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 searches 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)