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  `load-
       keys 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 cur-
       rent  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)