[Kde-accessibility] configure left hand dvorak keyboard

[Gary Cramblitt]

On Sunday 31 July 2005 05:31 am, Ed Bickerstaff wrote:
> If anyone can help me to get the Control Center to see dvorak-l.kmap.gz as
> a Layout variant or perhaps have another solution I would be extremely
> happy if you could help.

Since no one has responded, thought I'd offer up the following information.  I 
suspect you are already aware of this information, but just in case..

From http://www.comptechdoc.org/os/linux/howlinuxworks/
--------------
Console key utilities and files

    * Kernel keyboard driver
          o kbd_mode - Report or set the keyboard mode to -s (scancode mode,
RAW) -k (keycode mode, MEDIUMRAW) -a (ASC mode, XLATE) -u (UTF-8 mode,
UNICODE). XLATE is default.
          o kbdrate - modify the keyboard repeat rate and delay time after
keypress.
          o kbdconf - Configures the /etc/sysconfig/keyboard file which
specifies the location of the keyboard map file. 
    * For system key mapping make codes to keycodes
          o setkeycodes - used to set a translation between unusual
scancodes and keycodes. This utility is not usually needed.
          o getkeycodes - Print the kernel scancode to keycode mapping table. 
    * Mapping keycodes to keymaps
          o dumpkeys - dump keyboard driver translation tables in the format
specified by keymaps. The output of this program will look similar to the
keytable file in "/usr/lib/kbd/keytables/*.map" and the output can be saved
to a file, and used to generate a new file to be used with the "loadkeys"
command.
          o loadkeys - Load the keyboard translation table into the system
from a specified file. Type "loadkeys -d" or "loadkeys defkeymap" to load
the default keymap. Changes keys for all virtual consoles. The keyboard
translation table set in the kernel (compiled in) is in the file
"/usr/src/linux/drivers/char/defkeymap.map". To change the kernels keymap
without having to load a new table after booting, you must modify the file,
then re-compile the kernel. You would only need to do this to modify keymaps
for remote boot systems that don't have access to all system programs.
          o setmetamode - define the keyboard meta key handling. Controls
whether the keystroke <Alt-key>, would send the keycode M-key or the key
sequence ESC followed by key. You can have different setting in different
virtual consoles. 
    * Debugging tools
          o showkey - Examine the scancodes and keycodes sent by the
keyboard. Options are -s (show scancodes) -k (show keycodes, default) -m
(show keymap). This program outputs key values that the user presses on the
keyboard. The program terminates when no keys are pressed for 10 seconds. 
    * Termcap and terminfo
          o tic - Compiler for terminfo.
          o infocmp - Used to examine terminfo files.
          o /etc/termcap - The termcap database file.
          o /usr/share/terminfo - The directory structures containing the
terminfo compiled database. 
    * Other tools
          o consolechars - Load console screen font (was called setfont).
The directory "/usr/lib/kbd/consolefonts/" is the default directory for
fonts. "/usr/lib/kbd/consoletrans" is the default directory for ACM's and 
SFM's.
          o psfaddtable - Add a Unicode character to a console font.
          o psfgettable
          o pfsstriptable 
    * For terminals and terminal key mapping
          o stty - Print or change the terminal line settings.
          o setterm - Set terminal attributes.
          o tput - Initialize a terminal or query terminfo database.
          o setleds - Set or output the keyboard LED settings for caps lock,
num lock, and scroll lock.
          o setfont - Never use unless you know what you are doing. There is
no man page for this command.
          o chvt - Change virtual terminal. Usage: chvt3.
          o deallocvt - De allocate unused virtual terminals 
    * For X
          o xmodmap - Used to modify keymaps and pointer button mappings in
X. Map X keycodes to keysyms. Usage "xmodmap mykeys.map".
          o xkeycaps - A GUI front end to xmodmap.
          o xev - Allows you to see key make and breaks generated on a window.
          o showfont - font dumper for X font server
          o xset - Set user preferences for the display.
          o /etc/X11/xinit/Xmodmap or $HOME/.Xmodmap - File(s) that can be
uset to set keycode mapping in X
          o $HOME/.Xinitrc - A file run when X starts that is a script file.
The program "xmodmap" can be invoked in this file to set keymappings for X.
          o $HOME/.Xresources - Another file where keymappings may be
changed for X. 
    * Bash
          o /etc/inputrc or $HOME/.inputrc - Where Bash keymapping is done. 
    * Less
          o $HOME/.lessrc - Where keymapping is done for less. 
    * Emacs
          o $HOME/.emacs - Where keymapping is done for emacs. 
    * tsh
          o bindkey - A program supplied by tsh to allow for binding keymaps.
          o $HOME/.cshrc 
-----------

I needed to do something similar, but nowhere near as involved as a Dvorak 
map.  I like for the PgUp, PgDn keys on the numeric keyboard to do page up 
and page down, rather than enter numerics.  So I did the following:

Create file /etc/X11/Xsession.d/40custom_load-xmodmap 
 
SYSMODMAP=/etc/X11/Xmodmap 
USRMODMAP=$HOME/.Xmodmap 
 
if [ -x /usr/bin/X11/xmodmap ]; then 
        if [ -f $SYSMODMAP ]; then 
        xmodmap $SYSMODMAP 
        fi 
fi 
 
if [ -x /usr/bin/X11/xmodmap ]; then 
        if [ -f $USRMODMAP ]; then 
        xmodmap $USRMODMAP 
        fi 
fi 
 
Then either create a system Xmodmap file in etc/X11 or each user can have 
a .Xmodmap file in their HOME directory. 
 
Here's my .Xmodmap file: 
 
! 
! This is an `xmodmap' input file for 
!   PC 104 key, wide Delete, short Enter (XFree86; US) keyboards. 
! Automatically generated on Fri Feb  7 22:43:37 2003 by gary with 
! XKeyCaps 2.45; Copyright (c) 1999 Jamie Zawinski <jwz at jwz.org>. 
! http://www.jwz.org/xkeycaps/ 
! 
keycode 0x4F =  Home 
keycode 0x50 =  Up 
keycode 0x51 =  Prior 
keycode 0x53 =  Left 
keycode 0x55 =  Right 
keycode 0x57 =  End 
keycode 0x58 =  Down 
keycode 0x59 =  Next 
keycode 0x5A =  Insert 
keycode 0x5B =  Delete 

As for K Control Center, can't say anything about that.

-- 
Gary Cramblitt (aka PhantomsDad)
KDE Text-to-Speech Maintainer
http://accessibility.kde.org/developer/kttsd/index.php