To create keyboard layouts using ELK, the steps are to (1) install ELK, (2) run the application and select a .ttf font file, (3) import a .keylayout file if one exists, (4) use drag and drop facilities to copy font glyphs over keys of a virtual keyboard, (5) Define dead key sequences, and (6) export the keyboard layout for later use.
To use these systems on MAC systems, just store the .keylayout file in the Library/Keyboard Layouts folder. The associated language will appear as one of the possible selections on the top-right of the main window.
On Windows, store the files in the Documents\Acorns\keyLayoutFiles folder (or Documents\acornsFIles\keylayoutFiles on older installations) and then run the ElkKeyboards application. This application will ask you to select from a list of available languages and then all system key strokes will remap in accordance with the selected keyboards mapping.
The following pages document use of ELK software. The .keylayout XML file format, on which the ELK applications are based, is fully described in an APPLE document (Technical Note TN2056).