Re: german keyboard layout
On 12 Mar, this message from Otto echoed through cyberspace:
>>> how do I configure X to use german keyboard layout?
I don't know, but read on...
>>> my XF86Config (I'm using the default potato X server) currently reads
>>>
>>> Protocol "Standard"
>>> XkbLayout "de"
>>> XkbVariant "nodeadkeys"
>>> XkbModel "macintosh"
>>> XkbRules "xfree86"
>>>
>>> but this didn't help at all..
>>
>> The only suggestion I can give here is to try "de_DE" instead of just "de".
>
> that did't work either.. isn't anyone using a german keyboard out there?
I'm using a swiss-french keyboard with X 4.0.2, however on LinuxPPC, not
debian. So I'm not sure if your X install matches mine; anyway, here is
a mail I sent along after I finally got my keyboard working with X
4.0.2:
> Hi all,
>
> My keyboard finally works again as expected, so I figured I'd tell the
> list so my research work ends up in the archives ;-)
>
> My setup is still the same basically:
>
>>> My setup:
>>>
>>> - Apple Extended Keyboard II (dmesg shows handler 3:
>>> ADB keyboard at 2, handler set to 3
>>> Detected ADB keyboard, type ISO, swapping keys.)
>
> - a recent 2.2 kernel (to get the new input stuff, which is enabled)
>
>>> - XF 4.0.1 rpms from Franz (XFree86-4.0.1-0.36a)
>>> - XKB enabled
>
> What I'm saying below works only with ADB keycodes. As far as I can
> tell, with Linux keycodes, only the 'keycodes' part of the XKB config
> needs to be changed.
>
> Why not use Linux keycodes? Because MOL doesn't work with them.
>
> First, a few words about how XKB works.
>
> XKB defines a way to handle keyboards under X, via a definition of all
> aspects of a keyboard (this goes as far as specifying the physical
> appearance, so an image of the keyboard can be printed). Everything
> related to XKB can be found below /usr/X11R6/lib/X11/xkb.
>
> A complete keyboard definition is called a keymap, and contains a few
> different components. Have a look at keymap/macintosh, as distributed
> with XF4:
>
> // $XConsortium: macintosh /main/11 1996/03/07 13:42:13 kaleb $
> // $XFree86: xc/programs/xkbcomp/keymap/macintosh,v 1.1 1999/05/23 05:27:51 dawes Exp $
> default xkb_keymap "macintosh" {
> xkb_keycodes { include "macintosh" };
> xkb_types { include "default" };
> xkb_compatibility { include "default" };
> xkb_symbols { include "macintosh/us(extended)" };
> xkb_geometry { include "macintosh" };
> };
>
> So a keymap has these five components. The keycodes tell what numeric
> code the keyboard (& driver) send back on a specific keypress. The
> reference is the geographical location of the keys on the keyboard. Some
> keys have names (like <ESC>, <TAB>), others coordinates like <AE01>
> (first alpha key in the top (5th = 'E') row, etc.
>
> Since we're using ADB keycodes, and XF4 uses Linux keycodes by default,
> the keycode part needs to be specified. I started with
> keycodes/macintosh, but made these changes:
>
>> In keycodes/macintosh, besides the usual definition of keycode 18, the
>> following swap:
>
> + <LSGT> = 18;
>
>> - <LMTA> = 66;
>> + <LMTA> = 63;
>> - <LALT> = 63;
>> + <LALT> = 66;
>
> That's because ALT and META are swapped, and the key between left shift
> and 'y' (or 'z') is missing.
>
>> Otherwise, in keymap/macintosh:
>>
>> - xkb_symbols { include "macintosh/us(extended)" };
>> + xkb_symbols { include "macintosh/fr" };
>
> Now, this is the symbols part of the map, which defines what letter,
> number or other symbol a specific key sends back, depending on the
> modifier keys that are depressed.
>
> The symbols/macintosh/us file is standard XF4; the fr part is not.
> Therefore I used the us part, but with the following changes to get the
> modifier keys to work as expected:
>
>> key <LMTA> { [ Meta_L ] };
>> key <LFSH> { [ Shift_L ] };
>> key <LCTL> { [ Control_L ] };
>> key <LALT> { [ Mode_switch ] };
>> key <RMTA> { [ Meta_R ] };
>> key <RTSH> { [ Shift_R ] };
>> key <RCTL> { [ Control_R ] };
>> key <RALT> { [ Alt_R ] };
>> and
>> modifier_map Shift { Shift_L, Shift_R };
>> modifier_map Lock { Caps_Lock };
>> modifier_map Control{ Control_L, Control_R };
>> modifier_map Mod1 { Meta_L, Meta_R };
>> modifier_map Mod3 { Mode_switch };
>
> Now, since I don't have a us keyboard, but rather Swiss-French, I
> changed the 'wrong' keys with xmodmap (since I always had that part
> working ok). However, there is no problem (and that's the better way),
> to add these changes in symbols/macintosh as well, maybe by adding a
> separate file. Keep in mind however, that that file needs to be added to
> symbols.dir.
>
> Now, for XF86config:
>
> For some reason, specifying the complete macintosh keymap didn't work.
> Therefore, I specified the components I needed to change (keycodes and
> symbols):
>
> Section "InputDevice"
> Identifier "Keyboard0"
> Driver "keyboard"
> Option "XkbModel" "macintosh_old"
> Option "XkbKeycodes" "macintosh"
> Option "XkbSymbols" "macintosh/us(extended)"
> EndSection
>
> As you can see, the five components in the keymap/macintosh file have
> their equivalent XFree options. Remember that "XkbModel" "macintosh_old"
> selects ADB keycodes; but I don't know what that exactly means for XF4.
> Anybody care to comment?
>
> With this in place, everything works as expected, with these exceptions:
>
> - the us symbols are active while not logged in, that is in xdm's login
> screen. The solution is to modify the symbols/macintosh/us part,
> instead of relying on xmodmap.
>
> - the 'Apple' key doesn't work for switching back to console. I'll hunt
> that down ASAP.
>
> Have fun
Not sure you can make any sense out of that, but hey... ;-)
Michel
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