zhim! - Chinese Language Input Method! is a note app for typing Chinese using various Chinese Input Method and share text via build-in clipboard with other apps. Capable for quick typing text when mix-up Chinese and English without bother switch between keyboards. Also support landscape view and editing.

zhim! is not a native input method on iPhone, therefor you have to share text between apps via Clipboard, which supported by iPhone 3.0+

Editing

It will looking for words depend on what combination you input from keyboard. After you stop typing, tap spacebar to select first word from candidate list. Even before the list shows up on screen it would still get the first word without a problem. And iPhone will vibrates if there is no candidate list for your combination after taped spacebar.


If more then one line in candidate list, it would shows the next button one the right or previous on the left of candidate list. Tap on any word from candidate list to select the word and insert into text. When you need to type a short English word, you can just type it and then tap the button with combination from the left side of candidate list to insert it to text.

Settings

zhim! supported various Chinese Input Method, included Array, Boshiamy, Canjei, Dayi, Pinyin and Zhuyin. For some Input Method, you can input Simplifield Chinese as well.
You can switch between Input Methods anytime from setting panel.
You can view or search by combination for all Input Method Dictionary.
Typing interval is designed for different performance iPhone devices. The smaller number of typing interval the less time the candidate list takes to show up. For iPhone 2G, it would be better to setting the interval around 3~5, it would much smooth overall. And for iPhone 3G/3Gs, the performance is better, you could just leave it at 1 for almost real time response.

Options

The whole idea of zhim! is share text with other apps via clipboard. After editing some words, you will launch another app directly from zhim! or send text to clipboard hit the home button to quit zhim! and back to home screen then launch another app and paste the text. For the common action, you can turn on Auto copy text option, then zhim! will do the copy thing automatically when you quiz zhim!
For some reason, you might want to have a blank document every time launched zhim! without the last words. Then turn off Restore last text.
If you don’t like vibrates iPhone when there is no candidate list found after tapping spacebar, turn it off as well.


Preview version of zhim! include Mail, Maps for shortcuts to launch another app directly from zhim! Now you can custom these buttons as you like, up to 3 set of custom shortcut buttons. But not all app support launch via another app, here are what zhim! support:

• Mail - Built-in Mail.app. Compose a new mail and assign first line to subject and all text to mail body.
• Maps - Built-in Maps.app. Launch the location search, if you have 2 lines of text. It would search from the first line as the start and second line as the end of direction with route result.
• SMS - Built-in Messages.app. Launch the app. Messages.app accept phone number from 3rd party app only.
• AirSharing - Launch the app.
• Echofon - Compose new tweet.
• Facebook - Launch the app.
• Tweetie - Compose new tweet.
• Twitterrific - Compose new tweet.

When setting custom shortcut buttons, tap to check or cancel. In edit mode, you can rearrange buttons by any order you like. If the shortcut button set was not assigned with any app, then you need to relaunch zhim! for the changes to take effect.