X Window System User's Guide, Vol 3 (The Definitive Guides to the X Window System)

xmodmap Keyboard Modifier Utility

Name

xmodmap–keyboard and pointer modifier utility.

Syntax

xmodmap [options] [filename]

Description

xmodmap is a utility for displaying and altering the X keyboard modifier map and keymap table on the specified server and host. It is intended to be run from a user's X startup script to set up the keyboard according to personal tastes.

The filename specifies a file containing xmodmap expressions to be executed. This file is usually kept in the user's home directory and has a name like .xmodmaprc.

With no arguments, xmodmap displays the current map.

The filename argument specifies a file containing xmodmap expressions to be executed. This file is usually kept in the user's home directory and has a name like .xmodmaprc.

Options

xmodmap accepts the following options:

-help

Indicates that a brief description of the command line arguments should be printed on the standard error. This will be done whenever an unhandled argument is given to xmodmap.

-grammar

Indicates that a help message describing the expression grammar used in files and with -e expressions should be printed on the standard error.

-verbose

Indicates that xmodmap should print logging information as it parses its input.

-quiet

Turns off the verbose logging. This is the default.

-n

Indicates that xmodmap should not change the mappings, but should display what it would do, as make(1) does when given this option. (Cannot be used with expressions to change the pointer mapping.)

-e expression ...