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loadkeys(1)

NAME

   loadkeys - load keyboard translation tables

SYNOPSIS

   loadkeys  [  -b  --bkeymap  ]  [  -c  --clearcompose  ] [ -C '<FILE>' |
   --console=<FILE> ] [ -d --default ] [ -h --help ] [ -m --mktable ] [ -q
   --quiet  ]  [  -s  --clearstrings ] [ -u --unicode ] [ -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.  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

   -h --help
          loadkeys  prints its version number and a short usage message to
          the programs standard error output and exits.

   -q --quiet
          loadkeys suppresses all normal output.

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

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