NAME

       loadkeys - load keyboard translation tables

SYNOPSIS

       loadkeys [OPTION]... FILENAME...
       loadkeys --default
       loadkeys --mktable
       loadkeys --bkeymap
       loadkeys --parse

DESCRIPTION

       The  program  loadkeys reads the file or files specified by FILENAME....  Its main purpose is to load the
       kernel keymap for the console.  You can specify console device by the -C (or --console ) option.

RESET TO DEFAULT

       If the -d (or --default  )  option  is  given,  loadkeys  loads  a  default  keymap,  probably  the  file
       defkeymap.map either in /usr/share/keymaps or in /usr/src/linux/drivers/tty/vt.  (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.map'.

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 `dumpkeys --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 terminal.

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/tty/vt/defkeymap.c, specifying the default key bindings for a kernel (and  does
       not modify the current 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).

UNICODE MODE

       loadkeys automatically detects whether the console is in Unicode or ASCII (XLATE) mode.  When a keymap is
       loaded, literal keysyms (such as section) are resolved accordingly; numerical keysyms  are  converted  to
       fit  the  current  console mode, regardless of the way they are specified (decimal, octal, hexadecimal or
       Unicode).

       The -u (or --unicode) switch forces loadkeys to convert all keymaps to Unicode.  If the keyboard is in  a
       non-Unicode  mode,  such  as  XLATE, loadkeys will change it to Unicode for the time of its execution.  A
       warning message will be printed in this case.

       It is recommended to run kbd_mode(1) before loadkeys instead of using the -u option.

OTHER OPTIONS

       -a --ascii
              Force conversion to ASCII.

       -h --help
              loadkeys prints its version number and a short usage message to the programs standard error output
              and exits.

       -p --parse
              loadkeys searches and parses keymap without action.

       -q --quiet
              loadkeys suppresses all normal output.

       -V --version
              loadkeys prints version number and exits.

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 keyboard 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

       /usr/share/keymaps
              default directory for keymaps.

       /usr/src/linux/drivers/tty/vt/defkeymap.map
              default kernel keymap.

SEE ALSO

       dumpkeys(1), keymaps(5)

kbd                                                6 Feb 1994                                        LOADKEYS(1)