SETKEYCODES(8)         Linux User's Manual         SETKEYCODES(8)

NAME
       setkeycodes  -  load  kernel  scancode-to-keycode  mapping
       table entries

SYNOPSIS
       setkeycodes scancode keycode ...

DESCRIPTION
       The setkeycodes command reads its arguments two at a time,
       each  pair of arguments consisting of a scancode (given in
       hexadecimal) and a keycode (given in  decimal).  For  each
       such  pair, it tells the kernel keyboard driver to map the
       specified scancode to the specified keycode.

       This command is  useful  only  for  people  with  slightly
       unusual  keyboards,  that  have  a  few keys which produce
       scancodes that the kernel does not recognize.

THEORY
       The usual PC keyboard produces a series of  scancodes  for
       each  key  press  and key release. (Scancodes are shown by
       showkey -s,  see  showkey(1).)   The  kernel  parses  this
       stream  of  scancodes, and converts it to a stream of key-
       codes (key press/release events).  (Keycodes are shown  by
       showkey.)   Apart  from a few scancodes with special mean-
       ing, and apart from the sequence  produced  by  the  Pause
       key,  and  apart  from  shiftstate  related scancodes, and
       apart from the key up/down bit, the  stream  of  scancodes
       consists  of  unescaped  scancodes xx (7 bits) and escaped
       scancodes e0 xx (8+7 bits).  It is hardwired in  the  cur-
       rent  kernel  that  in  the range 1-88 (0x01-0x58) keycode
       equals scancode. For the remaining  scancodes  (0x59-0x7f)
       or  scancode pairs (0xe0 0x00 - 0xe0 0x7f) a corresponding
       keycode can be assigned (in the range 1-127).   For  exam-
       ple, if you have a Macro key that produces e0 6f according
       to showkey(1), the command
              setkeycodes e06f 112
       will assign the keycode 112 to it,  and  then  loadkeys(1)
       can be used to define the function of this key.

OPTIONS
       None.

BUGS
       The  keycodes of X have nothing to do with those of Linux.
       Unusual keys can be made  visible  under  Linux,  but  not
       under X.

SEE ALSO
       dumpkeys(1), loadkeys(1), showkey(1), getkeycodes(8).

Console tools              31 Oct 1997                          1