Faranim's Guide to Japanese Macros
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Intro
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The purpose of this guide is simple. To explain how to write and use macros with Japanese characters using the NA version of FFXI. This guide is free to share, and I encourage people to let others know how to do this, since many people will enjoy having access to the hundreds of Japanese Characters.
What you will need
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1. A Method of entering Japanese Characters into a text document, so that they can be copied and pasted into macros. I will cover using a Japanese IME, along with a program called JWPce.
2. A 3rd party Macro editor. While several of these exist, I will only refer to the one I use - VanaHand. Another one that I know of is called FFXIUtilPlus which includes various other features in addition to a Macro editor.
Getting Started
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There are two options for this. I would highly recommend the IME method, however it will require your Windows Install CD.
A1. IME - Installation
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-Under the Control Panel, open up the "Regional and Language Options" menu.
-Click on the "Languages" tab
-Make sure that the "Install files for East Asian Languages" box is checked. If it isn't already, mark the box and press Apply. You will most likely be prompted to enter your Windows CD-ROM so that Windows can download the necessary files. If you don't have a Windows CD (for whatever reason) Please jump to method B. below.
-Click on the "Details..." Button near the top of the Languages menu once Asian fonts are installed.
-Under "Installed services" Press "Add..." then Select Japanese. The keyboard Layout should automatically choose the Microsoft IME Standard.
-You can then change the Language Bar settings to meet your personal needs. If you are only installing the IME for making Japanese Macros, you don't really need to bother because the default settings work fine.
A2. IME - Entering Characters:
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-Open up Notepad or any other word processor, and enter Japanese text mode by pressing Left Alt + Shift until your language bar says JP
-Press Left Alt + Grave (The ~ key at the top left of your keyboard). This should change from Direct Input to Hiragana Mode. Alternatively you can press left Ctrl + Caps Lock.
-Type "kigou" and press spacebar twice. This will bring up the list of symbols. (Note: Kigou is the japanese word for "symbol")
-You can also type other Japanese phrases if you'd like (assuming you know Japanese)
B. JWPce
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-First, find and download the program (a simple Google search should find it)
-This program acts like a Japanese Word Processing program but it doesn't require an IME to use. Simply type the words you want and they should appear in hiragana.
-The easiest way to get symbols is to selec the "kanji" tab at the top and go to the "JIS Table".
-From there, you can find whatever symbols you wish (most symbols are near the top).
-*Note* For whatever reason, I haven't been able to find certain symbols in JWPce such as some of the mouths for faces and the music note. If anybody figures out how to get those using JWPce please let me know.
Getting those Japanese characters into your macros
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A. Download VanaHand (Again, Google it). This program is Japanese so just keep hitting enter on the menus to install it.
B. Open up VanaHand. You will be prompted for a folder. Go to your PlayOnline / FinalFantasyXI / Users / xxxxxxx folder. xxxxxx will be a string of letters which represents one of your characters.
C. Hopefully, VanaHand will open up your macro files and you should be able to see them and edit them.
D. NOW, taking your previously typed symbols, Copy and Paste them into VanaHand for whichever macros you want them in.
*NOTE* VanaHand will NOT display ANY of these characters properly. HOWEVER, they will all appear correctly when you use the macros in FFXI.
E. Make sure you save your macro files before exiting VanaHand.
F. If you want to use Auto-Translate in combination with Japanese characters, Write out the macros in FFXI using the auto-translate phrases first. THEN insert the characters where you want them with VanaHand and make sure you don't erase the auto-translate portion of your macro (which will also appear as a lot of garbage characters inside of VanaHand)
Conclusion
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I hope you found this guide to be helpful in writing and using Japanese Macros. Good Luck!