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dcore:keyboard_layout_in_console [2015/05/09 10:11] – [Notes] sm8psdcore:keyboard_layout_in_console [2015/07/28 05:44] (current) – [Keyboard Layout - Tinycore way] + Link to keyboard codes sm8ps
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 ======Layout-switching in the Console====== ======Layout-switching in the Console======
  
-The command 'loadkeys' can be used to set a new layout. The following outline explains how to implement such a mechanism in dCore. Due to the size of the needed packages, some optimisation is desirable (cf. [[#note|note]] below). +The command ''loadkeys'' can be used to set a new layout. The following outline explains how to implement such a mechanism in dCore, specifically how to make the necessary files available.
- +
- +
-=====Warning about log-in prompt===== +
- +
-The man-page of 'loadkeys' explains a possible side-effect of changing the keyboard-layout in the console. "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." +
  
 =====Installing===== =====Installing=====
   *Import and load the //kbd// package, providing 'loadkeys'. This extension is to be made persistent by adding it to 'sceboot.lst'.   *Import and load the //kbd// package, providing 'loadkeys'. This extension is to be made persistent by adding it to 'sceboot.lst'.
-  *Import and load the //console-date// package. This extension is only used in an ephemeral way and can be removed afterwards.+  *Import and load the //console-data// package. This extension is only used in an ephemeral way and can be removed afterwards.
  
-====Note====+====Storing the key-map-files==== 
 +The necessary key-map files are stored away and made persistent. 
 +  *Create a directory to store the key-map files in, e.g. '/opt/sys/keymaps/', and make it the working directory. 
 +  *In a console (virtual TTY, accessed by Ctrl+Alt+F#), ''sudo loadkeys us'' should output "/usr/share/keymaps/i386/qwerty/us.kmap.gz". Use ''dumpkeys > us.keymap'' to produce an appropriate key-map file. 
 +  *Determine your keyboard layout by ''sudo loadkeys <LAYOUT>'', substituting some desired key-map code (likely some file name in '/usr/share/keymaps/', probably under 'i386/qwerty/'). Use ''dumpkeys > <LAYOUT>.keymap'' to produce an appropriate key-map file. 
 +Hint: if you should have loaded a non-functional keyboard layout, use the arrow-up key to get back to the line loading the US-layout.
  
-The package //kbd// has a almost one hundred dependencies going back to, e.g. //passwd// and //mount//. Thus it is desirable to include it into a base extension rather than used it as an isolated extension as here presented. That may be done at a later time without need for repeating the whole procedure.+===Notes=== 
 +  *The naming scheme remains a bit hazy. The Swiss-German layout, for instance, may well be loaded by 'loadkeys ch' but the command does not produce any output. Indeed, there is no file 'ch*' at all but instead one for 'sg_latin1'. YMMV. In the end, the file names do not matter as a new key-map file for local use is generated anyways.
  
 +==== Testing ====
 +Loading any such key-map with ''loadkeys'' should switch keyboard layout, e.g. ''sudo loadkeys /opt/sys/keymaps/us.kmap''.
  
-=====Testing===== +===Warning about log-in prompt===
-  *In a console (virtual TTY, accessed by Ctrl+Alt+F#), 'sudo loadkeys us' should output "/usr/share/keymaps/i386/qwerty/us.kmap.gz". +
-  *Determine your keyboard layout by 'sudo loadkeys <...>' by substituting some file name in '/usr/share/keymaps/', likely under 'i386/qwerty/'. The output must confirm the loading of the respective file. +
-Hint: if you should have loaded a non-functional keyboard layout, use the arrow-up key to get back to the line loading the US-layout.+
  
-====Notes==== +The man-page of ''loadkeys'' explains a possible side-effect of changing the keyboard-layout in the console. "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."
-  *The naming scheme remains a bit hazy. The Swiss-German layout, for instance, may well be loaded by 'loadkeys ch' but the command does not produce any output. Indeed, there is no file 'ch*' at all. After some research, the correct code was found as 'sg_latin1'. For the switching by use of 'loadkeys', "ch" has to be used nevertheless. YMMV.+
  
-=====Persistence===== + 
-  *Copy the needed files aside and remove the //console-date// extension. +====Persistence==== 
-  *After a re-boot, create the 'keymaps/'-directory by, e.g. 'sudo mkdir -p /usr/share/keymaps/i386/qwerty' for 'us.kmap.gz' and copy the files in there. +Add the name of the directory, e.g. "opt/sys/keymaps"  to '.filetool.lst' and issue ''backup''.
-  *Add the file names to '.filetool.lst'.+
  
 =====Personalisation===== =====Personalisation=====
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 <code> <code>
 ~/.profile: ~/.profile:
-sudo loadkeys <LAYOUT>+sudo loadkeys <KMAP>
 </code> </code>
-The US-keyboard layout, for example, is very well suited for working on the command line. +The US-keyboard layout is used as default if nothing else is specified so this step can be omitted if that layout should be used by default.
  
 ====Aliases==== ====Aliases====
  
-In order to quickly switch between layout, add the following to '~/.ashrc'.+In order to quickly switch between layout, add something like the following to '~/.ashrc'.
  
 <code> <code>
 ~/.ashrc: ~/.ashrc:
-alias us='sudo loadkeys us' +alias us='sudo loadkeys /opt/sys/keymaps/us.kmap' 
-alias <CODE>='sudo loadkeys <LAYOUT>'+alias <CODE>='sudo loadkeys <KMAP>'
  
 </code> </code>
 +=====Keyboard Layout - Tinycore way=====
 +  - Download [[http://tinycorelinux.net/6.x/x86/tcz/kmaps.tcz]] and save it in the sce dir as kmaps.sce
 +  - Add kmaps to sceboot.lst
 +  - Add your layout to the boot options on your bootloader, for example kmap=qwerty/it
  
 +A list of available keyboard codes can be seen in the [[http://tinycorelinux.net/6.x/x86/tcz/kmaps.tcz.list|content list]] of kmaps.tcz.
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