Switching the Layout of the USB Keyboard.

[yokos]

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.

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

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:

<Description>Changing the USB Keyboard Layout
German Layout</Description>

run.sh

./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.

[wagnerian]

Great! This is what I've been waiting for so long!
I have tried to build a Korean keymap, but failed.

Originally Posted by yokos

The A keymap is just a simple text file with keycodes on the left, the letter/symbol on the right.

Can you change the keymap file to use the character codes instead of the real characters?

This is the unicode encoding table:
http://www.utf8-chartable.de

[yokos]

I have found here 85 xmodmaps.

Hey wagnerian, a korean one is included, too. Maybe this works. But you need a font on iLiad with included korean letters.

I attached the file [which I found there] in #1, . I hope it's ok to upload it here.

[nkelle]

Great news yokos,
I will try them out this weekend..

Best regards

nkelle

[Vanessa]

Just to let you know that the swiss french layout works perfectly
THANKS !