Subject: FVWM: Re: Notification: incoming/727

From: Dominik Vogt <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 22 Jun 2001 21:59:27 +0200

On Fri, Jun 22, 2001 at 01:49:59PM -0500, fvwm-bug wrote:
> FVWM Bug Tracking notification
> 
> new message incoming/727
> 
> Full_Name: Jeffrey Schwab
> Version: 2.2
> CVS_Date: 
> OS: Solaris 8
> X_Server: Xsun
> Submission from: (NULL) (192.9.51.3)
> 
> 
> According to the FVWM docs, M is supposed to refer to the Meta modifier
> key.  Unfortunately, it actually applies to the Alt key.  The Meta key
> would be much more useful for me, since using the Alt key is kind of a
> pain
> on Sun keyboards.  Is there a fix or workaround for this?  Is there some
> letter other than M which refers to the true Meta key?

That is a matter of the configuration of your X server.  Fvwm
knows abot eight modifiers: Shift (S), Control (C), Lock (L)
and Mod1 (1) to Mod5 (5).  Meta (M) is simply hardcoded as a
shortcut for Mod1 (1).  To find out which modifier is bound to the
meta key, issue the shell command

  $ xmodmap

This produces some output like this:

  xmodmap:  up to 2 keys per modifier, (keycodes in parentheses):
  
  shift       Shift_L (0x32),  Shift_R (0x3e)
  lock      
  control     Control_L (0x25),  Control_R (0x6d)
  mod1        Meta_L (0x40)
  mod2      
  mod3        Mode_switch (0x71)
  mod4        Super_L (0x73),  Super_R (0x74)
  mod5      

As you see, my 'Meta' key (which is actually the 'Alt' key on my
keyboard) is associated with Mod1, so for me, the following are
equivalent:

  Mouse 1 R 1 Menu RootMenu

and

  Mouse 1 R M Menu RootMenu

Also, the Meta key may have a different name on Sun keyboards.
Perhaps someone with a Sun workstation can tell you its name.  If
you want to be able to use 'M', you can change the modifiers with
'xmodmap' too (try "man xmodmap").

Bye

Dominik ^_^  ^_^

--
Dominik Vogt, [email-masked]
Reply-To: [email-masked]
--
Visit the official FVWM web page at <URL: http://www.fvwm.org/>.
To unsubscribe from the list, send "unsubscribe fvwm" in the body of a
message to [email-masked].
To report problems, send mail to [email-masked].

---

From: Erik Steffl <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 22 Jun 2001 16:23:36 -0700

> On Fri, Jun 22, 2001 at 01:49:59PM -0500, fvwm-bug wrote:
...
> > letter other than M which refers to the true Meta key?
...
> 'xmodmap' too (try "man xmodmap").

  run xev, it will tell you the keycode and keysym, you can change
keysym (or add it, if key does not have any) using xmodmap (see man
modmap).

	erik

---

From: "Paul D. Smith" <[email-masked]>
Date: 22 Jun 2001 22:04:17 -0400

And, if xmodmap syntax is not something you want to expend brain cells
learning, download and install Jamie Zawinski's excellent xkeycaps
program, and use a simple graphical tool to configure your keyboard.

-- 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Paul D. Smith <[email-masked]>    HASMAT--HA Software Methods & Tools
 "Please remain calm...I may be mad, but I am a professional." --Mad Scientist
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   These are my opinions---Nortel Networks takes no responsibility for them.
--
Visit the official FVWM web page at <URL: http://www.fvwm.org/>.
To unsubscribe from the list, send "unsubscribe fvwm" in the body of a
message to [email-masked].
To report problems, send mail to [email-masked].

---

From: Erik Steffl <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 23 Jun 2001 00:40:54 -0700

> program, and use a simple graphical tool to configure your keyboard.

  how is it excellent? I find it completely useless...

  xev reports all the keys (and mouse) without any fuss. xkeycaps do not
even work unless you select exactly the same keyboard as you actually
have (of course the logitech keyboard that I have is missing).

  from my investigation the proper way to handle this is using XKEYBOARD
extension, which xkeycaps doesn't seem to be using. I have found the
exact keyboard in the /etc/X11/xkb/... tree, set that up as keyboard
model in XF86Config-4 and all the keys worked (including extra keys for
audio and internet). very simple and no fussing with xmodmap (or
xkeycaps)... don't have to make sure xmodmap is run (during different
ways to start X) etc...

	erik

---

From: "Paul D. Smith" <[email-masked]>
Date: 25 Jun 2001 21:51:13 -0400

%% Erik Steffl <[email-masked]> writes:

  >> program, and use a simple graphical tool to configure your keyboard.

  es> how is it excellent? I find it completely useless...

  es> xev reports all the keys (and mouse) without any fuss. xkeycaps do
  es> not even work unless you select exactly the same keyboard as you
  es> actually have (of course the logitech keyboard that I have is
  es> missing).

Completely not true.  I have rarely had the _exact_ keyboard, and I've
used it for many years with Data General, Solaris, AIX, and HP-UX boxes,
not to mention a dizzying variety of PC keyboards.

For PC keyboards I always pick the generic 102 or 104 key keyboard that
has the right delete/enter key combo (tall/thin etc.), and it always
works fine.

  es> from my investigation the proper way to handle this is using XKEYBOARD
  es> extension, which xkeycaps doesn't seem to be using.

KXB can do amazing things but it still requires a lot of messing around
to set up, and relying on it would make my X environment very unportable
(I still use some of those older Solaris/AIX/HP-UX boxes).

Plus, it's way overkill; all I want to do is change my CAPS LOCK key to
a CTRL key.

Fire up xkeycaps--look, my keyboard.  Or, close enough, Right-click on
the CAPS LOCK.  Oho, a menu.  "Edit Keysyms" looks interesting, but hey,
what about "Copy Keysyms"?  Just the ticket.  Choose that, click on my
CTRL key, click on my CAPS LOCK key, click the "write it out" button,
and I'm done.

Didn't have to read a single man page, didn't have to learn any
keybinding syntax, didn't have to search my system for any sample
configurations.

You can't tell me it gets any easier than that.

Whatever.  Use what you like.  Xkeycaps is an excellent program and
anyone who just wants to rebind a few keys without becoming an X
keyboard guru will love it.