bionic (5) XCompose.5.gz

Provided by: libx11-data_1.6.4-3ubuntu0.4_all bug

NAME

       Compose - X client mappings for multi-key input sequences

DESCRIPTION

       The  X library, libX11, provides a simple input method for characters beyond those represented on typical
       keyboards using sequences of key strokes that are combined to enter a single character.

       The compose file is searched for in  the following order:

       -      If the environment variable $XCOMPOSEFILE is set, its value is used as the  name  of  the  Compose
              file.

       -      If the user's home directory has a file named .XCompose, it is used as the Compose file.

       -      The  system provided compose file is used by mapping the locale to a compose file from the list in
              /usr/share/X11/locale/compose.dir.

       Compose files can use an "include" instruction.  This allows local modifications to be made  to  existing
       compose files without including all of the content directly.  For example, the system's iso8859-1 compose
       file can be included with a line like this:
           include "%S/iso8859-1/Compose"

       There are several substitutions that can be made in the file name of the include instruction:

       %H  expands to the user's home directory (the $HOME environment variable)

       %L  expands    to     the     name     of     the     locale     specific     Compose     file     (i.e.,
           "/usr/share/X11/locale/<localename>/Compose")

       %S  expands to the name of the system directory for Compose files (i.e., "/usr/share/X11/locale")

       For example, you can include in your compose file the default Compose file by using:
              include "%L"
       and  then  rewrite  only  the  few  rules  that  you need to change.  New compose rules can be added, and
       previous ones replaced.

FILE FORMAT

       Compose files are plain text files, with a separate line for each compose sequence.   Comments begin with
       #  characters.    Each compose sequence specifies one or more events and a resulting input sequence, with
       an optional comment at the end of the line:
              EVENT [EVENT...] : RESULT [# COMMENT]

       Each event consists of a specified input keysym, and optional modifier states:
              [([!] ([~] MODIFIER)...) | None] <keysym>

       If the modifier list is preceded by "!" it must match exactly.  MODIFIER may be one of Ctrl, Lock,  Caps,
       Shift,  Alt or Meta.  Each modifier may be preceded by a "~" character to indicate that the modifier must
       not be present. If "None" is specified, no modifier may be present.

       The result specifies a string, keysym, or both, that the X client receives as input when the sequence  of
       events is input:
              "STRING" | keysym | "STRING" keysym

       Keysyms are specified without the XK_ prefix.

       Strings  may be direct text encoded in the locale for which the compose file is to be used, or an escaped
       octal or hexadecimal character code.   Octal codes are specified  as  "\123"  and  hexadecimal  codes  as
       "\0x123a".   It  is  not  necessary  to  specify  in  the right part of a rule a locale encoded string in
       addition to the keysym name.  If the string is omitted, Xlib figures it out from the keysym according  to
       the current locale.  I.e., if a rule looks like:
              <dead_grave> <A> : "\300" Agrave
       the result of the composition is always the letter with the "\300" code.  But if the rule is:
              <dead_grave> <A> : Agrave
       the result depends on how Agrave is mapped in the current locale.

ENVIRONMENT

       XCOMPOSEFILE
              File to use for compose sequences.

       XCOMPOSECACHE
              Directory to use for caching compiled compose files.

FILES

       $HOME/.XCompose
              User default compose file if XCOMPOSEFILE is not set.

       /usr/share/X11/locale/compose.dir
              File listing the compose file path to use for each locale.

       /usr/share/X11/locale/<localemapping>/Compose
              System default compose file for the locale, mapped via compose.dir.

       /var/cache/libx11/compose/
              System-wide cache directory for compiled compose files.

       $HOME/.compose-cache/
              Per-user cache directory for compiled compose files.

SEE ALSO

       XLookupString(3),   XmbLookupString(3),   XwcLookupString(3),   Xutf8LookupString(3),  mkcomposecache(1),
       locale(7).
       Xlib - C Language X Interface