Learn the UNIX/Linux command line
Home Man Pages
LOADKEYS(1) LOADKEYS(1)
NAME
loadkeys - load keyboard translation tables
SYNOPSIS
loadkeys [ -c --clearcompose ] [ -d --default ] [ -h --help ] [ -m
--mktable ] [ -s --clearstrings ] [ -v --verbose ] [ 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.
RESET TO DEFAULT
If the -d (or --default ) option is given, loadkeys loads a default
keymap, probably the file defkeymap.map either in /lib/kbd/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 avail-
able 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 --clearcom-
pose ) option is given, in which case the kernel accent table is emp-
tied. 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 <,> must be combined to . 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 key-
board) 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 stan-
dard 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).
OTHER OPTIONS
-h --help
loadkeys prints its version number and a short usage message to
the programs standard error output 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 con-
soles, 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
/lib/kbd/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)
UNIX/Linux commands referenced on this page: