How to specify custom remappings with keyboard-layout?

How to specify custom remappings with keyboard-layout?

[Jakub Kądziołka]

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Hi Guix,

the right shift key on my laptop's keyboard got stuck. It sometimes
isn't fully pressed, which allowed me to run

    xmodmap -e 'keycode 62='

and disable it, but I need to make this apply in GDM too. I assume I'd
have to specify that in the keyboard-layout record, but both the
documentation and the code aren't too clear on how I'd go about doing
that.

I'd appreciate any pointers.

Regards,
Jakub Kądziołka

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Re: How to specify custom remappings with keyboard-layout?

[pelzflorian (Florian Pelz)]

On Mon, Apr 06, 2020 at 12:18:22AM +0200, Jakub Kądziołka wrote:
>     xmodmap -e 'keycode 62='
> 
> and disable it, but I need to make this apply in GDM too. I assume I'd
> have to specify that in the keyboard-layout record, but both the
> documentation and the code aren't too clear on how I'd go about doing
> that.

Guix writes the keyboard layout in the InputClass section of
xorg.conf.  It seems what you need is more like xkbcomp:

https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/X_keyboard_extension#Using_keymap

You could probably use an .xinitrc file like Arch or you could patch
xorg-server to use your xkbcomp map by default.

Regards,
Florian

Re: How to specify custom remappings with keyboard-layout?

[pelzflorian (Florian Pelz)]

On Mon, Apr 06, 2020 at 03:05:24AM +0200, pelzflorian (Florian Pelz) wrote:
> You could probably use an .xinitrc file like Arch or you could patch
> xorg-server to use your xkbcomp map by default.

That is, instead of patching xorg-server, you would patch
xkeyboard-config’s xkb/symbols.  I have not tried.  Maybe better use
.xinitrc?

Regards,
Florian

Re: How to specify custom remappings with keyboard-layout?

[Jakub Kądziołka]

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On Mon, Apr 06, 2020 at 03:22:29AM +0200, pelzflorian (Florian Pelz) wrote:
> On Mon, Apr 06, 2020 at 03:05:24AM +0200, pelzflorian (Florian Pelz) wrote:
> > You could probably use an .xinitrc file like Arch or you could patch
> > xorg-server to use your xkbcomp map by default.
> 
> That is, instead of patching xorg-server, you would patch
> xkeyboard-config’s xkb/symbols.  I have not tried.  Maybe better use
> .xinitrc?

That's not a terrible idea, though I'd rather have it apply even before
I'm logged in. (I previously mentioned GDM, though I now realize that I
actually use SLiM.) Is there an equivalent file I could use to run a
command when the login manager is starting?

Regards,
Jakub Kądziołka

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Re: How to specify custom remappings with keyboard-layout?

[pelzflorian (Florian Pelz)]

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On Mon, Apr 06, 2020 at 01:05:02PM +0200, Jakub Kądziołka wrote:
> On Mon, Apr 06, 2020 at 03:22:29AM +0200, pelzflorian (Florian Pelz) wrote:
> > On Mon, Apr 06, 2020 at 03:05:24AM +0200, pelzflorian (Florian Pelz) wrote:
> > > You could probably use an .xinitrc file like Arch or you could patch
> > > xorg-server to use your xkbcomp map by default.
> > 
> > That is, instead of patching xorg-server, you would patch
> > xkeyboard-config’s xkb/symbols.  I have not tried.  Maybe better use
> > .xinitrc?
> 
> That's not a terrible idea, though I'd rather have it apply even before
> I'm logged in. (I previously mentioned GDM, though I now realize that I
> actually use SLiM.) Is there an equivalent file I could use to run a
> command when the login manager is starting?
> 
> Regards,
> Jakub Kądziołka

I thought it was sufficient to add the files both to your home
directory and to root’s because SLIM is run as root.

But: Actually it seems the gnu/services/xorg.scm is defined in a way
that does not run ~/.xinitrc.  Sorry for not being helpful.  I tried
but was *not* able to modify gnu/services/xorg.scm to run xkbcomp on a
custom ~/.Xkeymap file, although manual execution after the session
started works fine.  Changing the xinitrc does not appear to work.

The attached changes are insufficient.

Regards,
Florian

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diff --git a/gnu/services/xorg.scm b/gnu/services/xorg.scm
index d0196a299e..5ddf41dafd 100644
--- a/gnu/services/xorg.scm
+++ b/gnu/services/xorg.scm
@@ -403,8 +403,13 @@ desktop session from the system or user profile will be used."
 
             ;; The '--login' option is supported at least by Bash and zsh.
             (execl shell shell "--login" "-c"
-                   (string-join (cons command args)))))
-
+                   (string-join (cons*
+                                 #$(file-append xkbcomp "/bin/xkbcomp")
+                                 (string-append (getenv "HOME") "/.Xkeymap")
+                                 (getenv "DISPLAY")
+                                 ";"
+                                 command args)))))
+        
         (define system-profile
           "/run/current-system/profile")
 

Re: How to specify custom remappings with keyboard-layout?

[pelzflorian (Florian Pelz)]

On Mon, Apr 06, 2020 at 03:22:29AM +0200, pelzflorian (Florian Pelz) wrote:
> That is, instead of patching xorg-server, you would patch
> xkeyboard-config’s xkb/symbols.

I believe patching the keymaps in xkeyboard-config is the best
solution.

Regards,
Florian