How to map CAPS to Hyper modifier

[mischmitz]

Hello all,

I just tried to my CAPS key to a Hyper modifier as I successfully did in Fedora Core 5.

First I added the following block to /usr/share/X11/xkb/symbols/capslock:

partial modifier_keys
xkb_symbols "super_caps" {
key <CAPS> { [ Super_L, Super_R ] };
modifier_map Mod4 { Super_L, Super_R };
};

partial modifier_keys
xkb_symbols "hyper_caps" {
key <CAPS> { [ Hyper_L, Hyper_R ] };
modifier_map Mod4 { Hyper_L, Hyper_R };
};

Afterwards I changed added

caps:super_caps CapsLock generates modifier Super.
caps:hyper_caps CapsLock generates modifier Hyper.

to the options section in usr/share/X11/xkb/rules/base.lst and

<option>
<configItem>
<name>caps:super_caps</name>
<description>CapsLock generates modifier Super.</description>
</configItem>
</option>
<option>
<configItem>
<name>caps:hyper_caps</name>
<description>CapsLock generates modifier Hyper.</description>
</configItem>
</option>

to the <configItem>-entry for “caps” in /usr/share/X11/xkb/rules/base.xml.

Calling

setxkbmap –model pc105 –layout de –variant nodeadkeys –option caps:hyper_caps

does not echo anything and returns 0.

But if I check my key bindings with “xev”, I see my caps-key still generates the Caps_Lock keysym while Hyper_L is generated on my Fedora Core 5 box.

Can anybody help?

Thanks,
Michael.

[DavidMcCann]

You seem to be altering an awful lot of files here! Have you tried just putting

key <CAPS> {[ Hyper_L ]};

in the appropriate language /symbols file? Entries in that file should over-ride those in the other sources used to assemble the driver.

[mischmitz]

Yes, you are right, this works. But doing it this way I have to modify a keyboard variant, e.g. nodeadkeys, and anybody using this variant will get my remapping. What I was trying to achive is defining a layout option, which gives every user the choice to remap CAPS.

[mischmitz]

Calling "setxkbmap -print" led me to the right way! Obviously the ruleset used is not "base", but "evdev".

Here is how I managed to have two new options "caps:hyper_caps" and "caps:super_caps":

First I added the following block to /usr/share/X11/xkb/symbols/capslock:

partial modifier_keys
xkb_symbols "super_caps" {
key <CAPS> { [ Super_L ] };
modifier_map Mod4 { Super_L };
};


partial modifier_keys
xkb_symbols "hyper_caps" {
key <CAPS> { [ Hyper_L ] };
modifier_map Mod4 { Hyper_L };
};

Afterwards I added

caps:super_caps CapsLock generates modifier Super.
caps:hyper_caps CapsLock generates modifier Hyper.

to the options section in usr/share/X11/xkb/rules/evdev.lst and

<option>
<configItem>
<name>caps:super_caps</name>
<description>CapsLock generates modifier Super.</description>
</configItem>
</option>
<option>
<configItem>
<name>caps:hyper_caps</name>
<description>CapsLock generates modifier Hyper.</description>
</configItem>
</option>

to the <configItem>-entry for “caps” in /usr/share/X11/xkb/rules/evdev.xml and

caps:super_caps = +capslock(super_caps)
caps:hyper_caps = +capslock(hyper_caps)

just following the line

caps:swapescape = +capslock(swapescape)

in /usr/share/X11/xkb/rules/evdev.

Now calling

setxkbmap –model pc105 –layout de –variant nodeadkeys –option caps:hyper_caps

remaps CAPS to HYPER.

When setting keyboard preferences via Gnome, there is are two new layout options in the "CapsLock key behaviour" menu.

[mischmitz]

Sorry, I missed one point. I added

--p----- -m------ capslock(super_caps)
--p----- -m------ capslock(hyper_caps)

to /usr/share/X11/xkb/symbols.dir just following the line

h-p----- -m------ capslock(groupshift)