A ‘keylayout’ file is really just a keyboard driver which provides a way of assigning character values (or codepoints) to specific keys on a keyboard. They are also referred to as ‘input methods’ in OS X.

A keylayout file can take several different formats but we use XML exclusively. The XML file is in turn translated into a keyboard resource by the operating system but this happens behind the scenes and should be of no concern to the average user.

Keylayouts support at least one input type — all of ours use the type Unicode but they could also be linked to specific writing systems (usually only provided in support of WorldScript script systems and earlier national encodings in pre-OS X versions of system software).

It is possible to create your own keylayout or edit an existing one. Even though XML is intended to be easily read and understood, there are some important principles and guidelines that should be followed. We do not recommend that users edit the keylayouts that come with our products unless you’re already very familiar with the process. This web site will not teach you how to modify a keylayout file but you can visit wordherd.com if you’d like to try your hand at creating a new one.