[eviks]

> custom setups break and aren't portable

But this is a custom setup that's not portable?

And how is it less tedious to have to select previously typed text all the time? Is it mainly better because then you don't need to do anything on individual chars, but do it in a batch?

[alexpovel]

> But this is a custom setup that's not portable?

Caught me.

> And how is it less tedious to have to select previously typed text all the time?

This is tedious, but I have that automated (AutoHotKey). So a single, AHK-managed hotkey does the equivalent of:

    CTRL + SHIFT + HOME
    CTRL + C
    feed into tool, paste back
    CTRL + V

So once done writing, I press that single button and it's done (CTRL+SHIFT+HOME select all text from cursor to beginning). To me, that's a better tradeoff than fiddling with compose keys, which I find to break flow. For very short text, compose key is possibly better; but again, once in AHK, it's a single shortcut. So once more than 1 compose key combination is needed, it's "worth it". But you're right: this is a custom setup and might not work for everyone.

[eviks]

Oh, I didn't see the "CTRL + SHIFT + HOME" part in the linked AHK script, only the later steps, that's definitely less tedious, though also more dangerous (wouldn't work in rich text apps with tables and pictures etc.? though maybe your tool is smart enough to deal with rich text in the clipboard) and also pollutes the undo buffer.

Agree re. the potential to break flow part of the compose keys in general (all these grammar things should be automated away), though maybe in case of needing just a single diacritic the least fiddly alternative could be something like a hotstring in AHK ",u" to "ü" (comma + a letter without spaces, which doesn't happen in regular typing or a deadkey in keyboard layout with a similar effect)