setting up another keyboard layout
 

Hi everyone...

I have downloaded a keyoard map for my local language. The downloaded file is

inscript.hi.xmm

I would like to keep the setting for my US keyboard but would also like to enable the newly downloaded keymap. How to go about it? I know I will have to edit the XF86config file..but still, I'd appreciate if someone told me the exact way to do it...

Thanks and Regards,

amit

Hmm...I guess there would be someone here who uses another keyboard map for their regional language...Has anyone set up two keymaps on their box?

I have been using a software called iLeap on Windows which is a multi-lingual regional language software....I tried running it using wine, but it dosent work....It does not have an equivalent Linux version too....I am therefore looking for a software that supports the same Keyboard layout that iLeap uses.....I did download a new Xmodmap file but dont know how to install it..

Does anyone know how to set up a new keyboad map ?

Regards,

amit

I really want to get a second keymap set up as that would get me a final step close to dropping win 98 forever...The final step would be to make Office 2000 ( especially Word 2000) work smoothly.....But first, I want to install the keymap for my regional language.........I went thru a crude piece of help text on some site....but it was poorly written and confusing....(even the site people admit that its crude)...

I would be glad if any of you guys could help me out here...

Thanx n Regards,

amit

Well, I have not setup only 2 keyboard layouts, but instead 7. Its very simple:
Go to Start > Configuration > KDE > Accesability > Keyboard Layout
Then select any keyboard layout except English U.S. as your primary, and you can have many secondarys. Then you need to add a system tray to your taskbar (do this by right clicking on it, selecting add, and then finding System Taskbar), and you will get a clickable icon in it that is a map. Right click it for a list of keyboards, or left click it for the next keyboard layout

Oh, and about getting Microsoft Office to work on linux, just use OOo (open office.org). It was simplistic for me to learn, uses mostly the same features as Microsoft Office, and can open every microsoft or linux file format.

Hmm....well danny, thanx for a reply, but my problem is a bit different...let me explain it in simpler words...

1 . I am using US English as the main language...

2. But, my mother tongue is Hindi..(its a regional Indian language) and I want the keyboard to have the ability to type hindi characters.

3. Therefore, I downloaded two different keymap files

(A) - initscript.hi.xmm ( which is an XModMap file )

and

(B) initscript.hi.xkb ( which is XKBSetup file....I dont know whats the difference between the two) ....I am also confused about installing the keymap because I read somewhere that only one of XMODMAP or XKB must be used. and i dont know which one of them is being used on my box.

4. Finally, I would want to keep the keyboard as 105 key US Keyboard but I want to be able to toggle between the two keymaps by just pressing say "SHIFT+CAPS" or something like that....

As I said in my previous post, I use a software called "iLeap" on Windows which displays the regional language virtual keyboard on screen and hindi character is printed on a keypress, so I dont need to mess with any files to type in my native language....

I hope I sound clearer now....so any suggestions how I can do that ?

Regards,

amit

Well, I'm a little confused, but anywho-
1. If you are running an up to date version of linux (one released in the past year), delete the keyboard maps as you have no need for them.
2. Go into the keyboard layout using the method above.
3. Select your 105 key keyboard, select Hindi as the main layout, and then select U.S. English or Canadian English as a secondary one.
4. You must have the taskbar. Once you do, there will be an map in it. Click it to change between Hindi and English. The map will change based on which one your using. When you change, it is for all aplications, but clicking it again will change back.

Oh, and just to show you how easy it is to change between them,
Here I am typing English characters. I simply go down to the taskbar, click the map.
Фтв тщц Ш фь ензштп шт ыгккшфт срфкфсеукы
Now I have united kingdom special characters, such as £ + ¬
And now I have U.S. characters again, all with the click of a button

well thats what is the problem, which one of the two files should I install

inscript.hi.xmm

OR

inscript.hi.map

OR

inscript.hi.xkb

The exact list of different keymap files are as follows:

[root@amit test]# ls
inscript inscript.hi.xmm inscript.pa.map inscript_xmm.tar.gz
inscript.bn.map inscript.kn.map inscript.ta.map keymap-readme.txt
inscript.gu.map inscript.ml.map inscript.te.map xmodmap.std
inscript.hi.map inscript.or.map inscript_xkb.tar.gz
[root@amit test]# cd inscript
[root@amit inscript]# ls
xkb
[root@amit inscript]# cd xkb
[root@amit xkb]# ls
inscript.bn.xkb inscript.kn.xkb inscript.pa.xkb
inscript.gu.xkb inscript.ml.xkb inscript.ta.xkb
inscript.hi.xkb inscript.or.xkb inscript.te.xkb
[root@amit xkb]#

I have .xmm and .xkb files both but I dont know the exact way of adding hindi keymap to the existing keymap list....and also how do I know if the default is xmodmap or xkb and which one of the two should be used or whether both need to be used??

I know ..It will obviously be easier to select the keymap once it is added to the layout menu.....But how to add it is my main question....

Regards,

amit

K, you MUST use KDE. Don't install ANY new files, just use the ones already there. Using KDE is the best way to do this, but I do think you could do it in Gnome or Fluxbox to.