Compose - X client mappings for multi-key input sequences
Description
File Format
Environment
Files
See Also
The X library, libX11, provides a simple input method for characters beyond those represented on typical keyboards using sequences of key strokes that are combined to enter a single character.The compose file is searched for in the following order:
Compose files can use an 34include34 instruction. This allows local modifications to be made to existing compose files without including all of the content directly. For example, the systems iso8859-1 compose file can be included with a line like this:
- If the environment variable $XCOMPOSEFILE is set, its value is used as the name of the Compose file. - If the users home directory has a file named .XCompose, it is used as the Compose file. - The system provided compose file is used by mapping the locale to a compose file from the list in /usr/share/X11/locale/compose.dir. include 34%S/iso8859-1/Compose34There are several substitutions that can be made in the file name of the include instruction:
For example, you can include in your compose file the default Compose file by using:
%H expands to the users home directory (the $HOME environment variable) %L expands to the name of the locale specific Compose file (i.e., 34/usr/share/X11/locale/<localename>/Compose34) %S expands to the name of the system directory for Compose files (i.e., 34/usr/share/X11/locale34) include 34%L34and then rewrite only the few rules that you need to change. New compose rules can be added, and previous ones replaced.
Compose files are plain text files, with a separate line for each compose sequence. Comments begin with # characters. Each compose sequence specifies one or more events and a resulting input sequence, with an optional comment at the end of the line:EVENT [EVENT...] : RESULT [# COMMENT]Each event consists of a specified input keysym, and optional modifier states:
[MODIFIER_LIST] <keysym>Each modifier consists of a specified modifier and a state:
(! MODIFIER ) | NoneModifiers may be preceded by a 34~34 character to indicate that the modifier must not be present.The result specifies a string, keysym, or both, that the X client receives as input when the sequence of events is input:
34STRING34 | keysym | 34STRING34 keysymKeysyms are specified without the XK_ prefix.
Strings may be direct text encoded in the locale for which the compose file is to be used, or an escaped octal or hexadecimal character code. Octal codes are specified as 34\12334 and hexadecimal codes as 34\0x123a34. It is not necessary to specify in the right part of a rule a locale encoded string in addition to the keysym name. If the string is omitted, Xlib figures it out from the keysym according to the current locale. I.e., if a rule looks like:
<dead_grave> <A> : 34\30034 Agravethe result of the composition is always the letter with the "\300" code. But if the rule is:<dead_grave> <A> : Agravethe result depends on how Agrave is mapped in the current locale.
XCOMPOSEFILE File to use for compose sequences. XCOMPOSECACHE Directory to use for caching compiled compose files.
$HOME/.XCompose User default compose file if XCOMPOSEFILE is not set. /usr/share/X11/locale/compose.dir File listing the compose file path to use for each locale. /usr/share/X11/locale/<localemapping>/Compose System default compose file for the locale, mapped via compose.dir. /var/cache/libx11/compose/ System-wide cache directory for compiled compose files. $HOME/.compose-cache/ Per-user cache directory for compiled compose files.
XLookupString(3), XmbLookupString(3), XwcLookupString(3), Xutf8LookupString(3), mkcomposecache(1), locale(7).
Xlib - C Language X Interface
X Version 11 | Compose (5) | libX11 1.5.0 |