1LOADKEYS(1) General Commands Manual LOADKEYS(1)
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6 loadkeys - load keyboard translation tables
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9 loadkeys [ -c --clearcompose ] [ -d --default ] [ -h --help ] [ -m
10 --mktable ] [ -s --clearstrings ] [ -v --verbose ] [ filename... ]
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13 The program loadkeys reads the file or files specified by filename....
14 Its main purpose is to load the kernel keymap for the console.
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17 If the -d (or --default ) option is given, loadkeys loads a default
18 keymap, probably the file defkeymap.map either in /lib/kbd/keymaps or
19 in /usr/src/linux/drivers/char. (Probably the former was user-defined,
20 while the latter is a qwerty keyboard map for PCs - maybe not what was
21 desired.) Sometimes, with a strange keymap loaded (with the minus on
22 some obscure unknown modifier combination) it is easier to type `load‐
23 keys defkeymap'.
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26 The main function of loadkeys is to load or modify the keyboard
27 driver's translation tables. When specifying the file names, standard
28 input can be denoted by dash (-). If no file is specified, the data is
29 read from the standard input.
30 For many countries and keyboard types appropriate keymaps are available
32 already, and a command like `loadkeys uk' might do what you want. On
33 the other hand, it is easy to construct one's own keymap. The user has
34 to tell what symbols belong to each key. She can find the keycode for a
35 key by use of showkey(1), while the keymap format is given in
36 keymaps(5) and can also be seen from the output of dumpkeys(1).
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39 If the input file does not contain any compose key definitions, the
40 kernel accent table is left unchanged, unless the -c (or --clearcompose
41 ) option is given, in which case the kernel accent table is emptied.
42 If the input file does contain compose key definitions, then all old
43 definitions are removed, and replaced by the specified new entries.
44 The kernel accent table is a sequence of (by default 68) entries
45 describing how dead diacritical signs and compose keys behave. For
46 example, a line
47 compose ',' 'c' to ccedilla
49 means that <ComposeKey><,><c> must be combined to <ccedilla>. The cur‐
51 rent content of this table can be see using `dumpkeys --compose-only'.
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54 The option -s (or --clearstrings ) clears the kernel string table. If
55 this option is not given, loadkeys will only add or replace strings,
56 not remove them. (Thus, the option -s is required to reach a well-
57 defined state.) The kernel string table is a sequence of strings with
58 names like F31. One can make function key F5 (on an ordinary PC key‐
59 board) produce the text `Hello!', and Shift+F5 `Goodbye!' using lines
60 keycode 63 = F70 F71
62 string F70 = "Hello!"
63 string F71 = "Goodbye!"
64 in the keymap. The default bindings for the function keys are certain
66 escape sequences mostly inspired by the VT100 terminal.
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69 If the -m (or --mktable ) option is given loadkeys prints to the stan‐
70 dard output a file that may be used as /usr/src/linux/drivers/char‐
71 /defkeymap.c, specifying the default key bindings for a kernel (and
72 does not modify the current keymap).
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75 -h --help
76 loadkeys prints its version number and a short usage message to
77 the programs standard error output and exits.
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80 Note that anyone having read access to /dev/console can run loadkeys
81 and thus change the keyboard layout, possibly making it unusable. Note
82 that the keyboard translation table is common for all the virtual con‐
83 soles, so any changes to the keyboard bindings affect all the virtual
84 consoles simultaneously.
85 Note that because the changes affect all the virtual consoles, they
87 also outlive your session. This means that even at the login prompt the
88 key bindings may not be what the user expects.
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91 /lib/kbd/keymaps
92 default directory for keymaps
93 /usr/src/linux/drivers/char/defkeymap.map
95 default kernel keymap
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98 dumpkeys(1), keymaps(5)
99 6 Feb 1994 LOADKEYS(1)