Stroke-based Chinese Input Method on Android and Chrome OS

Abstract

There are different types of Chinese Input methods on the market, and stroke-based Chinese Input method is a popular choice among them, because of the ease in learning and the good performance in typing Chinese characters. This project aims to develop a well-deigned strokebased Chinese Input method called "Six-Digit" mainly on Chrome OS, as it is observed that there is a lack of choice in stroke-based Chinese Input method available in the Chrome OS application market. This project will serve as the starting point in implementing the design onto the new trending platform, providing Chrome OS users an efficient input method to use, and also providing Chrome OS developer a foundation, or, example in developing input method editor in the platform. Also, this project contributes to the Android version of the input method by updating and completing the full functionality of it. The approach used in this implementation project is divided into 3 stages: Research, Implementation, and testing. At the early stage of the project, researches are conducted on the background knowledge of input method editor (IME), and the design of the "Six-Digit" input method is studied through paper review. Also, preparation work including set up of development environment, research on APIs available, and understanding of database structure are done in this early stage of the work. The implementation and testing stage are conducted in an interleaving approach. The implementation of the system is divided into parts, reviews and testing with users are conducted after each module is implemented. This is to ensure the correctness of the system. The implementation on both Android and Chrome OS version can both fulfill the functional requirements of the system. The performance of the Chrome OS can be further improved by implementing the advanced features in the future. It is also recommended to replace relational database with other structure in long term, to ensure the system performance.