teckenval

Teckenval, literally “character choice” in Swedish, refers to the user interface or process for selecting a specific character from a broader set. It is used in computing and typography to describe how users input letters, symbols, or scripts beyond the standard keyboard. Practically, teckenval covers features such as character maps, Insert Symbol dialogs, Unicode input methods, and on-screen keyboards. These tools present a catalog of characters, often categorized by diacritics, mathematical symbols, currency signs, or script, sometimes with previews and search.

In multilingual or accessibility contexts, teckenval enables entering characters not readily available on the physical keyboard, supporting internationalization. Implementations vary by platform: Windows offers Character Map and Unicode hex input; macOS provides the Emoji & Symbols viewer; many applications have an Insert Symbol command or a dedicated panel integrated in language settings.

The term is descriptive and common in software localization to label UI elements such as “Choose character” or “Välj tecken.” There is no single formal standard for teckenval; it denotes a generic mechanism across products to pick a character from a larger set. See also: character map, symbol, Unicode, input method, keyboard layout.