KBD_MODE(1) General Commands Manual KBD_MODE(1)
NAME
kbd_mode - report or set the keyboard mode
SYNOPSIS
kbd_mode [ -a | -u | -k | -s ] [ -C CONSOLE ]
DESCRIPTION
Without argument, kbd_mode prints the current keyboard mode (RAW, MEDI-
UMRAW or XLATE). With argument, it sets the keyboard mode as indi-
cated:
-s: scancode mode (RAW),
-k: keycode mode (MEDIUMRAW),
-a: ASCII mode (XLATE),
-u: UTF-8 mode (UNICODE).
Of course the "-a" is only traditional, and the code used can be any
8-bit character set. With "-u" a 16-bit character set is expected, and
these chars are transmitted to the kernel as 1, 2, or 3 bytes (follow-
ing the UTF-8 coding). In these latter two modes the key mapping de-
fined by loadkeys(1) is used.
kbd_mode operates on the console specified by the "-C" option; if there
is none, the console associated with stdin is used.
Warning: changing the keyboard mode, other than between ASCII and Uni-
code, will probably make your keyboard unusable. This command is only
meant for use (say via remote login) when some program left your key-
board in the wrong state. Note that in some obsolete versions of this
program the "-u" option was a synonym for "-s".
SEE ALSO
loadkeys(1)
6 Apr 1994 KBD_MODE(1)