[SOLVED]Changing keyboard layout in console

[pythagorasmk]

Is it possible to have multiply keyboard layouts in console and to have key combination to switch between them?

[Head_on_a_Stick]

Not really (AFAIK), but you can use localectl(1) to change console keyboard layout.

Perhaps if you ran dvtm (or plain tmux) from the console you could bind keys calling that command.

EDIT: corrected command name.

[fabien]

It is possible to use loadkeys(1) to change keyboard layout on the fly (i.e. without changing system configuration):

- package console-data must be installed

- you have to allow your user to use loadkeys (see https://unix.stackexchange.com/question ... ormal-user)

- there may be security concerns (that's why loadkeys doesn't work if not setuid, see https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/ke ... c4b8871968) so all in all be aware that it might not be good practice.

[pythagorasmk]

I am giving up, security risk + to complicated, not for me. Anyway Thanks for the answer.

[pythagorasmk]

It is possible to use loadkeys(1) to change keyboard layout on the fly (i.e. without changing system configuration):

I have found package console-setup and with it you can have the same options for keyboard on console, as in Xserver. The default configuration is located in /etc/default/keyboard. Read keyboard(5).

[fabien]

This is the right solution, thanks pythagorasmk. The loadkeys method is definitely to be forgotten then (it was an old remembrance btw, something I used long ago).

Here is the documentation on Debian Wiki: https://wiki.debian.org/Keyboard

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man 7 xkeyboard-config

is useful to find some configuration elements (layouts, switches) for /etc/default/keyboard.

In short:
- edit /etc/default/keyboard. For example:

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# KEYBOARD CONFIGURATION FILE

# Consult the keyboard(5) manual page. man xkeyboard-config(7) also.

XKBMODEL="pc105"
XKBLAYOUT="fr,us"
XKBVARIANT="latin9,"
XKBOPTIONS="grp:alts_toggle"

BACKSPACE="guess"

this configuration allows to switch between french and US layouts by striking alt and altgr together.

- from the console, test the configuration:

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setupcon

- make changes permanent (this part is not on the Debian Wiki but it is the only way that worked for me):

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dpkg-reconfigure console-setup

[pythagorasmk]

- make changes permanent (this part is not on the Debian Wiki but it is the only way that worked for me):

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dpkg-reconfigure console-setup

You can edit the file /etc/default/console-setup directly, there is no need for dpkg-reconfigure console-setup. Read console-setup(5).
The only limitation for me is that accented letters in Macedonian alphabet ( ѐ and ѝ ) and the symbol for euro € are missing in fonts for console.
Also, if you are using Emacs, it is not smart to use left alt + left shift (standard Windows combination ) for switch key, I have assigned this function to ScrollLock.

[fabien]

You can edit the file /etc/default/console-setup directly, there is no need for dpkg-reconfigure console-setup. Read console-setup(5).

dpkg-reconfigure console-setup is the way I found to make changes permanent, otherwise changes were lost upon reboot (I'm on Buster). Have you done something else to keep changes effective?
I know I can edit /etc/default/console-setup directly, I added BEEP="polite" to it to no avail until I run dpkg-reconfigure console-setup. There should be a smarter way though, I agree.

it is not smart to use left alt + left shift

I use alt+altgr in the example above, but that's up to the user (man 7 xkeyboard-config for a list of available switches).

( ѐ and ѝ ) and the symbol for euro € are missing

take a look at section 'Adding currency signs to certain keys' in man 7 xkeyboard-config maybe. For the Macedonian alphabet I have no clue.

[pythagorasmk]

dpkg-reconfigure console-setup is the way I found to make changes permanent, otherwise changes were lost upon reboot (I'm on Buster). Have you done something else to keep changes effective?

For me everything is working fine, I have edited the console-setup with emacs, saved the file, rebooted the system and everything is working fine. I am also on Debian Buster.

I use alt+altgr in the example above, but that's up to the user (man 7 xkeyboard-config for a list of available switches).

Yes it is up to the user, but left alt+left shift is useful combination in Emacs.

take a look at section 'Adding currency signs to certain keys' in man 7 xkeyboard-config maybe. For the Macedonian alphabet I have no clue.

Yes, I can add the euro sign to some key, but I have to use 3-level chooser, which cannot be pause, scroll lock or prtscr and I don't want to use ctrl or alt for that. I can live with that. It is interesting that I can get euro sign in Xserver with Compose key and after that e and =, but this combination is not working in console, and I don't know why? For macedonian symbols, I think that they are missing in fonts files for console, because the deadkey is working in console. I think that this is a long time bug, and nobody is taking care of it.
It is interesting that PtrScr is not working as a compose key in console, but it is working in Xserver. I don't know why? I think this is a bug.