--- Andries Brouwer <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > On Sat, Jun 12, 2004 at 09:56:52AM -0700, Elvis > Presley wrote: > > > Re: Unicode Keyboard Input Linux > > > > I'm interested in using the Linux console as a > > multi-language keyboard > > > > 1) How do I switch the keyboard from language to > > language? > > The kernel keyboard driver does not have the concept > of language. It has a keymap. You load it with the > loadkeys utility. Keymaps are rather powerful. They > have 256 possible shift states and any key can be a > locking shift, so after pressing one of your chosen > key combinations you can use a different part of the > keymap. You have a FSM here.
"You can use a different part of the keymap..." So, a single keymap contains maps for many languages; there is only one keymap file active at a time. That's nice, because it saves a configuration file. You can switch between mappings using the keymap file itself. > > > I read somewhere yesterday that you can switch > > between Ukranian and English keyboards using the > > RightAlt key, > > This is not a property of Linux, but a property of > that particular keymap. You can do things just as > you like. > > > let me make some proposals: > > Proposals to yourself? Yes, to myself, just to build a picture in my mind. The list of mappings will be highly variable, and intuitive to each person. I was interested only in the mechanism. The ESC sequence is definately out. It appears I can use the Alt-key combination. I worked on a Unix system years ago, before X, and the virtual terminals were mapped to Alt-F1, Alt-F2 etc. They were character-mode terminals only, and utf-8 was just being designed (it was 1992). I'm wondering now how 'virtual terminals' coexists with X and xterms. They do the same thing, but old habits die hard, I really liked virtual terminals. > > The base documentation is that which comes with the > kbd package. Manual pages for loadkeys, setfont, > keymaps. Thanks, I'll take a closer look at the man pages for keymaps again. > > These things are tricky and messy, and it is easiest > just to leave matters to the distribution. But if > you like to fiddle with them yourself, you can. Thanks :) > > Andries > > -- > Linux-UTF8: i18n of Linux on all levels > Archive: http://mail.nl.linux.org/linux-utf8/ > __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Friends. Fun. Try the all-new Yahoo! Messenger. http://messenger.yahoo.com/ -- Linux-UTF8: i18n of Linux on all levels Archive: http://mail.nl.linux.org/linux-utf8/
