dxkeycaps(1X) dxkeycaps(1X)
NAME
dxkeycaps - Graphically display and edit the keyboard mapping
SYNOPSIS
dxkeycaps [-options]
OPTIONS
Run dxkeycaps with no command line options to edit the keyboard mapping of the keyboard that is attached to your workstation.
The dxkeycaps command accepts all of the standard toolkit options. It also accepts the following options: Specifies the type of keyboard to
display. There are many different types of computer keyboards, and to function correctly dxkeycaps must know which one you are using. The
following keyboards are known:
LK401 (American) LK401 (Svenska) LK444 (Dansk) LK201 (American) LK401 (Vlaams) LK444 (Deutsch) LK443 (Ameri-
can) LK201 (Dansk) LK444 (Schweiz) LK421 LK201 (Deutsch) LK444 (British/Irish) LK401 (Dansk)
LK201 (Schweiz) LK444 (Espanol) LK401 (Deutsch) LK201 (UK) LK444 (Francais) LK401 (Schweiz) LK201
(Espanol) LK444 (Canadien) LK401 (British/Irish) LK201 (Francais) LK444 (SuisseRomande) LK401 (Espanol) LK201
(Canadien) LK444 (Italiano) LK401 (Francais) LK201 (SuisseRomande) LK444 (Nederlands) LK401 (Canadien) LK201 (Ital-
iano) LK444 (Norsk) LK401 (SuisseRomande) LK201 (Nederlands) LK444 (Portugues) LK401 (Italiano) LK201 (Norsk)
LK444 (Suomi) LK401 (Nederlands) LK201 (Portugues) LK444 (Svenska) LK401 (Norsk) LK201 (Suomi) LK444 (Vlaams)
LK401 (Portugues) LK201 (Svenska) LK401 (Suomi) LK201 (Vlaams)
PCXAL (American) PCXAL (Dansk) PCXAL (Deutsch) PCXAL (Schweiz) PCXAL (British/Irish) PCXAL (Espanol) PCXAL (Fran-
cais) PCXAL (Canadien) PCXAL (SuisseRomande) PCXAL (Italiano) PCXAL (Nederlands) PCXAL (Norsk) PCXAL (Portugues)
PCXAL (Suomi) PCXAL (Svenska) PCXAL (Vlaams)
NCD N101 NCD N102 NCD N102sf NCD N108 NCD N97 NCD vt220
If the console's keyboard language parameter is set correctly, dxkeycaps will select the correct keyboard by default if run without
any command line parameter. (Use the set language command to set the console's keyboard language. See the section on environment
variables in your workstation user's guide.)
You may specify a different flavor of the "correct" keyboard (i.e., on a workstation with an LK401, you can specify the LK421,
LK443 or LK201), but you cannot display a PCXAL or NCD keyboard layout unless you are displaying on a machine with those keyboards
attached.
If you specify % dxkeycaps -kbd "pcxal (British/Irish)"
the British/Irish keyboard layout is displayed. If you specify % dxkeycaps -kbd pcxal
the PCXAL (American) keyboard layout is displayed as the default. If you specify % dxkeycaps -kbd badkeyboardname
the keyboard displayed is the "best guess" at the correct default keyboard (based on kernel and console environment information),
just as if you ran dxkeycaps without any parameters at all.
Case does not matter when specifying a keyboard name, but you must quote keyboard names that contain spaces. For example: % dxkey-
caps -kbd "PCXAL-AE (United Kingdom)" Specifies the number of pixels of space to leave between each key.
DESCRIPTION
The dxkeycaps command displays a keyboard with keycaps drawn according to the current server keymap. When you move the mouse over a key,
the command describes the key symbols and modifiers that the key generates. Clicking MB1 on a key simulates pressing a key. Clicking MB3
on a key brings up a menu of operations, including a command to change the key symbol that the key generates.
This program is, in part, a graphical front-end to xmodmap.
Display
The bottom part of the window is a drawing of a keyboard. In the top left of each key is printed the string which actually appears on the
surface of the key. In the bottom right of the key is the (hexadecimal) keycode that this key generates.
At the top of the screen are several lines of text describing the key under the mouse (or the most recently typed key.) These lines are:
Displays the text printed on the physical key, and the keycode generated by that key in hex, decimal, and octal. Displays the set of Key
symbols that this key currently generates. Displays the modifier bits that this key generates. If a key generates modifiers, it is a
chord-key like Shift or Control. States whether the X server claims that this key autorepeats.
Commands Pull-Down Menu
The Commands pull-down menu in the upper left corner of the window contains the menu items Keyboard, Reset to Default, Save, and Exit:
Brings up a menu from which you can change which keyboard is displayed. For machines with PC class keyboards, this menu offers the options
of
PCXAL (American) PCXAL (Dansk) PCXAL (Deutsch) PCXAL (Schweiz) PCXAL (British/Irish) PCXAL (Espanol) PCXAL (Francais) PCXAL (Cana-
dien) PCXAL (SuisseRomande) PCXAL (Italiano) PCXAL (Nederlands) PCXAL (Norsk) PCXAL (Portugues) PCXAL (Suomi) PCXAL (Svenska) PCXAL
(Vlaams)
If you run dxkeycaps on a workstation with no command line arguments, you get a pullright menu for your system's keyboard. dxkey-
caps detects what type of keyboard you have on your system and limits your choices. However, if, in the command line, you specify a
keyboard, (even if it's the one attached to the display), or use the -all parameter, the Keyboard menu item will display a two-level
pullright, where the first level for an LK-style keyboard is:
LK401>
LK201>
LK443>
LK421
Selecting one of those produces the sub-menu of international variants described above. An exception is the LK421, which does not
provide international support. If you select LK421 from the first level menu, the LK421 keyboard is displayed. This command
restores the keyboard to its default state as defined by the physical keycaps on the keyboard. If you execute this command while
displaying a keyboard that is not the type of keyboard you are really using, your keymap will be in a nonsensical state. There is
no way for dxkeycaps to tell what keyboard you are using. This command writes an xmodmap input file representing the current state
of the keyboard (including all of your changes) to the standard output. The file is saved in your home directory as ~/.dxkeycaps. It
prompts you with a dialog box: you can either write an xmodmap file representing the state of every key, or you can write a smaller
file which describes only the changes. Exits the program.
You can arrange for these bindings to be installed each time you log in by placing an xmodmap command in your file. For example:
xmodmap ~/.dxkeycaps
Typing a key on the real keyboard simulates a KeyPress/KeyRelease event pair in the same way that clicking on a key does.
You can also combine mouse and keyboard input: for example, if you use the mouse to select the Shift key, and type a character, the event
that is simulated will have the Shift modifier set. And if you hold down the real Control key, and click on the C key in the window, a
Control-C event will be generated. (Assuming that your window manager does not intercept control-left-button for its own purposes.)
Clicking MB3 on a key pops up a menu of commands for the given key. They are: This pops up the "Edit Key" window, which allows you to
arbitrarily change which key symbols and modifiers this key generates.
On the left side of the window is the list of the key symbols that this key currently generates. (A key may generate up to eight
key symbols; the interpretation of these key symbols is described in the X protocol document, and is summarized here in the KEYSYMS
AND KEYCODES section.)
The second column is a multiple-choice list of the eight modifier bits that this key may generate. For example, if you want a key
to behave as a Control key, you should select the Control modifier.
The third and fourth column (the scrolling lists) are for changing the key symbol associated with the key. When you select a
keysym-position from the first column, the character set and keysym will be displayed in the scrolling lists. Clicking on a key
symbol in the KeySym column will install that key symbol in the highlighted slot in the first column.
To select a key symbol from a different character set, click on the character set name in the second column. (The Latin1 and Key-
board character sets are the most commonly used.)
At the bottom of the window are three buttons: Undo, Abort, and Ok. Clicking on Undo reverts the Edit Key window to the current
state of the key in question. Clicking on Abort closes the Edit Key window without making any changes. Clicking on Ok closes the
Edit Key window and installs your changes (the current keyboard mapping is modified.) After selecting this menu item, you are asked
to click on another key. That key and the key on which you brought up the menu will be exchanged. This actually changes the current
keyboard mapping. After selecting this menu item, you are asked to click on another key. That key will be made a copy of the key on
which you brought up the menu. That is, the two keys will generate the same set of key symbols and modifiers. This actually changes
the current keyboard mapping and redraws the keyboard with the changed keycap reflecting its new status. The key on which you
brought up the menu will be made to generate no keysyms and no modifiers. This actually changes the current keyboard mapping and
redraws the keyboard with the changed keycap reflecting its new status. The key on which you brought up the menu will be restored
to its default state; no other key will be altered. This actually changes the current keyboard mapping and redraws the keyboard with
the changed keycap reflecting its new status.
X DEFAULTS
The dxkeycaps command understands all of the core resource names and classes as well as: Which keyboard to display; this is the same as the
-keyboard command-line option. If this is not specified, the default keyboard is guessed, based on the server's vendor identification
string. dxkeycaps can distinguish between the LK and PC class keyboards, and will not allow displaying or editing the LK keyboard on a
workstation that has a PC keyboard (or vice-versa). The color to use to highlight a key when it is depressed. If this is the same as the
background color of the key, it is highlighted with a stipple pattern instead. The color to paint the keycap string. The color to paint
the keycode number. The color of the box around each key. The font to use to draw the keycap string. The font to use to draw the keycode
number. The thickness of the box around each key. How many pixels to leave between this key and its neighbors to the right and bottom.
The class of each key widget is Key as indicated in the previous list. The name of each key is the string(s) printed on its face. For
example, if you wanted the Shift keys to have wider borders, you could specify:
DXkeycaps*Keyboard.Shift.borderWidth: 2
ACTIONS
It is possible to rebind the actions that happen when you press or release a key or mouse button. These actions are available on the Key-
board widget: This places the key in question in the highlighted state.
If no argument is passed to this action, then the key is determined by the event which invoked this action. If this action is
invoked by a KeyPress or KeyRelease event, the key-widget is the key corresponding to the key that the event represents. If it is a
ButtonPress, ButtonRelease, or PointerMotion event, then the key-widget is the one under the mouse.
The argument may be one of the words mouse, highlighted, or displayed, meaning the key under the mouse, the key most recently high-
lighted, or the key currently being described in the "Info" area at the top of the window, respectively.
The condition may be one of the words ifmod, unlessmod, iftracking, unlesstracking, ifhighlighted, or unlesshighlighted. If ifmod
was specified and the key in question (as determined by the argument or by the invoking event) is not a modifier key, then this
action is not executed. The unlessmod condition is the opposite. The iftracking and unlesstracking conditions allow you to do some
actions only if (or unless) the key is being "tracked" with the mouse (see below.) The ifhighlighted and unlesshighlighted actions
allow you to do some things only if (or unless) the key in question is currently in the highlighted state. This places the key in
question in the unhighlighted state. Arguments are as above. This makes the key be highlighted if it is unhighlighted, or unhigh-
lighted if it is highlighted. Arguments are as above. This action makes a KeyPress event corresponding to the key be synthesized
on the focus window. Arguments are as above. This action makes a KeyRelease event corresponding to the key be synthesized on the
focus window. Arguments are as above. This makes the key in question begin being "tracked," which means that moving the mouse off
of it will simulate a button-release action, and then will simulate a button-press action on the key that the mouse has moved on to.
This action may only be invoked from a ButtonPress or ButtonRelease event. This makes the key in question no longer be "tracked."
This action causes the key and its bindings to be displayed in the "Info" section at the top of the window, if it is not already
described there.
The default actions for the Keyboard widget are:
<Motion>: DescribeKey(mouse,unlessTracking)
<KeyDown>: HighlightKey()
DescribeKey(unlessMod)
DescribeKey(displayed)
SimulateKeyPress()
<KeyUp>: UnhighlightKey()
DescribeKey(displayed)
SimulateKeyRelease()
<Btn1Down>: HighlightKey(unlessMod)
ToggleKey(ifMod)
TrackKey(unlessMod)
SimulateKeyPress(ifHighlighted)
SimulateKeyRelease(unlessHighlighted)
<Btn1Up>: UntrackKey(highlighted)
SimulateKeyRelease(highlighted,unlessMod)
UnhighlightKey(highlighted,unlessMod)
<Btn3Down>: XawPositionSimpleMenu(keyMenu)
MenuPopup(keyMenu)
If you do not want a key to be described each time the mouse moves over it, you can remove the <Motion> action. In that case, you should
probably add DescribeKey() to the <Btn1Down> and <KeyDown> actions.
If you want the key under the mouse to be described even while the mouse is moving with a button down, then remove the unlessTracking
parameter from the DescribeKey action bound to <Motion>.
If you do not want the modifier keys to toggle, change the Button1 actions to the following:
DXkeycaps*Keyboard.actions: #override
<Btn1Down>: HighlightKey()
TrackKey(unlessmod)
SimulateKeyPress()
<Btn1Up>: UntrackKey(highlighted)
SimulateKeyRelease(highlighted)
UnhighlightKey(highlighted)
Remember that these actions exist on the Keyboard widget, not on the Key widgets. If you add actions to the Key widgets, things will mal-
function.
KEYSYMS AND KEYCODES
The following description is from the X Protocol document, and is reprinted here for your convenience:
A list of KeySyms is associated with each KeyCode. If that list (ignoring trailing NoSymbol entries) is a single KeySym "K", then the list
is treated as if it were the list "K NoSymbol K NoSymbol". If the list (ignoring trailing NoSymbol entries) is a pair of KeySyms "K1 K2",
then the list is treated as if it were the list "K1 K2 K1 K2". If the list (ignoring trailing NoSymbol entries) is a triple of KeySyms "K1
K2 K3", then the list is treated as if it were the list "K1 K2 K3 NoSymbol".
The first four elements of the list are split into two groups of KeySyms. Group 1 contains the first and second KeySyms, Group 2 contains
third and fourth KeySyms. Within each group, if the second element of the group is NoSymbol, then the group should be treated as if the
second element were the same as the first element, except when the first element is an alphabetic KeySym K for which both lowercase and
uppercase forms are defined. In that case, the group should be treated as if the first element were the lowercase form of "K" and the sec-
ond element were the uppercase form of "K".
The standard rules for obtaining a KeySym from a KeyPress event make use of only the Group 1 and Group 2 KeySyms; no interpretation of
other KeySyms in the list is given here. (That is, the last four KeySyms are unused.)
Which group to use is determined by modifier state. Switching between groups is controlled by the KeySym named Mode_switch.
By attaching that KeySym to some KeyCode and attaching that KeyCode to any one of the modifiers Mod1 through Mod5. This modifier is called
the "group modifier." For any KeyCode, Group 1 is used when the group modifier is off, and Group 2 is used when the group modifier is on.
Within a group, which KeySym to use is also determined by modifier state. The first KeySym is used when the Shift and Lock modifiers are
off. The second KeySym is used when the Shift modifier is on, or when the Lock modifier is on and the second KeySym is uppercase alpha-
betic, or when the Lock modifier is on and is interpreted as ShiftLock. Otherwise, when the Lock modifier is on and is interpreted as Cap-
sLock, the state of the Shift modifier is applied first to select a KeySym, but if that KeySym is lowercase alphabetic, then the corre-
sponding uppercase KeySym is used instead.
MODIFIER MAPPING
The following description is from the InterClient Communications Conventions Manual:
X11 supports eight modifier bits, three of which are pre-assigned to Shift, Lock and Control. Each modifier bit is controlled by the
state of a set of keys, and these sets are specified in a table accessed by GetModifierMapping() and SetModifierMapping().
A client needing to use one of the pre-assigned modifiers should assume that the modifier table has been set up correctly to control these
modifiers. The Lock modifier should be interpreted as Caps Lock or Shift Lock according as the keycodes in its controlling set include
XK_Caps_Lock or XK_Shift_Lock.
Clients should determine the meaning of a modifier bit from the keysyms being used to control it.
A client needing to use an extra modifier, for example Meta, should:
Scan the existing modifier mappings. If it finds a modifier that contains a keycode whose set of keysyms includes XK_Meta_L or XK_Meta_R,
it should use that modifier bit.
If there is no existing modifier controlled by XK_Meta_L or XK_Meta_R, it should select an unused modifier bit (one with an empty control-
ling set) and:
If there is a keycode with XL_Meta_L in its set of keysyms, add that keycode to the set for the chosen modifier, then
if there is a keycode with XL_Meta_R in its set of keysyms, add that keycode to the set for the chosen modifier, then
if the controlling set is still empty, interact with the user to select one or more keys to be Meta.
If there are no unused modifier bits, ask the user to take corrective action.
This means that the Mod1 modifier does not necessarily mean Meta, although some applications (such as twm and emacs) assume that. Any of
the five unassigned modifier bits could mean Meta; what matters is that a modifier bit is generated by a keycode which is bound to the
keysym Meta_L or Meta-R.
Therefore, if you want to make a "meta" key, the best way is to make the keycode in question generate both a Meta keysym, and a modifier
bit.
RESTRICTIONS
Because this program has default colors that are not "black and white," the -rv command-line option does not work. But the following
incantation does what you want on a monochrome screen:
% dxkeycaps -fg white -bg black -bd white
ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES
Use this environment variable to get the default host and display number. Use this environment variable to get the name of a resource file
that overrides the global resources stored in the RESOURCE_MANAGER property.
SEE ALSO
X(1X), xmodmap(1X)
dxkeycaps(1X)