Manual: xmodmap
XMODMAP(1) General Commands Manual XMODMAP(1)
NAME
xmodmap - utility for modifying keymaps and pointer button mappings in X
SYNOPSIS
xmodmap [-options ...] [filename]
DESCRIPTION
The xmodmap program is used to edit and display the keyboard modifier map and keymap table that are used by client
applications to convert event keycodes into keysyms. It is usually run from the user's session startup script to
configure the keyboard according to personal tastes.
OPTIONS
The following options may be used with xmodmap:
-display display
This option specifies the host and display to use.
-help This option indicates that a brief description of the command line arguments should be printed on the stanâ
dard error channel. This will be done whenever an unhandled argument is given to xmodmap.
-grammar
This option indicates that a help message describing the expression grammar used in files and with -e expresâ
sions should be printed on the standard error.
-version
This option indicates that xmodmap should print its version information and exit.
-verbose
This option indicates that xmodmap should print logging information as it parses its input.
-quiet This option turns off the verbose logging. This is the default.
-n This option indicates that xmodmap should not change the mappings, but should display what it would do, like
make(1) does when given this option.
-e expression
This option specifies an expression to be executed. Any number of expressions may be specified from the comâ
mand line.
-pm This option indicates that the current modifier map should be printed on the standard output. This is the
default mode of operation if no other mode options are specified.
-pk This option indicates that the current keymap table should be printed on the standard output.
-pke This option indicates that the current keymap table should be printed on the standard output in the form of
expressions that can be fed back to xmodmap.
-pp This option indicates that the current pointer map should be printed on the standard output.
- A lone dash means that the standard input should be used as the input file.
The filename specifies a file containing xmodmap expressions to be executed. This file is usually kept in the user's
home directory with a name like .xmodmaprc.
EXPRESSION GRAMMAR
The xmodmap program reads a list of expressions and parses them all before attempting to execute any of them. This
makes it possible to refer to keysyms that are being redefined in a natural way without having to worry as much about
name conflicts.
The list of keysym names may be found in the header file (without the XK_ prefix). Keysyms matchâ
ing Unicode characters may be specified as "U0020" to "U007E" and "U00A0" to "U10FFFF" for all possible Unicode charâ
acters.
keycode NUMBER = KEYSYMNAME ...
The list of keysyms is assigned to the indicated keycode (which may be specified in decimal, hex or octal and
can be determined by running the xev program). Up to eight keysyms may be attached to a key, however the
last four are not used in any major X server implementation. The first keysym is used when no modifier key
is pressed in conjunction with this key, the second with Shift, the third when the Mode_switch key is used
with this key and the fourth when both the Mode_switch and Shift keys are used.
keycode any = KEYSYMNAME ...
If no existing key has the specified list of keysyms assigned to it, a spare key on the keyboard is selected
and the keysyms are assigned to it. The list of keysyms may be specified in decimal, hex or octal.
keysym KEYSYMNAME = KEYSYMNAME ...
The KEYSYMNAME on the left hand side is translated into matching keycodes used to perform the corresponding
set of keycode expressions. Note that if the same keysym is bound to multiple keys, the expression is exeâ
cuted for each matching keycode.
clear MODIFIERNAME
This removes all entries in the modifier map for the given modifier, where valid name are: Shift, Lock, Conâ
trol, Mod1, Mod2, Mod3, Mod4, and Mod5 (case does not matter in modifier names, although it does matter for
all other names). For example, ``clear Lock'' will remove all any keys that were bound to the shift lock
modifier.
add MODIFIERNAME = KEYSYMNAME ...
This adds all keys containing the given keysyms to the indicated modifier map. The keysym names are evaluâ
ated after all input expressions are read to make it easy to write expressions to swap keys (see the EXAMPLES
section).
remove MODIFIERNAME = KEYSYMNAME ...
This removes all keys containing the given keysyms from the indicated modifier map. Unlike add, the keysym
names are evaluated as the line is read in. This allows you to remove keys from a modifier without having to
worry about whether or not they have been reassigned.
pointer = default
This sets the pointer map back to its default settings (button 1 generates a code of 1, button 2 generates a
2, etc.).
pointer = NUMBER ...
This sets the pointer map to contain the indicated button codes. The list always starts with the first physâ
ical button. Setting a button code to 0 disables events from that button.
Lines that begin with an exclamation point (!) are taken as comments.
If you want to change the binding of a modifier key, you must also remove it from the appropriate modifier map.
EXAMPLES
Many pointers are designed such that the first button is pressed using the index finger of the right hand. People
who are left-handed frequently find that it is more comfortable to reverse the button codes that get generated so
that the primary button is pressed using the index finger of the left hand. This could be done on a 3 button pointer
as follows:
% xmodmap -e "pointer = 3 2 1"
Many applications support the notion of Meta keys (similar to Control keys except that Meta is held down instead of
Control). However, some servers do not have a Meta keysym in the default keymap table, so one needs to be added by
hand. The following command will attach Meta to the Multi-language key (sometimes labeled Compose Character). It
also takes advantage of the fact that applications that need a Meta key simply need to get the keycode and don't reâ
quire the keysym to be in the first column of the keymap table. This means that applications that are looking for a
Multi_key (including the default modifier map) won't notice any change.
% xmodmap -e "keysym Multi_key = Multi_key Meta_L"
Similarly, some keyboards have an Alt key but no Meta key. In that case the following may be useful:
% xmodmap -e "keysym Alt_L = Meta_L Alt_L"
One of the more simple, yet convenient, uses of xmodmap is to set the keyboard's "rubout" key to generate an alterâ
nate keysym. This frequently involves exchanging Backspace with Delete to be more comfortable to the user. If the
ttyModes resource in xterm is set as well, all terminal emulator windows will use the same key for erasing characâ
ters:
% xmodmap -e "keysym BackSpace = Delete"
% echo "XTerm*ttyModes: erase ^?" | xrdb -merge
Some keyboards do not automatically generate less than and greater than characters when the comma and period keys are
shifted. This can be remedied with xmodmap by resetting the bindings for the comma and period with the following
scripts:
!
! make shift-, be < and shift-. be >
!
keysym comma = comma less
keysym period = period greater
One of the more irritating differences between keyboards is the location of the Control and CapsLock keys. A common
use of xmodmap is to swap these two keys as follows:
!
! Swap Caps_Lock and Control_L
!
remove Lock = Caps_Lock
remove Control = Control_L
keysym Control_L = Caps_Lock
keysym Caps_Lock = Control_L
add Lock = Caps_Lock
add Control = Control_L
This example can be run again to swap the keys back to their previous assignments.
The keycode command is useful for assigning the same keysym to multiple keycodes. Although unportable, it also makes
it possible to write scripts that can reset the keyboard to a known state. The following script sets the backspace
key to generate Delete (as shown above), flushes all existing caps lock bindings, makes the CapsLock key be a control
key, make F5 generate Escape, and makes Break/Reset be a shift lock.
!
! On the HP, the following keycodes have key caps as listed:
!
! 101 Backspace
! 55 Caps
! 14 Ctrl
! 15 Break/Reset
! 86 Stop
! 89 F5
!
keycode 101 = Delete
keycode 55 = Control_R
clear Lock
add Control = Control_R
keycode 89 = Escape
keycode 15 = Caps_Lock
add Lock = Caps_Lock
ENVIRONMENT
DISPLAY to get default host and display number.
SEE ALSO
X(7), xev(1), setxkbmap(1), XStringToKeysym(3), Xlib documentation on key and pointer events
BUGS
Every time a keycode expression is evaluated, the server generates a MappingNotify event on every client. This can
cause some thrashing. All of the changes should be batched together and done at once. Clients that receive keyboard
input and ignore MappingNotify events will not notice any changes made to keyboard mappings.
Xmodmap should generate "add" and "remove" expressions automatically whenever a keycode that is already bound to a
modifier is changed.
There should be a way to have the remove expression accept keycodes as well as keysyms for those times when you reâ
ally mess up your mappings.
AUTHOR
Jim Fulton, MIT X Consortium, rewritten from an earlier version by David Rosenthal of Sun Microsystems.
X Version 11 xmodmap 1.0.11 XMODMAP(1)