.g.:
ü, ö, ä, ß, «, », etc.
Instead of using the alt-codes, all you have to do is hold down the Alt key and hit the corresponding letter, so:
R-alt + u = ü
R-alt + a = ä
R-alt + shift + o = Ö
You can download the installer here; instructions on how to enable the keyboard are included in the zip file.
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August 22, 2007 at 5:24 am
Nils
Dang! Lol, should’ve had this when I was still translating. I still have two strips of alt-codes tacked to the sides of my display from back then.
October 8, 2007 at 5:56 pm
Rmss
Why not use the US International layout?
” + u = ü
” + a = ä
” + o = ö
Left ctrl + left alt = ß
October 18, 2007 at 8:16 pm
Josh
Rmss: I just checked out the US international layout, and it works great, except I can’t get ß to be produced with left ctrl + left alt. Any ideas?