xmkmf.new.de EX \"Begin example .ne 5 .if n .sp 1 .if t .sp .5 .nf .in +.5i .. .de EE .fi .in -.5i .if n .sp 1 .if t .sp .5 .. .TH xmodmap 1 "27 February 1991" "X Version 11" .IX xmodmap#(n) "" "\fLxmodmap\fP(n)" .SH NAME xmodmap - utility for modifying keymaps in X .SH SYNOPSIS .B xmodmap [-options ...] [filename] .IX xmodmap#(n) "" "\fLxmodmap\fP(n) \(em utility for modifying keymaps in X" .SH DESCRIPTION .PP The \fIxmodmap\fP program is used to edit and display the keyboard \fImodifier map\fP and \fIkeymap table\fP 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. .PP \fIKeysyms\fP are labels used by X clients to interpret keystrokes. They add a level of functionality and portability to keyboards, by allowing the user to change the action associated with a key. .PP The \fImodifier map\fP describes which keys are used as modifiers when used in conjunction with another key. The shift and control keys are examples of modifiers. .PP The client receives keyboard events in terms of \fIkeycodes\fP, which are used to lookup a \fIkeysym\fP, through a combination of the \fIkeymap table\fP and the \fImodifier map\fP. .PP For example, \fIxmodmap\fP can be used to change the functionality of the Sun keyboard 'L1' key to generate the 'Help' \fIkeysym\fP. .PP \fIXmodmap\fP can also be used to modify the bindings of the mouse buttons to the user's preference. An example of this is given below. .SH OPTIONS .PP The following options may be used with \fIxmodmap\fP: .TP 8 .B \-display \fIdisplay\fP This option specifies the host and display to use. .TP 8 .B \-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 .I xmodmap. .TP 8 .B \-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. .TP 8 .B \-verbose This option indicates that .I xmodmap should print logging information as it parses its input. .TP 8 .B \-quiet This option turns off the verbose logging. This is the default. .TP 8 .B \-n This option indicates that .I xmodmap should not change the mappings, but should display what it would do, like \fImake(1)\fP does when given this option. .TP 8 .B \-e \fIexpression\fB This option specifies an expression to be executed. Any number of expressions may be specified from the command line. .TP 8 .B \-pm This option indicates that the current modifier map should be printed on the standard output. .TP 8 .B \-pk This option indicates that the current keymap table should be printed on the standard output. .TP 8 .B \-pp This option indicates that the current pointer map should be printed on the standard output. .TP 8 .B \- A lone dash means that the standard input should be used as the input file. .PP The \fIfilename\fP specifies a file containing \fIxmodmap\fP expressions to be executed. This file is usually kept in the user's home directory with a name like \fI.xmodmaprc\fP. .SH EXPRESSION GRAMMAR .PP The .I 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. .TP 8 .B keycode \fINUMBER\fP = \fIKEYSYMNAME ...\fP 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 .I xev program in the examples directory). Usually only one keysym is assigned to a given code. .TP 8 .B keysym \fIKEYSYMNAME\fP = \fIKEYSYMNAME ...\fP The \fIKEYSYMNAME\fP on the left hand side is looked up to find its current keycode and the line is replaced with the appropriate \fBkeycode\fP expression. Note that if you have the same keysym bound to multiple keys, this might not work. .TP 8 .B clear \fIMODIFIERNAME\fP 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. .TP 8 .B add \fIMODIFIERNAME\fP = \fIKEYSYMNAME ...\fP 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). .TP 8 .B remove \fIMODIFIERNAME\fP = \fIKEYSYMNAME ...\fP This removes the given keysyms from the indicated modifier map. Unlike .B 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. .TP 8 .B "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.). .TP 8 .B pointer = \fINUMBER ...\fP This sets to pointer map to contain the indicated button codes. The list always starts with the first physical button. .PP Lines that begin with an exclamation point (!) are taken as comments. .PP If you want to change the binding of a modifier key, you must also remove it from the appropriate modifier map. .SH EXAMPLES .PP 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: .EX % xmodmap -e "pointer = 3 2 1" .EE .PP 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. .EX % keysym Multi_key = Multi_key Meta_L .EE .PP One of the more simple, yet convenient, uses of \fIxmodmap\fP 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 \fIttyModes\fP resource in \fIxterm\fP is set as well, all terminal emulator windows will use the same key for erasing characters: .EX % xmodmap -e "keysym BackSpace = Delete" % echo "XTerm*ttyModes: erase ^?" | xrdb -merge .EE .PP Alternatively, it is possible to map both the BackSpace and Delete keys to perform the same operation: .EX % xmodmap -e "keysym BackSpace = Delete BackSpace" .EE .PP 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 \fIxmodmap\fP by resetting the bindings for the comma and period with the following scripts: .EX ! ! make shift-, be < and shift-. be > ! keysym comma = comma less keysym period = period greater .EE .PP One of the more irritating differences between keyboards is the location of the Control and Shift Lock keys. A common use of \fIxmodmap\fP is to swap these two keys as follows: .EX ! ! 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 .EE .PP .sp The \fIkeycode\fP 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 Sun type-4 keyboard to a usable default. .EX ! ! On a Sun type-4 keyboard, ! the following keycodes have ! key caps as listed: ! ! 36 Esc ! 50 Backspace ! 83 Ctrl ! 96 Return ! 126 Caps clear Control keycode 83 = Control_L add Control = Control_L clear Lock keycode 126 = Caps_Lock add Lock = Caps_Lock keycode 36 = Escape keycode 96 = Return keycode 101 = Delete .EE .SH ENVIRONMENT .PP .TP 8 .B DISPLAY to get default host and display number. .SH BUGS .PP Every time a \fBkeycode\fP expression is evaluated, the server generates a \fIMappingNotify\fP 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 \fIMappingNotify\fP events will not notice any changes made to keyboard mappings. .PP .I Xmodmap should generate "add" and "remove" expressions automatically whenever a keycode that is already bound to a modifier is changed. .PP There should be a way to have the .I remove expression accept keycodes as well as keysyms for those times when you really mess up your mappings. .SH COPYRIGHT Copyright 1988, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. .br Copyright 1987 Sun Microsystems, Inc. .br See \fIX11(7)\fP for a full statement of rights and permissions. .SH AUTHOR Jim Fulton, MIT X Consortium, rewritten from an earlier version by David Rosenthal of Sun Microsystems.