Package: xfree86-common Subject: xfree86-common: Keyboard configuration FAQ has some typos and is not always clear enough Version: 4.3.0.dfsg.1-8 Severity: minor Tags: patch
*** Please type your report below this line *** The answer to FAQ "My keyboard configuration worked with XFree86 4.2; why is it messed up now?" has some minor errors. When I started cleaning them up, I decided to clarify the language too. A patch is attached. Let me know if you have any questions about anything I changed. -- System Information: Debian Release: 3.1 APT prefers unstable APT policy: (500, 'unstable') Architecture: powerpc (ppc) Kernel: Linux 2.4.25-powerpc Locale: LANG=C, LC_CTYPE=C (charmap=ANSI_X3.4-1968) Versions of packages xfree86-common depends on: ii debconf 1.4.39 Debian configuration management sy ii debianutils 2.10.3 Miscellaneous utilities specific t -- debconf information excluded
--- FAQ.xhtml.dist 2004-10-14 19:42:50.000000000 +0200 +++ newFAQ.xhtml 2004-10-31 11:55:46.000000000 +0100 @@ -2909,51 +2909,60 @@ in the X Window System?"</a> above for explanantions of unfamiliar terms.</em></p> +<p>The method for specifying third- and fourth- glyphs changed between XFree86 +4.2 and 4.3. Instead of using a second <em>group</em> for these glyphs, the +third and fourth <em>levels</em> are now used. Almost all keymaps are now +defined in a single group, which may affect users with xmodmap customizations. +These changes were made to better support users with non-US keyboards.</p> + <p>Many users of the X Window System, particularly outside the United States, -find that they need support for multiple <em>groups</em> on their keyboards. -One or more of the keys on their keyboards are engraved with more than two +need support for more than two glyphs per key because some keys are +engraved with more than two glyphs. On a typical U.S. keyboard, there are at most two glyphs on each keycap — one is accessed with a <code>Shift</code> or <code>Caps Lock</code> key, -and one without. Many keyboards outside the United States enable access to -glyphs beyond the third with modifier keys not found on most U.S. keyboards. -One approach is with an <code>AltGr</code> (alternate group) key, which is -analogous to <code>Shift</code>. The other approach is with a <code>Mode -Switch</code> key, which is analogous to <code>Caps Lock</code>. When either of -these keys are pressed, the X Window System needs to know to switch to an -alternative key layout — preferably one which corresponds to the -engravings on the user's keyboard. A U.S. keyboard, even if keys are remapped -so that <code>AltGr</code> and/or <code>Mode Switch</code> keys are available, -does not acquire much meaningful additional functionality unless and alternate -group is defined in software, so that "the keys know what to do" when the -alternate group is enabled.</p> - -<p>Sometimes a key layout for a given territory (such as <code>gb</code> for the -United Kingdom or <code>fr</code> for France) defines what should be in the -alternate group. For example, on many European keyboards, one can press -<kbd>AltGr + E</kbd> to produce the Euro sign (€). This approach is often -taken when most keys don't need an symbol defined for the alternate group, -because most keys are engraved with two or fewer glyphs.</p> - -<p>Other times, however, most or all of the printing keys on the keyboard are -engraved with primary group <em>and</em> alternate group glyphs. Russian -keyboards, for example, because they must support both the Latin and Cyrillic -alphabets, often work this way. As a consequence, users of the X Window System +and one without. To enable access to +these third, fourth, or fifth glyphs, these keyboards use modifier keys not found on most U.S. +keyboards.</p> + +<p>PC Keyboards for Latin-script characters ususally have an <code>AltGr</code> +(alternate graphic) key that replaces the right Alt key. When a key is +pressed while the <code>AltGr</code> key is down will generate the third glyph, and when +<code>Shift</code> and <code>AltGr</code> are down, it will generate the fourth +glyph. For example, on many European keyboards, one can press +<kbd>AltGr + E</kbd> to produce the Euro sign (€).</p> + +<p>Non-Latin keyboards can have most of the keys +engraved with non-Latin <em>and</em> Latin glyphs. For example, Russian +keyboards often work this way because they must support both the Latin and Cyrillic +alphabets. As a consequence, users of the X Window System need a way to <em>combine layouts</em>.</p> +<p>There are two ways to specify a third glyph: either make a second group +for the key and assign it to the first shift-level of the key's second group, +or assign it to the third shift-level of the key. Prior to XFree86 4.3, these +glyphs were defined using the first method and since 4.3 they use the second +method. The keysym used to generate these third glyphs also changes. Prior +to 4.3 the Mode_switch keysym would be used, and now the ISO_Level3_Shift +keysym is used. By moving from the muliple-group to the shift-level method, +combined layouts become much more flexible and easier to maintain.</p> + <p>Prior to XFree86 4.3, combining layouts was difficult because keyboard -symbols (<em>keysyms</em>) were defined to be specific to a given group. For +symbols (<em>keysyms</em>) were defined to a specific group, and +some layouts even defined multiple groups in the same layout. For example, the <code>us</code> symbols file (in <code class="filespec">/etc/X11/xkb/symbols/</code>) defined the its keycode to keysym mappings specifically for group 1 — the primary group. The <code>us_group2</code> and <code>us_group3</code> files repeated these -definitions for group 2 and group 3, respectively. In addition to being -wasteful, alternative group layouts were never copied in this fashion for any -territory except the U.S. Combining Russian and French layouts, for example, -was consequently impossible without modifying the XKB data files directly +definitions for group 2 and group 3, respectively. +Maintaining these separatly grouped layouts was tedious and error-prone, so +alternative group layouts were never copied in this fashion for any +territory except the U.S. This made combining, say, Russian and French layouts +impossible without modifying the XKB data files directly — a skill most users do not possess.</p> -<p>XKB layouts have been revisited in XFree86 4.3, and new definitions can now -be used in arbitrary order so that <code>us,ru</code> and <code>ru,us</code> use + +<p>XKB layouts were revisited in XFree86 4.3, and new definitions can now +be used in arbitrary order so that <code>fr,ru</code> and <code>ru,fr</code> use the same <code>symbols</code> files. The new definitions have been placed in <code class="filespec">/etc/X11/xkb/symbols/pc/</code> while the old ones are still available in their traditional location; that is, directly within the
