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| -rw-r--r-- | doc/guix.texi | 126 |
1 files changed, 108 insertions, 18 deletions
diff --git a/doc/guix.texi b/doc/guix.texi index fb3fef689a..63405bcf49 100644 --- a/doc/guix.texi +++ b/doc/guix.texi @@ -251,6 +251,7 @@ System Configuration * File Systems:: Configuring file system mounts. * Mapped Devices:: Block device extra processing. * User Accounts:: Specifying user accounts. +* Keyboard Layout:: How the system interprets key strokes. * Locales:: Language and cultural convention settings. * Services:: Specifying system services. * Setuid Programs:: Programs running with root privileges. @@ -10132,6 +10133,7 @@ instance to support new system services. * File Systems:: Configuring file system mounts. * Mapped Devices:: Block device extra processing. * User Accounts:: Specifying user accounts. +* Keyboard Layout:: How the system interprets key strokes. * Locales:: Language and cultural convention settings. * Services:: Specifying system services. * Setuid Programs:: Programs running with root privileges. @@ -10992,6 +10994,108 @@ Note that the ``root'' account is not included here. It is a special-case and is automatically added whether or not it is specified. @end defvr +@node Keyboard Layout +@section Keyboard Layout + +To specify what each key of your keyboard does, you need to tell the operating +system what @dfn{keyboard layout} you want to use. The default, when nothing +is specified, is the US English QWERTY layout for 105-key PC keyboards. +However, German speakers will usually prefer the German QWERTZ layout, French +speakers will want the AZERTY layout, and so on; hackers might prefer Dvorak +or bépo, and they might even want to further customize the effect of some of +the keys. This section explains how to get that done. + +@cindex keyboard layout, definition +There are three components that will want to know about your keyboard layout: + +@itemize +@item +The @emph{bootloader} may want to know what keyboard layout you want to use +(@pxref{Bootloader Configuration, @code{keyboard-layout}}). This is useful if +you want, for instance, to make sure that you can type the passphrase of your +encrypted root partition using the right layout. + +@item +The @emph{operating system kernel}, Linux, will need that so that the console +is properly configured (@pxref{operating-system Reference, +@code{keyboard-layout}}). + +@item +The @emph{graphical display server}, usually Xorg, also has its own idea of +the keyboard layout (@pxref{X Window, @code{keyboard-layout}}). +@end itemize + +Guix allows you to configure all three separately but, fortunately, it allows +you to share the same keyboard layout for all three components. + +@cindex XKB, keyboard layouts +Keyboard layouts are represented by records created by the +@code{keyboard-layout} procedure of @code{(gnu system keyboard)}. Following +the X Keyboard extension (XKB), each layout has four attributes: a name (often +a language code such as ``fi'' for Finnish or ``jp'' for Japanese), an +optional variant name, an optional keyboard model name, and a possibly empty +list of additional options. In most cases the layout name is all you care +about. Here are a few example: + +@example +;; The German QWERTZ layout. Here we assume a standard +;; "pc105" keyboard model. +(keyboard-layout "de") + +;; The bépo variant of the French layout. +(keyboard-layout "fr" "bepo") + +;; The Catalan layout. +(keyboard-layout "es" "cat") + +;; The Latin American Spanish layout. In addition, the +;; "Caps Lock" key is used as an additional "Ctrl" key, +;; and the "Menu" key is used as a "Compose" key to enter +;; accented letters. +(keyboard-layout "latam" + #:options '("ctrl:nocaps" "compose:menu")) + +;; The Russian layout for a ThinkPad keyboard. +(keyboard-layout "ru" #:model "thinkpad") + +;; The "US international" layout, which is the US layout plus +;; dead keys to enter accented characters. This is for an +;; Apple MacBook keyboard. +(keyboard-layout "us" "intl" #:model "macbook78") +@end example + +See the @file{share/X11/xkb} directory of the @code{xkeyboard-config} package +for a complete list of supported layouts, variants, and models. + +@cindex keyboard layout, configuration +Let's say you want your system to use the Turkish keyboard layout throughout +your system---bootloader, console, and Xorg. Here's what your system +configuration would look like: + +@lisp +;; Using the Turkish layout for the bootloader, the console, +;; and for Xorg. + +(operating-system + ;; ... + (keyboard-layout (keyboard-layout "tr")) ;for the console + (bootloader (bootloader-configuration + (bootloader grub-efi-bootloader) + (target "/boot/efi") + (keyboard-layout keyboard-layout))) ;for GRUB + (services (modify-services %desktop-services + (slim-service-type config => + (slim-configuration + (inherit config) + (xorg-configuration + (xorg-configuration ;for Xorg + (keyboard-layout keyboard-layout)))))))) +@end lisp + +In the example above, for GRUB and for Xorg, we just refer to the +@code{keyboard-layout} field defined above, but we could just as well refer to +a different layout. + @node Locales @section Locales @@ -13399,7 +13503,8 @@ If this is @code{#f}, Xorg uses the default keyboard layout---usually US English (``qwerty'') for a 105-key PC keyboard. Otherwise this must be a @code{keyboard-layout} object specifying the keyboard -layout in use when Xorg is running. +layout in use when Xorg is running. @xref{Keyboard Layout}, for more +information on how to specify the keyboard layout. @item @code{extra-config} (default: @code{'()}) This is a list of strings or objects appended to the configuration file. It @@ -23651,23 +23756,8 @@ The number of seconds to wait for keyboard input before booting. Set to If this is @code{#f}, the bootloader's menu (if any) uses the default keyboard layout, usually US@tie{}English (``qwerty''). -Otherwise, this must be a @code{keyboard-layout} object. For instance, the -following example defines a standard German keyboard layout: - -@example -(keyboard-layout "de") -@end example - -@noindent -while the example below designates the bépo layout for French: - -@example -(keyboard-layout "fr" "bepo") -@end example - -The layout name and variant must match an existing layout in the -@code{xkeyboard-config} package under the @file{share/X11/xkb/symbols} -directory. +Otherwise, this must be a @code{keyboard-layout} object (@pxref{Keyboard +Layout}). @quotation Note This option is currently ignored by bootloaders other than @code{grub} and |