NAME

VirtualBindings − Bindings for virtual mouse and key events

DESCRIPTION

The 1/Motif manual pages describe translations in terms of virtual bindings, based on those described in the OSF/Motif Style Guide.  Mouse events are described in terms of virtual buttons, and key events are described in terms of virtual keys.  The term virtual implies that the events as described do not necessarily correspond to a fixed set of X Window System events.  Instead, virtual buttons and keys are linked to actual events by means of virtual bindings. 

Virtual Modifiers

Both virtual buttons and virtual keys may contain virtual modifiers.  Each virtual modifier corresponds to one or more actual modifiers.  The following table lists the bindings of virtual modifiers to actual modifiers in 1/Motif:

Mod1 refers to the first modifier key.  1/Motif requires that it correspond to either Alt or Meta. 

The virtual modifier MAny indicates that any modifier can be used.  If MAny is not specified and the user presses an actual modifier that is not explicitly included in a translation, that modifier may prevent the translation from being matched. 

Virtual Buttons

Each virtual button corresponds to one or more actual button event descriptions.  Each button event description contains a button name and possibly modifiers.  These button event descriptions, appropriately ordered and possibly further modified, are used in translation tables.  The following table lists the bindings of virtual buttons to actual button event descriptions in 1/Motif:

Virtual Keys

Each virtual key corresponds to one or more actual key event descriptions.  Each key event description contains a keysym name and possibly modifiers.  These key event descriptions, appropriately ordered and possibly further modified, are used in translation tables.  The following table lists the bindings of virtual keys to actual key event descriptions in 1/Motif:

Bindings for osf Keysyms

Keysym strings that begin with "osf" are not part of the X server’s keyboard mapping.  Instead, these keysyms are produced on the client side at run time.  They are interpreted by the routine XmTranslateKey, and are used by the translation manager when the server delivers an actual key event.  For each application, a mapping is maintained between "osf" keysyms and keysyms that correspond to actual keys.  This mapping is based on information obtained at application startup from one of the following sources, listed in order of precedence:

• A defaultVirtualBindings application resource in the resource database. 

• A property on the root window, which can be set by mwm on startup, or by the xmbind client, or on prior startup of a Motif application. 

• The file .motifbind in the user’s home directory. 

• A set of bindings based on the vendor string and optionally the vendor release of the X server.  Motif searches for these bindings in the following steps:

• If the file xmbind.alias exists in the user’s home directory, Motif searches this file for a pathname associated with the vendor string or with the vendor string and vendor release.  If it finds such a pathname and if that file exists, Motif loads the bindings contained in that file. 

• If it has found no bindings, Motif next looks for the file xmbind.alias in the directory specified by the environment variable XMBINDDIR, if XMBINDDIR is set, or in the directory /usr/lib/Xm/bindings if XMBINDDIR is not set.  If this file exists Motif searches it for a pathname associated with the vendor string or with the vendor string and vendor release.  If it finds such a pathname and if that file exists, Motif loads the bindings contained in that file. 

• If it still has found no bindings, Motif loads a set of hard-coded fallback bindings. 

The xmbind.alias file contains zero or more lines of the form:

"vendor_string[ vendor_release]" bindings_file

where vendor_string is the X server vendor name as returned by the
X client xdpyinfo or the Xlib function XServerVendor, and
must appear in double quotes.
If vendor_release is included, it is the X server vendor release
number as returned by the X client xdpyinfo or the Xlib function
XVendorRelease, and must also be contained within the double
quotes separated by one space from vendor_string.
vendor_release is provided to allow support of changes in keyboard
hardware from a vendor, assuming that the vendor increments the release
number to flag such changes.
Alternatively, the vendor may simply use a unique vendor string for each
different keyboard.

bindings_file is the pathname of the file containing the bindings
themselves.
It can be a relative or absolute pathname.
If it it is a relative pathname, it is relative to the location of the
xmbind.alias file.

Comment lines in the xmbind.alias file begin with !.

The bindings found in either the .motifbind file or the vendor
mapping are placed in a property on the root window.
This property is used to determine the bindings for subsequent Motif
applications.

On startup mwm attempts to load the file .motifbind in the
user’s home directory.
If this is unsuccessful, it loads the vendor bindings as described
above.
It places the bindings it loads in a property on the root window for use
by subsequent Motif applications.

xmbind loads bindings from a file if that file is specified on the
command line.
If no file is specified on the command line, it attempts to load the
file .motifbind in the user’s home directory.
If this fails, it loads the vendor bindings as described above.
It places the bindings it loads in a property on the root window for use
by subsequent Motif applications.

The format of the specification for mapping "osf" keysyms to actual
keysyms is similar to that of a specification for an event translation.
The syntax is specified here in EBNF notation using the following
conventions:

[a]Means either nothing or a
{a}Means zero or more occurrences of a

Terminals are enclosed in double quotation marks.

The syntax of an "osf" keysym binding specification is as follows:

binding_spec={line "\n"} [line]
line=virtual_keysym ":" key_event
key_event={modifier_name} "<Key>" actual_keysym
virtual_keysym=keysym
actual_keysym=keysym
keysym=A valid X11 keysym name that is
mapped by XStringToKeysym

As with event translations, more specific event descriptions must
precede less specific descriptions.
For example, an event description for a key with a modifier must precede
a description for the same key without the same modifier.

Following is an example of a specification for the
defaultVirtualBindings resource in a resource file:

*defaultVirtualBindings: \
osfBackSpace:<Key>BackSpace \n\
osfInsert:<Key>InsertChar \n\
...
osfDelete:<Key>DeleteChar

The format of a .motifbind file or of a file containing vendor
bindings is the same, except that the binding specification for each
keysym is placed on a separate line.
The example specification above appears as follows in a
.motifbind or vendor bindings file:

osfBackSpace:<Key>BackSpace
osfInsert:<Key>InsertChar
...
osfDelete:<Key>DeleteChar

The following table lists the fixed fallback default bindings for
"osf" keysyms:

RELATED INFORMATION

xmbind(1X)

Hewlett-Packard Company  —  Motif Release 1.2: May 1992