NAME
    loadkeys - load keyboard translation tables

SYNOPSIS
    loadkeys  [ -c --clearcompose ] [ -d --default ] [ -h --help ] [ -m
    --mktable ] [ -s --clearstrings ] [ -v --verbose ] [ filename...  ]

DESCRIPTION
    The program loadkeys reads the file or files specified by filename....
    Its main purpose is to load the kernel keymap for the console.

RESET TO DEFAULT
    If the -d (or  --default ) option is given, loadkeys loads a default
    keymap, probably the file defkeymap.map either in //lib/kbd/keymaps or
    in /usr/src/linux/drivers/char. (Probably the former was user-defined,
    while the latter is a qwerty keyboard map for PCs - maybe not what was
    desired.)  Sometimes, with a strange keymap loaded (with the minus on
    some obscure unknown modifier combination) it is easier to type `load-
    keys defkeymap'.

LOAD KERNEL KEYMAP
    The main function of loadkeys is to load or modify the keyboard
    driver's translation tables. When specifying the file names, standard
    input can be denoted by dash (-). If no file is specified, the data is
    read from the standard input.

    For many countries and keyboard types appropriate keymaps are available
    already,  and a  command like `loadkeys uk' might do what you want. On
    the other hand, it is easy to construct one's own keymap. The user has
    to tell what symbols belong to each key. She can find the keycode for a
    key by use of showkey(1), while the  keymap  format  is given in
    keymaps(5) and can also be seen from the output of dumpkeys(1).

LOAD KERNEL ACCENT TABLE
    If the input file does not contain any compose key definitions, the
    kernel accent table is left unchanged, unless the -c (or --clearcompose
    ) option is given, in which case the kernel accent table is emptied.
    If the input file does contain compose key definitions, then all old
    definitions are  removed, and replaced by the specified new entries.
    The kernel accent table is a sequence of (by  default 68) entries
    describing how dead diacritical signs and compose keys behave. For
    example, a line

    compose ',' 'c' to ccedilla

    means that <ComposeKey><,><c> must be combined to <ccedilla>. The cur-
    rent content of this table can be see using `dumpkeys --compose-only'.

LOAD KERNEL STRING TABLE
    The option -s (or --clearstrings ) clears the kernel string table. If
    this option is  not given, loadkeys will only add or replace strings,
    not remove them.  (Thus, the option -s is required to reach a  well-
    defined state.)  The kernel string table is a sequence of strings with
    names like F31. One can make function key F5 (on an ordinary PC key-
    board) produce the text `Hello!', and Shift+F5 `Goodbye!' using lines

    keycode 63 = F70 F71
    string F70 = "Hello!"
    string F71 = "Goodbye!"

    in the keymap. The default bindings for the function keys are certain
    escape sequences mostly inspired by the VT100 terminal.

CREATE KERNEL SOURCE TABLE
    If the -m (or --mktable ) option is given loadkeys prints to the  stan-
    dard output a file that may be used as /usr/src/linux/drivers/char-
    /defkeymap.c, specifying the default key bindings for a kernel (and
    does not modify the current keymap).

OTHER OPTIONS
    -h --help
    loadkeys prints its version number and a short usage message to
    the programs standard error output and exits.

WARNING
    Note that anyone having read access to /dev/console can  run loadkeys
    and thus change the keyboard layout, possibly making it unusable. Note
    that the keyboard translation table is common for all the virtual con-
    soles, so any changes to the keyboard bindings affect all the virtual
    consoles simultaneously.

    Note that because the changes affect all  the virtual consoles, they
    also outlive your session. This means that even at the login prompt the
    key bindings may not be what the user expects.

FILES
    //lib/kbd/keymaps
    default directory for keymaps

    /usr/src/linux/drivers/char/defkeymap.map
    default kernel keymap

SEE ALSO
   dumpkeys(1), keymaps(5)