How to configure the keyboard?

From: Norbert (noaddress_at_none.de)
Date: 02/22/04 

Date: Sun, 22 Feb 2004 17:34:35 +0100

Hallo,

before posting I tried to find information myself but I was not really
successful. My problem is that I would like to add special characters to
certain keys. I'm working as user on a Unix-environment for some years
now, and there I know how to do it (xmodmap). Now I try to configure
Knoppix (based on Debian). For Unix, the xmodmap-commands

keysym comma =comma less guillemotleft
keysym period =period greater guillemotright
keysym Meta_L =Alt_L Mode_switch
keysym Meta_R =Alt_R Mode_switch
clear mod1
clear mod2
add mod2 =Alt_L
add mod1 =Alt_R

worked. The third column of a mapping keycode->keysyms (and a fourth, if
present) is used, if any modifier is pressed, which containes a keycode,
which is mapped to Mode_switch (in this case mod1 and mod2).

In my present environment (Knoppix, XFree86, kde) this does not help.
In contrary: Reading the keymap-Table (xmodmap -pke) shows for example

keycode 24 = q Q

But the @ appears, when this key is pressed with the "AltGr"-key (it is
a German keyboard). This happens although there is no third keysymbol
for the key "Q" in this mapping. I think that this AltGr-key has code
113 (how can I verify this? - for Unix there was a program xkeycaps,
which showed the keyboard layout and the keycodes).
xmodmap -pke prints for this key:

keycode 113 = ISO_Level3_Shift Multi_key

xmodmap -pm prints:

xmodmap: up to 2 keys per modifier, (keycodes in parentheses):

shift Shift_L (0x32), Shift_R (0x3e)
lock Caps_Lock (0x42)
control Control_L (0x25), Control_R (0x6d)
mod1 Alt_L (0x40)
mod2 Num_Lock (0x4d)
mod3
mod4 Super_L (0x73), Super_R (0x74)
mod5 ISO_Level3_Shift (0x71)

Does someone have an idea? What is the difference between X and XFree in
this case? And does kde play another role here?

Knoppix starts from CD - so a configuration-method, which can be used
AFTER the boot procedure and easily repeated each time is more
practicable at first.
But I'm also interested in permanent solutions (configuration-files
like /etc/X11/XF86Config and /etc/X11/XF86Config-4 - I do not know
anything about these now), because in the next weeks I will try to
install Red Hat permantently. But I can't test these methods now.

Thanks for any help,
      Norbert

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