I don't like typing in latinica without the correct accents and characters. i also don't like using the latinica keyboards from Serbia, Croatia or Bosnia, because they screw around the position of [ ] \ etc. I want a keyboard which operates exactly like the english keyboard but with the extra Macedonian latinica functionality. After the help of Slovak, i have created one.

I have left the english keyboard which we all know untouched, so keys such as [ ] \ etc. all still work the same. What i have added are extra keys (available by holding down on the right alt button) which bring up extra latin characters with accents used accross Macedonia and the balkans.

I tried to incorporate every romanised accent used accross Macedonia, from Macedonian, Serbo/Cro/Bosnian Albanian, Turkish, Vlashki and Romane.

The keys which i think are applicable to Macedonian are: šžč ḱ ǵ ü è ì (never before have ḱ and ǵ been available on any keyboard because up until now there hasn't been a keyboard specifically for Macedonian kirilica) ł ń (lj nj) are additions which i think we should use but aren't in standard use yet.

So this is how the keyboard with Macedonian Functionality looks.

Keyboard


Shift


Right Alt


Shift + Right Alt



Windows Users

If you would like to download and install this keyboard (which i think every macedonian should have), just download this zip file
http://www.maknews.com/keyboard/mkd.zip

1. unzip the file

2. click on setup.exe

3. go to Start>Control Panel > Regional and Language Options

4. click on the languages tab

5. click on the details button

6. in the settings zone, click on "add" then check the box "Keyboard Layout"

7. In this box look for one of the following "Layout01", "Macedonia Multilingual Keyboard" or MKD. (I screwed up the installation because i had things all over the place sorry.)

8. Press OK

9. in the "Default Input Language" there should be a drop down box. If you would like this new keyboard to be your default then select it there. It should be something like "English (US)- MKD" or "English (US)- Layout01" or something like that.

10. Press Ok

now you should be done!



mac users

1. In Finder, go to your home folder (whatever your individual computer account is called)

2. Enter the 'Library' folder

3. Enter the 'Keyboard Layouts' folder and download these two files into that folder
www.maknews.com/keyboard/Macedonian_Latin.icns
www.maknews.com/keyboard/Macedonian_Latin.keylayout

4. Click the apple icon on the top left of the screen and go to 'System Preferences'

5. Select the 'International' icon

6. Select the tab which says 'Input Methods'

7. Macedonian Latin should be on the list, with an emblem of a lion with two-tails on a red shield. Check this box and it will appear on your language options on the top right of your taskbar right next to the date and time.

The computer might require a restart to refresh these changes.

The keyboard will work by holding either of the alt keys along with the symbol you want a character on. eg. alt+s = š

Hopefully this works. I haven't tried it on a different computer since I have a program which may have jumbled my folders for keyboard layouts). If there are problems let me know and i'll see how they can be solved.

I would also like to add that this keyboard can (and should) be used as the standard keyboard accross Macedonia, because it incorporates all of the languages used in Macedonia.

а a
б b
в v
г g
д d
ѓ ǵ
е e
ѐ è
ж ž
з z
ѕ dz
и i
ѝ ì
ј j
к k
л l
љ ł (lj)
м m
н n
њ ń (nj)
о o
п p
р r
с s
т t
ќ ḱ
у u
ф f
х h
ц c
ч č
џ dž
ш š

also i added ü because it was used in the abecedar

used for serbo/cro pronounciations
ћ ć
ђ đ

I will adopt this keyboard my friend... congrats on a job well done along with Slovak. Sreken Bozik can now be said in more than 2 ways properly!.

Sreḱen Božik to you too Goce!!

If you have any problems with it let me know.

Hey bravo MKD!! this fantastic, you should send it to the Macedonian government

However it doesnt' seem to be working for me i'm using Vista, i have the Macedonian cyrillic version in, i just change to that by alt+shift, but i can't seem to change to the one you made? I found the layout 01 in the languages part and clicked to add that, however in the properties part of it where it has the key board layout, it doesn't have the same keyboard lay out you put here? I just selected so that i can change between Mak and english and the layout 01 by just pressing alt and shift, and it does change between all of them, however it doesn't seem to typing it up for me?

Is it Vista? I don't have winzip to unzip the file, but Vista seemed to have already unzipped it coz i went straight to the setup file...

firstly dejance, make sure that you are using the RIGHT alt button, as it doesn't work on the left alt.

if that still doesn't fix it, then try something from the language bar, the bit on your taskbar where u can choose between EN and MK.. Select EN. Now there should be a little keyboard next to the EN (that's how it looks in XP anyway). See if Layout01 is selected there.

Yeah the right alt button changes it, but i still get the same letters. Actually i only get the small keyboard with MK and i changed to layout 01 with that and that's what i'm typing in now:\ it could be Vista, i'll try on XP later if i don't get it to work now.

hmm... give it a go, otherwise i might have to look into it.

has anyone else got this working on xp?

Hey, does it matter that when i click on preview to see the keyboard lay out for layout 01, that i can't see what you have put up here with the characters?

where are you clicking to preview?

In the language part where you add the extra language thing, it has an option that says preview, i'll get a screen shot justa sec

Here it is, sorry it was properties, i mixed preview up:? but when u click in properties it has the layout

I have problems from #4 on...I get layout o1 but under the USA english language not under Mak. Do you mean Keyboard and languages tab...and where is the details button. I also have Vista.

4. click on the languages tab

5. click on the details button

6. in the settings zone, click on "add" then check the box "Keyboard Layout"

7. In this box look for one of the following "Layout01", "Macedonia Multilingual Keyboard" or MKD. (I screwed up the installation because i had things all over the place sorry.)

8. Press OK

9. in the "Default Input Language" there should be a drop down box. If you would like this new keyboard to be your default then select it there. It should be something like "English (US)- MKD" or "English (US)- Layout01" or something like that.

10. Press Ok

I had layout 01 under EN-US part but for some reason it shifted to MK...doesn't make a difference (i think). Anyway i think the tab headings and buttons are bit different from XP goce, but it's basically the same.

Just go to regional and languages options, then click on change keyboards and you'll get to the part where you see a small box with the languages like the screen shot i put up, then just click on add and find Macedonian, now i found the layout 01 by checking the 'show more...' box and you'll find layout 01, just check that and ok it all the way through.

Dejance, the preview you showed doesn't have the alt keys on it so it looks how i expected it would look.. without using alts, it is identical to the english keyboard.

I set my layout to belong to the English keyboard and i've set it as the default keyboard.

I guess it doesn't matter which language the Layout01 keyboard is set to..

However, the way you select it for use is from the language bar. do you guys have the language bars display in vista? from there i select either EN or MK

For eg. in EN, it will have a little keyboard next to it, where you can click on either English (US) or Layout01

OHHHHHHHHHHHH you have to hold right alt for all the letters....okay I got it, it looks and feels great MKD...sure beats a blowjob by a hooker.

haha.. sure if u say so..
no probs..

so for the record you got it working in vista?

yes it works superbly, once again, great job...I will recommend this to many.

Great job MKD.

I already have one on my computer, yours is fantastic, I'll download it to be my second one. :3