XMODMAP(1) BSD XMODMAP(1)
NAME
xmodmap - utility for modifying keymaps in X
SYNOPSIS
xmodmap [-options ...] [filename]
DESCRIPTION
The xmodmap program is used to edit and display the keyboard modifier map
and keymap table that are used by client applications to convert event
keycodes into keysyms. It is usually run from the user's session startup
script to configure the keyboard according to personal tastes.
OPTIONS
The following options may be used with xmodmap:
-display display
This option specifies the host and display to use.
-help This option indicates that a brief description of the command
line arguments should be printed on the standard error. This
will be done whenever an unhandled argument is given to xmodmap.
-grammar
This option indicates that a help message describing the
expression grammar used in files and with -e expressions should
be printed on the standard error.
-verbose
This option indicates that xmodmap should print logging
information as it parses its input.
-quiet This option turns off the verbose logging. This is the default.
-n This option indicates that xmodmap should not change the
mappings, but should display what it would do, like make(1) does
when given this option.
-e expression
This option specifies an expression to be executed. Any number
of expressions may be specified from the command line.
-pm This option indicates that the current modifier map should be
printed on the standard output.
-pk This option indicates that the current keymap table should be
printed on the standard output.
-pp This option indicates that the current pointer map should be
printed on the standard output.
- A lone dash means that the standard input should be used as the
input file.
The filename specifies a file containing xmodmap expressions to be
executed. This file is usually kept in the user's home directory with a
name like .xmodmaprc.
EXPRESSION GRAMMAR
The xmodmap program reads a list of expressions and parses them all
before attempting execute any of them. This makes it possible to refer
to keysyms that are being redefined in a natural way without having to
worry as much about name conflicts.
keycode NUMBER = KEYSYMNAME ...
The list of keysyms is assigned to the indicated keycode (which
may be specified in decimal, hex or octal and can be determined
by running the xev program in the examples directory). Usually
only one keysym is assigned to a given code.
keysym KEYSYMNAME = KEYSYMNAME ...
The KEYSYMNAME on the left hand side is looked up to find its
current keycode and the line is replaced with the appropriate
keycode expression. Note that if you have the same keysym bound
to multiple keys, this might not work.
clear MODIFIERNAME
This removes all entries in the modifier map for the given
modifier, where valid name are: Shift, Lock, Control, Mod1,
Mod2, Mod3, Mod4 and Mod5 (case does not matter in modifier
names, although it does matter for all other names). For
example, ``clear Lock'' will remove all any keys that were bound
to the shift lock modifier.
add MODIFIERNAME = KEYSYMNAME ...
This adds the given keysyms to the indicated modifier map. The
keysym names are evaluated after all input expressions are read
to make it easy to write expressions to swap keys (see the
EXAMPLES section).
remove MODIFIERNAME = KEYSYMNAME ...
This removes the given keysyms from the indicated modifier map.
Unlike add, the keysym names are evaluated as the line is read
in. This allows you to remove keys from a modifier without
having to worry about whether or not they have been reassigned.
pointer = default
This sets the pointer map back to its default settings (button 1
generates a code of 1, button 2 generates a 2, etc.).
pointer = NUMBER ...
This sets to pointer map to contain the indicated button codes.
The list always starts with the first physical button.
Lines that begin with an exclamation point (!) are taken as comments.
If you want to change the binding of a modifier key, you must also remove
it from the appropriate modifier map.
EXAMPLES
Many pointers are designed such the first button is pressed using the
index finger of the right hand. People who are left-handed frequently
find that it is more comfortable to reverse the button codes that get
generated so that the primary button is pressed using the index finger of
the left hand. This could be done on a 3 button pointer as follows:
% xmodmap -e "pointer = 3 2 1"
Many editor applications support the notion of Meta keys (similar to
Control keys except that Meta is held down instead of Control). However,
some servers do not have a Meta keysym in the default keymap table, so
one needs to be added by hand. The following command will attach Meta to
the Multi-language key (sometimes label Compose Character). It also
takes advantage of the fact that applications that need a Meta key simply
need to get the keycode and don't require the keysym to be in the first
column of the keymap table. This means that applications that are
looking for a Multi_key (including the default modifier map) won't notice
any change.
% keysym Multi_key = Multi_key Meta_L
One of the more simple, yet convenient, uses of xmodmap is to set the
keyboard's "rubout" key to generate an alternate keysym. This frequently
involves exchanging Backspace with Delete to be more comfortable to the
user. If the ttyModes resource in xterm is set as well, all terminal
emulator windows will use the same key for erasing characters:
% xmodmap -e "keysym BackSpace = Delete"
% echo "XTerm*ttyModes: erase ^?" | xrdb -merge
Some keyboards do not automatically generate less than and greater than
characters when the comma and period keys are shifted. This can be
remedied with xmodmap by resetting the bindings for the comma and period
with the following scripts:
!
! make shift-, be < and shift-. be >
!
keysym comma = comma less
keysym period = period greater
One of the more irritating differences between keyboards is the location
of the Control and Shift Lock keys. A common use of xmodmap is to swap
these two keys as follows:
!
! Swap Caps_Lock and Control_L
!
remove Lock = Caps_Lock
remove Control = Control_L
keysym Control_L = Caps_Lock
keysym Caps_Lock = Control_L
add Lock = Caps_Lock
add Control = Control_L
The keycode command is useful for assigning the same keysym to multiple
keycodes. Although unportable, it also makes it possible to write
scripts that can reset the keyboard to a known state. The following
script sets the backspace key to generate Delete (as shown above),
flushes all existing caps lock bindings, makes the CapsLock key be a
control key, make F5 generate Escape, and makes Break/Reset be a shift
lock.
!
! On the HP, the following keycodes have key caps as listed:
!
! 101 Backspace
! 55 Caps
! 14 Ctrl
! 15 Break/Reset
! 86 Stop
! 89 F5
!
keycode 101 = Delete
keycode 55 = Control_R
clear Lock
add Control = Control_R
keycode 89 = Escape
keycode 15 = Caps_Lock
add Lock = Caps_Lock
ENVIRONMENT
DISPLAY to get default host and display number.
SEE ALSO
X(1)
BUGS
Every time a keycode expression is evaluated, the server generates a
MappingNotify event on every client. This can cause some thrashing. All
of the changes should be batched together and done at once. Clients that
receive keyboard input and ignore MappingNotify events will not notice
any changes made to keyboard mappings.
Xmodmap should generate "add" and "remove" expressions automatically
whenever a keycode that is already bound to a modifier is changed.
There should be a way to have the remove expression accept keycodes as
well as keysyms for those times when you really mess up your mappings.
COPYRIGHT
Copyright 1988, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Copyright 1987 Sun Microsystems, Inc.
See X(1) for a full statement of rights and permissions.
AUTHOR
Jim Fulton, MIT X Consortium, rewritten from an original by David
Rosenthal of Sun Microsystems.