June 10, 2007

Fix for Flash CS3 starting key input in Japanese IME

***Update, see bottom of post***

Use this at your own risk but I know I am and will for both computers I have here.

Here's the deal. If you happen to have a Japanese OS, Adobe seems that it would like it's software to recognize that even though you have the english version of the software installed (japanese version hasn't even shipped yet) it wants to default the input to Japanese IME. Very inconvenient because nobody really codes in Japanese. Maybe some comments of course but not the coding.

This kinda SUCKS.. to put it bluntly, and I have no idea who made this decision. But I'm going to go ask next week when I'm down in Adobe HQ and have a quick chat with that person :)

Anyways, there is a way to fix it. You have to mess with your registry settings (I couldn't find anything within the applications menus or prefs).

This is only for windows by the way, no idea if Mac computers have the same problem.

Open up the registry by running regedit. Head into:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Adobe\Flash9\Settings

In there is a:

UseJaZhIME value and it is set to 1. Change that to 0 and restart Flash. All should be good now :)

Now.. how do I fix Fireworks, Photoshop, Dreamweaver and all the rest??

***Update..

It only seems to work the first few times or something. Not sure what is happening but I'm still looking into it.

***Update 2..

Looks like that the registry setting does nothing. Let me try to explain why I was confused.

There are two ways to open Flash. One is by clicking the flash program in the programs list and the other is by double clicking on an fla file. I was doing one or the other but not just one of those.

That makes a difference because I'm using the trial version of the software and the trial screen doesn't come up for a few seconds. In those few seconds I can type normally in the actions panel which made me think it was now fixed, then when the trial screen comes up and I press "next" it then spits me back into flash where I'm now being forced to type in the Japanese IME. So, it seems the culprit is the trial screen. One of things that confused me was when I would open flash and start a new document, the trial screen comes up before I get to the actions panel (but not so when I open a document directly). Now I'm not sure what the above setting does because it makes no difference within flash.

So there you go.. trial screen is the bad guy. Now I understand why this wouldn't make it to the bug base during beta testing. Nobody is using the trial version during beta testing.. everybody gets a serial number.

Posted by Graeme at June 10, 2007 06:22 AM
　



Comments

"I'm going to go ask next week when I'm down in Adobe HQ and have a quick chat with that person :)"

I guess that means I'm off the hook then? But I'm not sure with whom you'll be speaking, and suspect that other staffer they may not be the owner either, hmm....

I think the issue is "CS3/WinXP/English can do Japanese text-entry, but not with custom IME". Is that the core of it?

But you've had registry-modifications and betas on there too, so the description may not actually be that straightforward... hard to tell what others should test yet.

jd/adobe

Posted by: John Dowdell at June 10, 2007 12:22 PM

Hi JD, long time no see!

Right, well it's a matter of the trial version always showing that screen if you want to put in your serial number or just continue using the software as a trial.

The only thing to test would be to install the trial version (not enter a serial number) on a Japanese OS PC and then run it. After that trial screen shows up and you click next to get into the application, the application will be forced into Japanese IME mode (which is just one keystroke to get out, but that's not the point).

But! before that trial screen comes up, the application is NOT in Japanese IME.

It'll probably be easier to just show somebody when I'm there for the ACE Summit.

Thanks for responding.
Graeme

Posted by: Graeme at June 10, 2007 12:27 PM

I'm running the design suite (English) on a Japanese OS and have had issues with the language (IME) occasionally changing from Japanese to English in mid word/sentence. Very strange, but I haven't determined if it is an OS issue or program related. Has been primarily happening with InDesign CS3.

Posted by: Kris at June 11, 2007 01:13 PM