setxkbmap(1)

NAME

       setxkbmap - set the keyboard using the X Keyboard Extension

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 com-
       piled  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 component  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  lay-
               out.

       -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 compo-
               nents which make up the keyboard description.  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 keyboard  description.   Only  one
               model may be specified on the command line.

       -option name
               Specifies  the  name  of  an option to determine the components
               which make up the keyboard description;  multiple  options  may
               be  specified, one per -option flag. Note that setxkbmap summa-
               rize options specified 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 component 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 descrip-
               tion.  Only one variant may be specified on the command line.

USING WITH xkbcomp

       If you have an Xserver and a client shell running on different  comput-
       ers  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 keyboard 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

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

FILES

       /usr/X11R6/lib/X11/xkb

X Version 11                    setxkbmap 1.0.3                   SETXKBMAP(1)