The
USB Keyboard server comes with an US layout. If you have a non-US USB keyboard in front of your nose, you will have a problem.
Therefore we need a way to change the keymaps of the keyboard.
xmodmap is one way.
Right now only a German keymap is included. [EDIT II: not anymore true.]
A keymap is just a simple text file with keycodes on the left, the letter/symbol on the right.
Code:
keycode 10 = 1 exclam onesuperior exclamdown onesuperior exclamdown
keycode 11 = 2 quotedbl twosuperior oneeighth twosuperior oneeighth
keycode 12 = 3 section threesuperior sterling threesuperior sterling
keycode 13 = 4 dollar onequarter currency onequarter currency
keycode 14 = 5 percent onehalf threeeighths onehalf threeeighths
keycode 15 = 6 ampersand notsign fiveeighths notsign fiveeighths
keycode 16 = 7 slash braceleft seveneighths braceleft seveneighths
If you know a place where keymaps of other/"all" languages live, please let me know. [EDIT II: 85 xmodmaps are attached.]
The symbols files (keymaps) in /usr/share/X11/xkb/symbols on my Desktop Linux distribution where not compatible with xmodmap.
I created the attached German keymap [while a German layout is active] with
Code:
xmodmap -pke > keymap
xkeycaps is another option [not checked out yet].
[EDIT 02/20/2008] Oh no, xkeycaps needs xmkmf to compile. Uncharted water for me.
[EDIT 02/21/2008] 85 xmodmaps are attached. All the best! I hope it works for you.
you-have-to-do:
# w/o editing txt/shell scripts:
You have to rename the wanted xmodmap (for instance
xmodmap.be) to
de, then replace the original in the xmodmap dir.
#w/ editing txt/shell scripts:
Edit the red parts to your need.
manifest.xml:
Code:
<Description>Changing the USB Keyboard Layout
German Layout</Description>
run.sh
Code:
./xmodmap de > output.txt 2>&1
[EDIT 02/22/2008] I replaced 85_xmodmaps.zip with 95_xmodmaps.zip [the same 85 + 10 others]
screenshot: it shows Beaver with typed German specific letters.