Typing glyphs on Linux: Difference between revisions

Since mid-2012, most Linux distributions with [[wikipedia:X_Window_System|X11]] and [[wikipedia:Wayland_(display_server_protocol)|Wayland]] have [[Dyalog APL]] keyboard support included with the distribution,<ref>[[Dyalog]] [[Forums]]. [https://forums.dyalog.com/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=210 Keyboard setup on Linux]. Sep 21, 2010.</ref> using <syntaxhighlight lang=console inline>xkb</source>, the [https://www.x.org/wiki/XKB/ X Keyboard Extension].<ref name="Dyalog APL XKB">[[Geoff Streeter]]. [https://www.dyalog.com/uploads/conference/dyalog10/presentations/P19_Streeter_Keyboards.pdf Supporting APL keyboards on Linux]. [[Dyalog '10]].</ref>

The simplest way to set up an APL keyboard on Linux is with the following <syntaxhighlight lang=console inline>setxkbmap</source> command. Enter the following in your terminal emulator of choice:

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* <syntaxhighlight lang=console inline>-layout us,apl</source> assigns <syntaxhighlight lang=console inline>us</source> ([[wikipedia:American_English|U.S. English]]) to be the primary layout, whereas <syntaxhighlight lang=console inline>apl</source> is secondary

* <syntaxhighlight lang=console inline>-option grp:switch</source> assigns <kbd>Right Alt</kbd> to switch to the secondary <syntaxhighlight lang=console inline>apl</source> layout when it is pressed, otherwise <syntaxhighlight lang=console inline>us</source> is used

* <syntaxhighlight lang=console inline>-variant ,dyalog</source> assigns the [[Dyalog APL]] variant to the <syntaxhighlight lang=console inline>apl</source> layout which contains modifiations unique to the Dyalog language ('''Note the preceding comma''')

A full list of keys that can be used to switch layouts is included in <syntaxhighlight lang=console inline>/usr/share/X11/xkb/rules/evdev.lst</source> under the <syntaxhighlight lang=console inline>option</source> category.

* If you want to specify a different language, say for United Kingdom, specify <syntaxhighlight lang=console inline>gb</source> instead of <syntaxhighlight lang=console inline>us</source> (not <syntaxhighlight lang=console inline>uk</source>)

* If you want to specify a different layout, dvorak, bepo, etc, change the variant flag to <syntaxhighlight lang=console inline>dvorak,dyalog</source>.

X11 and Wayland use XKB rules to determine their layout. To set a layout create a file called <syntaxhighlight lang=console inline>00-keyboard.conf</source> at <syntaxhighlight lang=console inline>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d</source> or <syntaxhighlight lang=console inline>/usr/etc/X11/corg.conf.d</source>, ensuring you have permissions, and edit it to:

</source>

Once saved this will affect any future session. To change the current session and test out layouts, use <syntaxhighlight lang=console inline>setxkbmap</source>.  

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# Prepend an <syntaxhighlight lang=console inline>@</source> to the <syntaxhighlight lang=console inline>setxkbmap</source> command from above:<br><syntaxhighlight lang=console>

</source>

# Add it as a line in your user's LXDE <syntaxhighlight lang=console inline>autostart</source> file, located at:<br><syntaxhighlight lang=console>

</source>

For Lubuntu versions up to and including 18.04 (before the LXQt split), the location of <syntaxhighlight lang=console inline>autostart</source> is <syntaxhighlight lang=console inline>~/.config/lxsession/Lubuntu/autostart</source>.

# From your LXQt panel, navigate to ''Preferences'' → ''LXQt Settings'' → ''Session Settings''; alternatively, enter <syntaxhighlight lang=console inline>lxqt-config-session</source> in your terminal emulator. You will be greeted with the following window:<br>[[File:Lxqt-session-settings.png|frameless|LXQt Autostart menu of Session Settings window]]

# Select the <syntaxhighlight lang=console inline>LXQt Autostart</source> dropdown (it will be highlighted as shown above) and click the <kbd>Add</kbd> button to display the following pop-up window:<br>[[File:Lxqt-add-autostart.png|frameless|LXQt add a new autostart menu item]]

The above GUI approach merely creates a <syntaxhighlight lang=console inline>.desktop</source> file in the user's <syntaxhighlight lang=console inline>~/.config/autostart</source>. Create your own file in the <syntaxhighlight lang=console inline>autostart</source> directory whose contents are as follows, to replicate the functionality achieved through the GUI:

</source>

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Modifying the Linux keyboard to support APL keys via [https://linux.die.net/man/1/xmodmap xmodmap(1)] is possible, but not recommended — it has been superseded by the [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/X_keyboard_extension X keyboard extension] (XKB). Generally <syntaxhighlight lang=console inline>xmodmap</source> is best for simple tasks,<ref>ArchWiki Contributors. [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/xmodmap xmodmap]. 19 July 2021</ref> which APL keyboards often tend not to be. [[Dyalog APL]], for example, has native support for XKB.<ref name="Dyalog APL XKB"/>

For users who understand the pitfalls, an example <syntaxhighlight lang=console inline>~/.Xmodmap</source> can be [https://gist.github.com/Russtopia/20ae5ab571d5bed73359ca956d9010a7 found at this GitHub Gist].

After upgrading Ubuntu 21.04 (Hirsute Hippo), Gnome catches the keystrokes from the <kbd>Super</kbd> key to show the list of applications, before Dyalog can receive it. [[#setxkbmap|Changing the shifting key]] from <syntaxhighlight lang=console inline>grp:win_switch</source> to <syntaxhighlight lang=console inline>grp:caps_switch</source> avoids the issue. Changing it to <syntaxhighlight lang=console inline>grp:rctrl_switch</source> does not work.

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Since at least March 2020 there have been issues with <syntaxhighlight lang=console inline>setxkbmap</source> settings being reset without user instruction under the [[wikipedia:X Windows System|X Windows System]].

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