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+                         The XKB Configuration Guide
+
+                         Kamil Toman, Ivan U. Pascal
+
+                              25 November 2002
+
+                                  Abstract
+
+     This document describes how to configure XFree86 XKB from a user's
+     point a few. It converts basic configuration syntax and gives also
+     a few examples.
+
+1.  Overview
+
+The XKB configuration is decomposed into a number of components. Selecting
+proper parts and combining them back you can achieve most of configurations
+you might need. Unless you have a completely atypical keyboard you really
+don't need to touch any of xkb configuration files.
+
+2.  Selecting XKB Configuration
+
+The easiest and the most natural way how to specify a keyboard mapping is to
+use rules component. As its name suggests it describes a number of general
+rules how to combine all bits and pieces into a valid and useful keyboard
+mapping. All you need to do is to select a suitable rules file and then to
+feed it with a few parameters that will adjust the keyboard behaviour to ful-
+fill your needs.
+
+The parameters are:
+
+   o XkbRules - files of rules to be used for keyboard mapping composition
+
+   o XkbModel - name of model of your keyboard type
+
+   o XkbLayout - layout(s) you intend to use
+
+   o XkbVariant - variant(s) of layout you intend to use
+
+   o XkbOptions - extra xkb configuration options
+
+The proper rules file depends on your vendor. In reality, the commonest file
+of rules is xfree86. For each rules file there is a description file named
+<vendor-rules>.lst, for instance xfree86.lst which is located in xkb configu-
+ration subdirectory rules (for example /etc/X11/xkb/rules).
+
+2.1  Basic Configuration
+
+Let's say you want to configure a PC style America keyboard with 104 keys as
+described in xfree86.lst. It can be done by simply writing several lines from
+below to you XFree86 configuration file (often found as /etc/X11/XF86Config-4
+or /etc/X11/XF86Config):
+
+     Section "InputDevice"
+         Identifier "Keyboard1"
+         Driver "Keyboard"
+
+         Option "XkbModel" "pc104"
+         Option "XkbLayout" "us"
+         Option "XKbOptions" ""
+     EndSection
+
+The values of parameters XkbModel and XkbLayout are really not surprising.
+The parameters XkbOptions has been explicitly set to empty set of parameters.
+The parameter XkbVariant has been left out.  That means the default variant
+named basic is loaded.
+
+Of course, this can be also done at runtime using utility setxkbmap.  Shell
+command loading the same keyboard mapping would look like:
+
+     setxkbmap -rules xfree86 -model pc104 -layout us -option ""
+
+The configuration and the shell command would be very analogical for most
+other layouts (internationalized mappings).
+
+2.2  Advanced Configuration
+
+Since XFree86 4.3.x you can use multi-layouts xkb configuration.  What does
+it mean? Basically it allows to load up to four different keyboard layouts at
+a time. Each such layout would reside in its own group. The groups (unlike
+complete keyboard remapping) can be switched very fast from one to another by
+a combination of keys.
+
+Let's say you want to configure your new Logitech cordless desktop keyboard,
+you intend to use three different layouts at the same time - us, czech and
+german (in this order), and that you are used to Alt-Shift combination for
+switching among them.
+
+Then the configuration snippet could look like this:
+
+     Section "InputDevice"
+         Identifier "Keyboard1"
+         Driver "Keyboard"
+
+         Option "XkbModel" "logicordless"
+         Option "XkbLayout" "us,cz,de"
+         Option "XKbOptions" "grp:alt_shift_toggle"
+     EndSection
+
+Of course, this can be also done at runtime using utility setxkbmap.  Shell
+command loading the same keyboard mapping would look like:
+
+     setxkbmap -rules xfree86 -model logicordless -layout "us,cz,de" \
+              -option "grp:alt_shift_toggle"
+
+2.3  Even More Advanced Configuration
+
+Okay, let's say you are more demanding. You do like the example above but you
+want it to change a bit. Let's imagine you want the czech keyboard mapping to
+use another variant but basic.  The configuration snippet then changes into:
+
+     Section "InputDevice"
+         Identifier "Keyboard1"
+         Driver "Keyboard"
+
+         Option "XkbModel" "logicordless"
+         Option "XkbLayout" "us,cz,de"
+         Option "XkbVariant" ",bksl,"
+         Option "XKbOptions" "grp:alt_shift_toggle"
+     EndSection
+
+That's seems tricky but it is not. The logic for settings of variants is the
+same as for layouts, that means the first and the third variant settings are
+left out (set to basic), the second is set to bksl (a special variant with an
+enhanced definition of the backslash key).
+
+Analogically, the loading runtime will change to:
+
+     setxkmap -rules xfree86 -model logicordless -layout "us,cz,de" \
+              -variant ",bksl," -option "grp:alt_shift_toggle"
+
+2.4  Basic Global Options
+
+See rules/*.lst files.
+
+3.  Direct XKB Configuration
+
+Generally, you can directly prescribe what configuration of each of basic xkb
+components should be used to form the resulting keyboard mapping.  This
+method is rather "brute force". You precisely need to know the structure and
+the meaning of all of used configuration components.
+
+This method also exposes all xkb configuration details directly into XFree86
+configuration file which is a not very fortunate fact.  In rare occasions it
+may be needed, though. So how does it work?
+
+3.1  Basic Components
+
+There are five basic components used to form a keyboard mapping:
+
+   o key codes - a translation of the scan codes produced by the keyboard
+     into a suitable symbolic form
+
+   o types - a specification of what various combinations of modifiers pro-
+     duce
+
+   o key symbols - a translation of symbolic key codes into actual symbols
+
+   o geometry - a description of physical keyboard geometry
+
+   o compatibility maps - a specification of what action should each key pro-
+     duce in order to preserve compatibility with XKB-unware clients
+
+3.2  Example Configuration
+
+Look at the following example:
+
+     Section "InputDevice"
+         Identifier "Keyboard0"
+         Driver "Keyboard"
+
+         Option "XkbKeycodes" "xfree86"
+         Option "XkbTypes"    "default"
+         Option "XkbSymbols"  "en_US(pc104)+de+swapcaps"
+         Option "XkbGeometry" "pc(pc104)"
+         Option "XkbCompat"   "basic+pc+iso9995"
+     EndSection
+
+This configuration sets the standard XFree86 default interpretation of key-
+board keycodes, sets the default modificator types. The symbol table is com-
+posed of extended US keyboard layout in its variant for pc keyboards with 104
+keys plus all keys for german layout are redefined respectively. Also the
+logical meaning of Caps-lock and Control keys is swapped.  The standard key-
+board geometry (physical look) is set to pc style keyboard with 104 keys. The
+compatibility map is set to allow basic shifting, to allow Alt keys to be
+interpreted and also to allow iso9995 group shifting.
+
+4.  Keymap XKB Configuration
+
+It is the formerly used way to configure xkb. The user included a special
+keymap file which specified the direct xkb configuration. This method has
+been obsoleted by previously described rules files which are far more flexi-
+ble and allow simpler and more intuitive syntax. It is preserved merely for
+compatibility reasons. Avoid using it if it is possible.
+
+     Generated from XFree86: xc/programs/Xserver/hw/xfree86/doc/sgml/XKB-Config.sgml,v 1.4 dawes Exp $
+
+
+$XFree86: $