LOADKEYS(1)                                                                                                          LOADKEYS(1)



NAME
       loadkeys - load keyboard translation tables

SYNOPSIS
       loadkeys  [ -b --bkeymap ] [ -c --clearcompose ] [ -C '<cons1 cons2 ...>' | --console=cons1,cons2,...  ] [ -d --default ]
       [ -h --help ] [ -m --mktable ] [ -q --quiet ] [ -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.   The  affected console device or devices can be specified using the -C (or --console ) option. This option
       supports a list of device names

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 `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 `dump-
       keys --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 ter-
       minal.

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 cur-
       rent 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).

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  key-
       board 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)