Transfer my custom keyboard or create a new one?

[Stormwoken]

Hello there

I am a complete newbie (a former Windows user), having installed Mint only 2 days ago. One of the priority things for me right now is to either:
a) Somehow transfer my customised keyboard layout (customised Russian keyboard - completely different from all of those default keyboards out there and a pain to make).
b) Find a keyboard layout creator software.

Any advice on either of these?

Thanks in advance!

[ElStellino]

We are in two, then.
Mine is an Italian keyboard for work, but I need also some French, Spanish, and Lithuanian characters because I am a translator. I don't plan to install other keyboard layouts and switching them for just a few characters.
I guess that also my friend Stormwoken wants something similar to this:
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download ... x?id=22339

I found this solution a while ago (a year before installing Mint, actually) and I found it ubercomplicated (at least compared to the Windows way) I will try now to read it again and try it out.
http://www.dotkam.com/2007/06/25/custom ... t-linux-2/

I then will come back and report when I'm done (or stuck)

I hope all this helps!

[ElStellino]

Stuck, haha

I searched, and found this interesting thread that explain quite well how to.

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=354969

As poster #6 said, I tried to swap my Caps Lock for Shift as I had it on Windows, and got it instead typing 2... I then tried assigning the key number for the right Shift, and got it typing >...
Whatever. I killed it, I don't use it anyway
Soon to be killed is the Ins key.

Still, I forecast that obtaining my custom keyboard back will be a royal PITA.

Nonetheless, I'll try.
Luca

EDIT: I found this list for the EN(GB) keyboard
http://www.linuxscrew.com/2008/09/15/fa ... -in-linux/
I remapped my Caps Lock typing

Code: Select all

xmodmap -e 'keycode 66=Shift_L'

But, I cannot work out how to assign values to multiple keystrokes. I used to have all the vowels with accents for Spanish and French hitting Alt Gr and the relative wowel, or custom Lithuanian consonants hitting the Alt Gr or the Right Ctrl + relevant consonant... I cannot see an easy way to replicate all that. My customised keyboard layout was only assigning values to all the dead keys, not remapping already assigned keys.

In any case, does anybody know how to do it easily, please?

[ElStellino]

After one day I can say that using the method xmodmap -e isn't very feasible.
The reason: I created a backup of my keyboard layout, thinking that xmodmap -e was going to modify that one. Instead, no.
I installed also the Spanish layout to test, and also that one retains the modification of the Caps Lock.

Moreover, since I modified it, the Shift+W and Shift+P no longer work. they just make blink the frame of this typing frame, or of the search box, or the whole window of LibreOffice. With any of the Shift keys.
Does anybody know why?
______

I believe that the method to modify the layout correctly is to open with a text editor the layout you want to modify, and add there your combinations, as explained in the first link I posted.

As nobody replies to this post, I believe that it's one of those questions that have been asked many times, and the answer is "no, nothing exists to modify easily and painlessly a keyboard layout in Linux!"

I believe that this is one of those instances where Linux is clearly inferior to Windows, no doubt.
Don't hate me guys.

[ElStellino]

So it seems that not even the OP is very interested in it... :/

I researched even further, and there is (was) an application with a GUI called Keymapper, present also in Software Center, but this doesn't work. It installs but then there is not trace of it anywhere.
sudo apt-get install gives the same result.

Honestly, I hear everywhere that Linux is superior, but to modify my keyboard layout in Windows 7 took about 10 minutes starting from the download center in the microsoft website, to having my custom keyboard layout installed and perfectly working. With Linux I am trying almost since last week, and I can't find anything relevant. I don't feel that compiling a layout file is the way to go... we are almost in 2013, there must be something easier, even in Linux!

Why Linux is sometimes so ubercomplicated? To scare off n00bs like me?

Please, see my situation: I am a translator, I need to use 4 languages, and the only differences are just few letters with their accents. It is plain stupid to have 4 layouts installed and switching them continuously, not only letters' positions change, but also all the punctuation. As it is my job, having to switch continuously from one layout to another lowers speed and consequently my productivity. Without considering every time that one layout has been forgotten active instead of another...

[ElStellino]

So, I am still looking for a way... I don't seem to find a bump link (Ctrl+F found only my "bumped by Stellino on...") so here I am.
Does anybody know how to do it, please?

[Garvan]

I don't think there is any app to make custom keyboard settings in Lunux. I would be a great idea to make one.

The link you copied in your Dec 05 post details the method I use. I edit the us keyboard to add additional letters (ÁÉÍÓÚáéíóú€≠±£ in my case) and once I set it up the way I wanted I kept a backup on dropbox so I can reinstall it easily if necessary. I also set they key to get the third level (keyboard layout ->Layouts->Options->Key to choose Third Level) Make sure this is set to what yo expect.

I know how to make custom keyboard maps, but I don't think it is easy so I am not very confident in explaining how to do it. Perhaps you can tell us how far you got following the advise given in this link? Were you able to change any key?

http://www.dotkam.com/2007/06/25/custom-keyboard-layout-in-ubuntu-or-just-linux-2/

Garvan