Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!ames!think!bloom-beacon!EXPO.LCS.MIT.EDU!jim
From: jim@EXPO.LCS.MIT.EDU (Jim Fulton)
Newsgroups: comp.windows.x
Subject: Re: function key binding to strings under X11.3
Message-ID: <8901101906.AA27264@EXPO.LCS.MIT.EDU>
Date: 10 Jan 89 19:06:46 GMT
References: <1668@helios.ee.lbl.gov>
Sender: daemon@bloom-beacon.MIT.EDU
Organization: X Consortium, MIT Laboratory for Computer Science
Lines: 64


> It seems that there is no way to define strings for the function
> keys on a global scale (all clients connected to the server).

You mean "strings for *textual* applications that translate key presses into
some character set (perhaps ISO Latin-1)".


> 
> ...
> 
> What I want is a global binding, so that, for example, some function
> keys have strings defined (e.g.) for vi, some for dbx, etc.

But none of these programs (vi, dbx, etc.) are clients connected to the server!
Instead, you are asking for a way for all clients of class XTerm to insert
particular strings when particular keys are pressed.  

I know it sounds trivial, but the distinction is important.  For example, 
would you want the same things to be inserted in an editor?  Or in a text
widget?  In some cases you might, but probably not very many.


> I have hacked xterm to read a .funkey file to do just that, but if anybody
> knows of a more "correct" way to do this, I would be most pleased if
> you could share that information.

Yes, use the translation manager!  The string() action was added in R3
specifically to support insertion of strings.  

From the xterm man page:

        KEY TRANSLATIONS
             It is possible to rebind keys  (or  sequences  of  keys)  to
             arbitrary  strings  for  input, by changing the translations
             for the vt100 or tek4014 widgets.  Changing the translations
             for events other than key and button events is not expected,
             and will cause unpredictable behavior.
        
             ...
        
             string(string) Rebinds the key or key sequence to the string
                            value;  that  is, inserts the string argument
                            into the input stream.  Quotation  is  neces-
                            sary  if  the  string  contains whitespace or
                            non-alphanumeric characters.  If  the  string
                            argument  begins  with the characters ``0x'',
                            it is interpreted as a hex character constant
                            and  the  corresponding  character is sent in
                            the normal way.
        
             ...
        
        
             For example, a debugging session might benefit from the fol-
             lowing bindings:

                 *VT100.Translations: #override <Key>F13: keymap(dbx)
                 *VT100.dbxKeymap.translations: \
                      <Key>F14: keymap(None) \n\
                      <Key>F17: string("next") string(0x0d) \n\
                      <Key>F18: string("step") string(0x0d) \n\
                      <Key>F19: string("continue") string(0x0d) \n\
                      <Key>F20: string("print ") insert-selection(PRIMARY, CUT_BUFFER0)