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LOADKEYS
!!!LOADKEYS
NAME
SYNOPSIS
DESCRIPTION
RESET TO DEFAULT
LOAD KERNEL KEYMAP
LOAD KERNEL ACCENT TABLE
LOAD KERNEL STRING TABLE
CREATE KERNEL SOURCE TABLE
OPTIONS
FILES
BUGS
SEE ALSO
----
!!NAME


loadkeys - load keyboard translation tables
!!SYNOPSIS


__loadkeys [[__ ''-d --default'' __] [[__ ''-h
--help'' __] [[__ ''-q --quiet'' __] [[__ ''-v
--verbose'' __[[__ ''-v --verbose'' __]...] [[__
''-m --mktable'' __] [[__ ''-c --clearcompose'' __]
[[__ ''-s --clearstrings'' __] [[ filename...
]__
!!DESCRIPTION


The __loadkeys__ program reads the file or files
specified by ''filename...''


Its main purpose is to load the kernel keymap for the
console.
!!RESET TO DEFAULT


If the ''-d'' (or ''--default'' ) option is given,
__loadkeys__ loads a default keymap, probably the file
''defkeymap.map'' either in ''/usr/share/keymaps'' or
in ''/usr/src/linux/drivers/char''. (Probably the former
was user-defined, while the latter is a qwerty keyboard map
for PCs - maybe not what was desired.) Sometimes, with a
strange keymap loaded (with the minus on some obscure
unknown modifier combination) it is easier to type `loadkeys
defkeymap'.
!!LOAD KERNEL KEYMAP


The main function of __loadkeys__ is to load or modify
the keyboard driver's translation tables. When specifying
the file names, standard input can be denoted by dash (-).
If no file is specified, the data is read from the standard
input.


For many countries and keyboard types appropriate keymaps
are available already, and a command like `loadkeys uk'
might do what you want. On the other hand, it is easy to
construct one's own keymap. The user has to tell what
symbols belong to each key. She can find the keycode for a
key by use of showkey(1), while the keymap format is
given in keymaps(5) and can also be seen from the
output of dumpkeys(1).
!!LOAD KERNEL ACCENT TABLE


If the input file does not contain any compose key
definitions, the kernel accent table is left unchanged,
unless the ''-c'' (or ''--clearcompose'' ) option is
given, in which case the kernel accent table is emptied. If
the input file does contain compose key definitions, then
all old definitions are removed, and replaced by the
specified new entries. The kernel accent table is a sequence
of (by default 68) entries describing how dead diacritical
signs and compose keys behave. For example, a
line


compose ',' 'c' to ccedilla


means that
!!LOAD KERNEL STRING TABLE


The option ''-s'' (or ''--clearstrings'' ) clears the
kernel string table. If this option is not given,
__loadkeys__ will only add or replace strings, not remove
them. (Thus, the option -s is required to reach a
well-defined state.) The kernel string table is a sequence
of strings with names like F31. One can make function key F5
(on an ordinary PC keyboard) produce the text `Hello!', and
Shift+F5 `Goodbye!' using lines


keycode 63 = F70 F71
string F70 =
string F71 =


in the keymap. The default bindings for the function keys
are certain escape sequences mostly inspired by the VT100
terminal.
!!CREATE KERNEL SOURCE TABLE


If the ''-m'' (or ''--mktable'' ) option is given
__loadkeys__ prints to the standard output a file that
may be used as
''/usr/src/linux/drivers/char/defkeymap.c,'' specifying
the default key bindings for a kernel (and does not modify
the current keymap).
!!OPTIONS


''-h --help''


print the version number and a short usage message to the
programs standard error output and exit.


''-v --verbose''


Print details about changes. If used several times, be even
more verbose.


''-q --quiet''


Do not print standard messages.


''-c --clearcompose''


Clear the kernel's compose table (also called accent table).
If this option is not given, and if this file does not
contain any compose key definitions, the kernel compose
table is left unchanged.


''-s --clearstrings''


Clear the kernel string table. If this option is not given,
__loadkeys__ will only add or replace strings, not remove
them.
!!FILES


''/usr/share/keymaps/'' default directory for keymap
files.


''/usr/share/keymaps/defkeymap.kmap'' default keymap
loaded by ''-d'' option.
!!BUGS


Note that anyone having read access to ''/dev/console''
can run __loadkeys__ and thus change the keyboard layout,
possibly making it unusable. Note that the keyboard
translation table is common for all the virtual consoles, so
any changes to the keyboard bindings affect all the virtual
consoles simultaneously.


Note that because the changes affect all the virtual
consoles, they also outlive your session. This means that
even at the login prompt the key bindings may not be what
the user expects.


The default keymap should be the default keymap compiled in
the kernel (ie. the one in
''/usr/src/linux/drivers/char/defkeymap.c'').
!!SEE ALSO


dumpkeys(1), kbd_mode(1),
keymaps(5).
----
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Last edited on Tuesday, June 4, 2002 12:22:16 am by "perry"
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