


SETXKBMAP(1)					     SETXKBMAP(1)


NAME
       setxkbmap  -  set the keyboard using the X Keyboard Exten
       sion

SYNOPSIS
       setxkbmap [ args ] [ layout [ variant [ option ...  ] ] ]

DESCRIPTION
       The setxkbmap command maps the keyboard to use the  layout
       determined by the options specified on the command line.

       An  XKB	keymap is constructed from a number of components
       which are compiled only as needed.  The source for all  of
       the components can be found in /usr/X11R6/lib/X11/xkb.

OPTIONS
       -help   Prints  a  message  describing  the valid input to
	       setxkbmap.

       -compat name
	       Specifies the name of the compatibility map compo
	       nent used to construct a keyboard layout.

       -config file
	       Specifies  the  name  of an XKB configuration file
	       which describes the keyboard to be used.

       -display display
	       Specifies the display to be updated with	 the  new
	       keyboard layout.

       -geometry name
	       Specifies  the name of the geometry component used
	       to construct a keyboard layout.

       -keymap name
	       Specifies the name of the keymap description  used
	       to construct a keyboard layout.

       -layout name
	       Specifies the name of the layout used to determine
	       the components which make up the keyboard descrip
	       tion.   Only  one  layout  may be specified on the
	       command line.

       -model name
	       Specifies the name of the keyboard model	 used  to
	       determine  the  components  which make up the key
	       board description.  Only one model may  be  speci
	       fied on the command line.

       -option name
	       Specifies  the  name of an option to determine the
	       components which make up the keyboard description;



XFree86			  Version 4.8.0				1





SETXKBMAP(1)					     SETXKBMAP(1)


	       multiple options may be specified, one per -option
	       flag. Note that setxkbmap summarize options speci
	       fied  in	 the  command  line  with options was set
	       before (saved in root window properties).  If  you
	       want  only  specified  options will be set use the
	       -option flag with an empty argument first.

       -print  With this option the setxkbmap just prints  compo
	       nent  names  in	a format acceptable by an xkbcomp
	       (an XKB keymap compiler) and exits. The option can
	       be  used for tests instead of a verbose option and
	       in case when one need to run  both  the	setxkbmap
	       and the xkbcomp in chain (see below).

       -rules file
	       Specifies  the  name  of	 the  rules  file used to
	       resolve the request layout and model to a  set  of
	       component names.

       -symbols name
	       Specifies  the  name of the symbols component used
	       to construct a keyboard layout.

       -synch  Force synchronization for X requests.

       -types name
	       Specifies the name of the types component used  to
	       construct a keyboard layout.

       -variant name
	       Specifies  which	 variant  of  the keyboard layout
	       should be used to determine the	components  which
	       make  up the keyboard description.  Only one vari
	       ant may be specified on the command line.

USING WITH xkbcomp
       If you have an Xserver and a client shell running on  dif
       ferent computers and XKB configuration files sets on those
       machines are different you can get problems  specifying	a
       keyboard	 map  by model, layout, options names.	The thing
       is the setxkbcomp converts these names  to  names  of  XKB
       configuration  files  according	to  files that are on the
       client side computer.  Then it sends the file names to the
       server  where  the  xkbcomp has to compose a complete key
       board map using files which the server has.  Thus  if  the
       sets  of	 files	differ	significantly  the names that the
       setxkbmap generates can	be  unacceptable  on  the  server
       side.   You  can solve this problem running the xkbcomp on
       the client side too.  With  the	-print	option	setxkbmap
       just  prints  the  files names in an appropriate format to
       its stdout and this output can be piped	directly  to  the
       xkbcomp input. For example, a command

       setxkbmap us -print | xkbcomp - $DISPLAY



XFree86			  Version 4.8.0				2





SETXKBMAP(1)					     SETXKBMAP(1)


       makes  both  step on the same (client) machine and loads a
       keyboard map into the server.

FILES
       /usr/X11R6/lib/X11/xkb




















































XFree86			  Version 4.8.0				3


