Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!uwvax!dogie!uwmcsd1!ig!agate!ucbvax!scrvx2.sdr.slb.COM!DAVIS
From: DAVIS@scrvx2.sdr.slb.COM
Newsgroups: comp.windows.x
Subject: KeySyms and KeyCodes
Message-ID: <8803151739.AA26027@ATHENA.MIT.EDU>
Date: 15 Mar 88 15:02:00 GMT
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Organization: The Internet
Lines: 28


	Re: from RWS, 15 Mar 88 09:44

	... ; a server can use absolutely any keycode it wants to. Keycodes
	are simply a data compression mechanism; what matters is the keysyms
	that are (logically) bound to them ...

Well, not quite. I gather that X11 has completely rethought the basis of
the keymapping, but to give you an example of where it could matter, take
X10R4 - I wanted to map *all* the Sun function keys, but there are no
keycodes defined that correspond to a number of them. If I had some idea
of what the basis of the mapping between "press-this-key" and "ah! keycode
such-and-such", I could have put some new ones into the relevant .h file,
but such a basis was not clear to me (though I didn't try *too* hard..).
So long as there are sensible keysyms and there exist keycodes for all
keys on the terminal, then I agree, we should worry only about the logical
level, but when you have such a wierd terminal as Sun :-) that generates
outrageous sequences when you hit R13, well, then ther are problems.

Please note, I have seen the X11R1 doc., and it is clear to me that in X11,
all the function keys are defined at the keycode level, and labelled 
sensibly at the keysym level. I just would like to understand where the
keycodes come from, say specifically on the Sun ... OS or hardware ?? Then,
if it happens again, I might be able to fix it here...

thanks,

Paul D.