Theuth

Type polytonic Greek and Latin in any VS Code document (Markdown, plain text...). Diacritics are added or removed by converting the letter before the caret (or the selected text) with the Proteus engine, bundled as a local API process that the extension starts on demand on a random port and stops when VS Code closes.

A tools view adds toolbar buttons for all the commands, and a character picker, finder and dumper to type any Unicode character.

This is an early version for testing purposes. It replicates the essential typing and conversion tools logic you can find at https://proteus.fusi-soft.com/theuth.

Commands and default keybindings

Diacritic commands act on the letter before the caret (with its existing diacritics), or on each selection. Keybindings apply when an editable text editor has focus and can be changed from Keyboard Shortcuts; they are designed for a US layout.

Unbound tools (use the Command Palette or bind them yourself), acting on the selection or, when nothing is selected, the whole document:

• Convert Beta Code to Unicode: convert Beta-coded ASCII into Unicode.
• Convert SAMPA to Unicode: convert SAMPA-coded ASCII into Unicode.
• Transliterate Greek: transliterate Greek into Latin alphabet.

You can customize these tools via settings.

Tools View

Click the Theuth (Θ) icon in the activity bar to open the tools view. You can drag it to the secondary side bar or the panel like any other view. It has a toolbar at the top and three character tools in tabs below it.

The tools always act on the last active text editor, even after you click into the view. After each action the focus goes back to that editor, so you can keep typing.

Toolbar

These buttons run the same commands as the keybindings above. Diacritics apply to the letter before the caret or to each selection. Conversions apply to the selection, or to the whole document when nothing is selected.

The view's title bar has a gear button that opens the Theuth settings. Its ... menu has the import, export and reset commands for the picker list and the settings.

Picking a Character

In all three tools, characters are shown as tiles with their glyph, Unicode category and code. Tiles are colored by category unless you assigned a color. Then:

• hover (or focus) a tile to see its code and full name;
• click a tile to select it (click again to deselect);
• double-click a tile, or press Enter on it, to type the character into the editor. It replaces each selection, and with multiple cursors it is typed at each of them;
• use the slider at the bottom to change the tile size, and its reset button to restore it.

Picker

Your own list of frequently used characters (up to 1000). It starts with a set of symbols, Latin vowels with breve and macron, and Greek letters and signs used in classical philology. In its toolbar:

• type a hex code (016B) or a range (016B-020A) in the box, then:
  • + (or Enter) adds the characters to the list;
  • − removes them;
  • the palette assigns a background color to them (if already in the list);
• ← / → move the selected character in the list;
• insert types the selected character, like double-clicking it;
• open / save import or export the list as a JSON file. The format is the same as the character picker of the Theuth web editor, so you can exchange lists with it;
• reset restores the default list and display settings (after confirmation);
• the gear opens the settings.

Every change is saved to your VS Code settings (theuth.picker.characters), so the list follows you via Settings Sync, and you can also edit it by hand.

Finder

Search the whole Unicode database:

1. type any part of a character name (e.g. alpha), and/or open Categories to check one or more Unicode general categories;
2. optionally open More filters: hex ranges (e.g. 0370-03FF 1F00-1FFF, optionally excluded rather than included), combining class range, decomposition (any part of it, e.g. 0301 for characters decomposing with an acute accent), bidi class, and whether characters are numeric, mirrored or decomposable;
3. press Enter in a text box or click the search button.

Results come in pages. Use the arrows and the page size selector at the bottom to browse them. The clear button resets all the filters.

Dumper

Inspect the characters of a text, for example when glyphs look alike (Latin a vs. Greek α, a space vs. a non-breaking space) or when combining marks overlap. Type or paste up to 500 characters, or click Inspect the editor selection to load the text selected in the editor. Each character gets its own tile, in order, and the full list of codes is shown above the tiles, ready to copy.

Settings

Under Settings > Extensions > Theuth:

• context length, transliteration options and Beta code filters;
• Characters: Font Family and Characters: Hex Display: how the tools view displays characters and their codes;
• Picker: Characters: the picker's list, usually edited from the picker itself. Each entry is a hex code ("03B1"), or an object with a code and its tile color ({ "code": "03B1", "color": "#ffcc00" }).

Theuth: Export Settings / Import Settings save and load the conversion settings as JSON; Theuth: Export/Import/Reset Character Picker List do the same for the picker's list and display settings. These commands are also in the tools view's ... menu.