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From: kankkune@cs.Helsinki.FI (Risto Kankkunen)
Newsgroups: comp.windows.x
Subject: Re: PC/AT Keyboard X Keysym Proposal - R.F.C.
Message-ID: <11137@hydra.Helsinki.FI>
Date: 30 Jan 91 15:32:24 GMT
References: <9101240005.AA01670@lightning.McRCIM.McGill.EDU>
Sender: news@cs.Helsinki.FI
Organization: University of Helsinki, Department of Computer Science
Lines: 42

In mouse@lightning.mcrcim.mcgill.EDU writes:
>> Problem two - Xlib needs to be changed to recognize the NumLock
>> modifier (given whatever convention is decided on) and act on it
>> appropriately.  This requires a whole bunch of vendors changing their
>> Xlibs.
>
>What I would prefer to see is some sort of extensible mechanism in Xlib
>so that Xlib - regardless of whose - can be reconfigured in ways like
>this.  (I know this is very vague.  I'm not sure exactly what I want
>here myself.)

I'd like to see something along these lines. There is too much hardcoded
information currently in XLookupString and its friends. It's no good
saying that XLookupString is just one convenience routine, and if it
doesn't suit your application, translate the codes yourself. This would
make every program use different conventions and it would be a pain to
the user.

I'd like to be able to specify with xmodmap which modifiers are tied to
which keys or key combinations. I could say

   xmodmap - <<EOF
      modifier 1 = none
      modifier 2 = Shift
      modifier 3 = Meta
      modifier 4 = Shift+Meta
      Modifier 5 = NumLock
   EOF

and then use the first keysym for normal keys, second for shifted, third
for meta-combinations, fourth for shift+meta and fifth for numlock.

There are many technical problems with this, but I think it shows what
I'm aiming at. The meaning of the different "columns" in the keymap
table should be user specifiable and dynamically changeable. What do you
think?

Risto

 Risto Kankkunen                   kankkune@cs.Helsinki.FI (Internet)
 Department of Computer Science    kankkunen@finuh          (Bitnet)
 University of Helsinki, Finland   ..!mcsun!uhecs!kankkune   (UUCP)