BornoTSF

BornoTSF is a lightweight, open-source Windows Text Services Framework (TSF) Input Method Editor (IME) for Bangla typing. Designed for ultra-fast, zero-overhead performance, BornoTSF integrates directly into the Windows OS input architecture without requiring any background executable (.exe) process or heavy graphical user interface.

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Key Features

• Native Windows TSF Integration: Registers directly into the Windows Language Bar and taskbar input selector (Win + Space).
• Zero Overhead / No Background Process: Operates purely as native system DLLs (BornoTSF.dll). No persistent background .exe processes consuming RAM or CPU.
• Comprehensive Layout Support:
  • Borno Phonetic: Avro Phonetic inspired, fast, rule-based phonetic parser.
  • Avro Phonetic: Most popular Bangla phonetic layout.
  • Khipro: The first compositional layout for Bangla.
  • National (Jatiyo / UniBijoy): BSTI (BDS 1738:2018) compliant standard Bangla layout.
  • Probhat: Traditional fixed layout.
• Selective Layout Installation: Choose only the keyboard layouts you need during installation (can be updated anytime).
• Literal Text Escaping: Effortlessly mix English and Bangla within phonetic mode using double backslashes (e.g., facebook\\-এর outputs facebook-এর).
• Windows Spell Checker Compatibility: Works seamlessly with native Windows Bangla spell checking.
• Modern App & AI Agent Compatibility: Fixed input stream buffering ensures text never breaks or scrambles in modern web applications, IDEs (VS Code), and AI chat interfaces (ChatGPT, Claude, etc.).
• 100% Offline & Private: Zero network calls or telemetry. Your typing data never leaves your device.

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Layout Progress & Testing Status

Layout	Type	Keymap	Status
Borno Phonetic	Phonetic Parser	View Keymap	Tested (OK)
Avro Phonetic	Phonetic Parser	View Keymap	Tested (OK)
Khipro	Compositional	View Keymap	Tested (OK)
National (Jatiyo)	Fixed Layout	View Keymap	Tested (WIP)
Probhat	Fixed Layout	View Keymap	Tested (WIP)

Note: If you encounter any bugs or layout issues with National (Jatiyo) or Probhat, please open an issue!

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Installation & Usage

Setup via Installer

1. Download the latest BornoTSF_Setup_*.exe from the Releases section.
2. Run the installer and select your preferred keyboard layouts (e.g., Borno Phonetic, Avro Phonetic, National, etc.).
3. Accept the License Agreement and complete setup.
4. Press Win + Space or click the Language Bar on your Windows Taskbar to switch to your desired BornoTSF layout and start typing!

System Tray & Keymaps

• Quick options are available in the system tray menu.
• Click the tray icon to quickly open keymap references for Phonetic or Fixed layouts.

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Building from Source

Prerequisites

• Visual Studio 2022 with Desktop Development with C++ workload installed.
• Windows 10 / 11 SDK
• Boost C++ Libraries: Required for layout regex processing (boost/regex). Define an environment variable BOOST_ROOT pointing to your Boost directory (e.g., C:\boost_1_89_0 or H:\boost_1_89_0).

Build Steps

1. Clone the Repository:

   git clone https://github.com/codepotro/BornoTSF.git
   cd BornoTSF

2. Build DLL via MSBuild / Visual Studio: Open BornoTSF.vcxproj or BornoTSF.slnx in Visual Studio 2022 and build for:

   • Release | x64 (produces 64-bit x64\Release\BornoTSF.dll)
   • Release | x86 (produces 32-bit Release\BornoTSF.dll)

3. Register the DLLs: Run reg_bornoTSF.bat as Administrator to copy required layout/dictionary assets and register the compiled DLLs:

   reg_bornoTSF.bat

   To unregister and remove installed files, run:

   unreg_bornoTSF.bat

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License

BornoTSF is licensed under the GNU General Public License v3.0 (GPL-3.0). Free software for the community — modifications and redistributions must remain open-source under GPL v3.0.

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Credits & Acknowledgments

Special thanks to the Bangla computing community and developers whose work paved the way:

• Avro Team & Dr. Mehdi Hasan Khan & Muhammad Mominul Huque — For the Avro phonetic parser implementation.
• Khipro Team — For creating Khipro, the pioneer compositional layout for Bangla.
• Omi Azad — For key contributions to Ekushey and Bangla open-source development.
• Borno Community — For continuous feedback and layout recommendations.

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Sponsor

Want to sponsor this project or support open-source Bangla software development? You can support us through Codepotro or by sponsoring our repositories on GitHub.

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Maintained by Jayed Ahsan Saad • jayed.me • codepotro.com