PCLinuxOS LXDE 2010.12
I use a local keyboard with us and Thai layout.
The us layout is ok for me, but I like to have some
additional german characters like "äöü ÄÖÜ"
This can easy be implemented with xmodmap, but if
you switch to the second layout, you will observe
some strange results.
After plenty of googling, I found an IMHO easy and
perfect solution: create and use your custom keyboard!
1) /usr/share/X11/xkb/symbols/
choose your nearest preference, in my case "us"
and save it with a new name: "us-de"
2) delete anything, which you don't need, and change,
what ever you like. My file for "us-de":
-----------
default
xkb_symbols "basic" {
name[Group1]= "ASCII with german";
// Alphanumeric section
key <TLDE> { [ grave, asciitilde ] };
key <AE01> { [ 1, exclam ] };
key <AE02> { [ 2, at, twosuperior ] };
key <AE03> { [ 3, numbersign, threesuperior ] };
key <AE04> { [ 4, dollar, onequarter ] };
key <AE05> { [ 5, percent, onehalf ] };
key <AE06> { [ 6, asciicircum, threequarters ] };
key <AE07> { [ 7, ampersand ] };
key <AE08> { [ 8, asterisk, oneeighth ] };
key <AE09> { [ 9, parenleft ] };
key <AE10> { [ 0, parenright, degree ] };
key <AE11> { [ minus, underscore ] };
key <AE12> { [ equal, plus ] };
key <AD01> { [ q, Q ] };
key <AD02> { [ w, W ] };
key <AD03> { [ e, E, EuroSign, cent ] };
key <AD04> { [ r, R ] };
key <AD05> { [ t, T ] };
key <AD06> { [ y, Y ] };
key <AD07> { [ u, U, udiaeresis, Udiaeresis ] };
key <AD08> { [ i, I ] };
key <AD09> { [ o, O, odiaeresis, Odiaeresis ] };
key <AD10> { [ p, P ] };
key <AD11> { [ bracketleft, braceleft ] };
key <AD12> { [ bracketright, braceright ] };
key <AC01> { [ a, A, adiaeresis, Adiaeresis ] };
key <AC02> { [ s, S ] };
key <AC03> { [ d, D ] };
key <AC04> { [ f, F ] };
key <AC05> { [ g, G ] };
key <AC06> { [ h, H ] };
key <AC07> { [ j, J ] };
key <AC08> { [ k, K ] };
key <AC09> { [ l, L ] };
key <AC10> { [ semicolon, colon ] };
key <AC11> { [ apostrophe, quotedbl ] };
key <AB01> { [ z, Z ] };
key <AB02> { [ x, X ] };
key <AB03> { [ c, C ] };
key <AB04> { [ v, V ] };
key <AB05> { [ b, B ] };
key <AB06> { [ n, N ] };
key <AB07> { [ m, M, mu ] };
key <AB08> { [ comma, less ] };
key <AB09> { [ period, greater ] };
key <AB10> { [ slash, question ] };
key <BKSL> { [ backslash, bar ] };
key <CAPS> { [ VoidSymbol ] };
// End alphanumeric section
include "level3(ralt_switch)"
};
-----------
3) /usr/share/X11/xkb/compiled
delete here any file to remove any hystory.
4) in "Configure your Computer" you can not choose two keyboards.
To enable this, edit
/etc/xdg/lxsession/LXDE/autostart
append after the last line:
setxkbmap -layout "us-de,th"
remark:
this could also be done in
/etc/sysconfig/keyboard
but any use of "Configure your Computer" will overwrite it.
5) add a "Keyboard Layout Switcher" to your panel
I post this, as it is easy to do, but difficult to find out,
and perhaps to make somebody happy...
Feedback and hints to improve are welcome!
