focal (1) loadkeys.1.gz

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NAME

       loadkeys - load keyboard translation tables

SYNOPSIS

       loadkeys  [ -a --ascii ] [ [ -b --bkeymap ] [ -c --clearcompose ] [ -C '<FILE>' | --console=<FILE> ] [ -d
       --default ] [ -h --help ] [ -m --mktable ] [ -p --parse ] [ -q --quiet ]  [  -s  --clearstrings  ]  [  -u
       --unicode ] [ -v --verbose ] [ -V --version ] [ filename...  ]

DESCRIPTION

       The  program  loadkeys reads the file or files specified by filename....  Its main purpose is to load the
       kernel keymap for the console.  You can specify console device by the -C (or --console ) option.

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 <ComposeKey><,><c> must be combined to <ccedilla>.  The current content of this table  can  be
       see using `dumpkeys --compose-only'.

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 = "Hello!"
              string F71 = "Goodbye!"

       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).

CREATE BINARY KEYMAP

       If the -b (or --bkeymap ) option is given loadkeys prints to the standard output a file that may be  used
       as a binary keymap as expected by Busybox loadkmap command (and does not modify the current keymap).

UNICODE MODE

       loadkeys automatically detects whether the console is in Unicode or ASCII (XLATE) mode.  When a keymap is
       loaded, literal keysyms (such as section) are resolved accordingly; numerical keysyms  are  converted  to
       fit  the  current  console mode, regardless of the way they are specified (decimal, octal, hexadecimal or
       Unicode).

       The -u (or --unicode) switch forces loadkeys to convert all keymaps to Unicode.  If the keyboard is in  a
       non-Unicode  mode,  such  as  XLATE, loadkeys will change it to Unicode for the time of its execution.  A
       warning message will be printed in this case.

       It is recommended to run kbd_mode(1) before loadkeys instead of using the -u option.

OTHER OPTIONS

       -a --ascii
              Force conversion to ASCII.

       -h --help
              loadkeys prints its version number and a short usage message to the programs standard error output
              and exits.

       -p --parse
              loadkeys searchs and parses keymap without action.

       -q --quiet
              loadkeys suppresses all normal output.

       -V --version
              loadkeys prints version number and exits.

WARNING

       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.

FILES

       /usr/share/keymaps
              default directory for keymaps

       /usr/src/linux/drivers/char/defkeymap.map
              default kernel keymap

SEE ALSO

       dumpkeys(1), keymaps(5)

                                                   6 Feb 1994                                        LOADKEYS(1)