Load custom xkb keymap

[Pu-Anlai]

I use a custom keyboard layout defined in ~/.config/xkb/custom.xkb which I upload to X using xkbcomp ~/.config/xkb/custom.xkb $DISPLAY. Is there any way to do the same in Sway? I tried input * xkb_layout ~/.config/xkb/custom.xkb but that didn't work.

I guess I could register my layout globally and then just load it with input * xkb_layout custom but a) I'd like to do this from within my home folder and b) making a layout available like that is unexpectedly complicated; I edited both the .lst and .xml files in /usr/share/X11/xkb/rules and that didn't work. Those changes could also be gone with the next system update.

Maybe it's not the same thing you mean, but I installed my own custom layout in /usr/share/X11/xkb/symbols/, with a custom name so it doesn't touch / isn't touched by anything else, and it works just fine. No need to register anything, just input YOURKEYBOARD xkb_layout YOURNAME

[mdeff]

I did that as well: custom keyboard layout in /usr/share/X11/xkb/symbols/custom, then input * xkb_layout custom.

[progandy]

Local user settings for keyboard layouts can be stored in ~/.xkb/symbols/ and then loaded by their names just like global layouts. (source)

[mdeff]

Confirmed to work! Thanks for the tip @progandy. I'll do that from now on.

[Pu-Anlai]

My apologies, I should have been more specific with my question. It's been a while since I set up my layout so I forgot about the xkb nomenclature. The thing is that my keyboard layout file not only contains an xkb_symbols section but also xkb_types and xkb_keycodes sections. This is all contained in a struct named xkb_keymap. This is the format returned by xkbcomp. I could probably get rid of the xkb_keycodes section but xkb_types is essential for me as that is where custom modifier levels are defined.

So when I try to load this file by doing input [identifier] xkb_layout custom, I get an error because only an xkb_symbols section is expected:

2019-04-04 21:40:33 - [sway-1.0/sway/input/seat.c:673] adding device 1133:16388:Logitech_K360 to seat seat0
xkbcommon: ERROR: Include file of wrong type (expected xkb_symbols, got xkb_keymap); Include file "custom" ignored
xkbcommon: ERROR: Abandoning symbols file "(unnamed)"
xkbcommon: ERROR: Failed to compile xkb_symbols
xkbcommon: ERROR: Failed to compile keymap
2019-04-04 21:40:33 - [sway-1.0/sway/input/keyboard.c:518] cannot configure keyboard: keymap does not exist

So I guess my real question would be, is there any way to load an xkb keymap file? I could of course get rid of the xkb_keycodes section and put the xkb_symbols and xkb_types sections into their own files. Then I could load the symbols file with input [identifier] xkb_layout custom_symbols. However, as far as I know, there is no way to load a custom types file, right?

[Emantor]

Accordding to https://www.vinc17.net/unix/xkb.en.html ~/.xkb/keymap should work.

[Pu-Anlai]

Accordding to https://www.vinc17.net/unix/xkb.en.html ~/.xkb/keymap should work.

Yeah, but that's for X. The location of the keymap is also incidental because you can put it anywhere and then just upload it to X using xkbcomp [location of file] $DISPLAY.

[progandy]

So I guess my real question would be, is there any way to load an xkb keymap file?

There is no way. Maybe you can create a patch with a new configuration option that makes sway ignore the RMLVO configuration and load a keymap from a file with xkb_keymap_new_from_file

However, as far as I know, there is no way to load a custom types file, right?

That is not straight forward. You could write your own xkb_rules file which in the end produces your desired layout if you really want to. These articles may help you:

• https://www.x.org/wiki/guide/hutterer-kbd/
• https://who-t.blogspot.com/2008/09/rmlvo-keyboard-configuration.html

[emersion]

I wouldn't be against a patch that uses xkb_keymap_new_from_file

[Pu-Anlai]

Phew, my C knowledge is pretty much zero. I looked at keyboard.c and input.c and don't think I will be able to implement this at any point in the near future. Unless one of the existing developers has an interest in this, I will try to accomplish this with xkb_rules.