Keyboard Shortcut for Umlaut

So to the right of the discussion page (more like this), I found this little bit of info of holding down the vowel to access some key options to then press the corresponding numerical symbols:

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4965317?answerId=21772988022#21772988022 (see Tom Gewecke's answer)

Now I'm getting greedy;)

Any way to automate this so that if I hold down the vowel key, it would automatically insert the vowel with Umlaut, instead of giving me various options?

Thanks

Argento

Tom,

thank you for that link. I gather for my purposes I would simply remove the unneeded letter options from the string of the letters in question?! i.e simply leave ä and delete the rest.

To claarify, I hope this will then not simply give me just one letter option to choose from i.e ä, where I still must press the only corresponding number (1 to get ä)? Ultimately the goal is to press-hold the vowel a for the ä to automatically appear, once the non used letters within the string are removed. Do you know if this is what would happen with this mod?

I've backed all up, printed the input methods current setting and will modify once I have taken a brave pill.

Argento

Hi Tom,

if I am unable to achieve what I want, will have a look at key replacement

.

Wonder if you know why, as system admin, I cannot alter the file keyboard-en.plist (locked)

Get info reveals I can read/write to system within this file but instead get a pop up that I do not own it and don't have permission to write to it. Can however duplicate it and alter this copy. Not sure of the point of this as altering the duplicate achives little, seeing how the locked plist takes system precedence.

Any ideas on this permissions problem? Have repaired permissions without effect.

Cheers

Update

Did manage to replace the plist. Deleted the other options of the letters to choose from, leaving only the ä. This still means though that the number 1 below it still has to be pressed......oh so close, yet so far.