Funny Keys

**l_Kriss** · 03-04-2003

Is there a way to use those "Funny Keys" (like on "internet keyboards", Mail, Cdplayer, my home etc etc) without recompiling with the funnykey kernel patch?
like, the 0xe0 0x12 - 0xe0 0x92 butten press would start up my mozilla etc.

Well, thanks in advance.

**Dolda2000** · 03-05-2003

I'm currently using an old keyboard from the mid-80s, so I don't have any funny keys, but here's the way I know to go about it. First find the keycode with xev (run it in a terminal), then add it to your keyboard map with xmodmap. By default, those keys don't get passed to X clients, since there is no keysym associated with the keycode, but once you have associated one, you should be able to bind the key in a window manager.
There are ways to do it in the kernel from userland, too, but I guess it's really the X way that you're after, so we might as well press it as far down in userspace as possible, right?

**wassy121** · 03-05-2003

look at acme for GNOME2, it handles these keys and will run commands when it "hears" them being pressed. Volume up, Volume down, run a command, etc. etc. I love GNOME2

**l_Kriss** · 03-08-2003

Thanks, both of you. I am not going to use gnome 2.2 and the xmodmap method did not work. maybe its me beeing stupid, but ill have to recompile my kernel.

**Dolda2000** · 03-09-2003

I don't really see what recompiling the kernel would help? I think you should continue to look into the xmodmap approach. It really should work, if you're doing it correctly.

**l_Kriss** · 03-09-2003

I'we tried looking for some manuals on google, but I didn't find anything wich did seem to work.
And, for the kernel stuff, I need to recompile it with the funnykey patch, and then i can use the funnykey deamon wich launches certian apps that i'we configuret it to.

**l_Kriss** · 04-26-2003

Originally Posted by Dolda2000

I don't really see what recompiling the kernel would help? I think you should continue to look into the xmodmap approach. It really should work, if you're doing it correctly.

okay.. kind of another problem:

i switched to dvorak, and i was looking into finding an way so that my modmap starts up when i start up xfree. its getting dumb that i have to type "xmodmap .Xmodmap" ever time i start up xfree, so do you know how to make it automated?

**Dolda2000** · 04-26-2003

Do you mean when you log in with a display manager (xdm, kdm, gdm... whatever)? In that case, it should be doing that automatically, or there's something wrong with your session script.
If you're using startx, you can just add that to your ~/.xinitrc. I'm having the feeling that you knew that already, though.
If you're just referring to the X server's defaults, check out the Xkb{Rules,Model,Layout} options in your XF86Config's keyboard InputDevice section.

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