Virtual Modifiers

Both virtual buttons and virtual keys may contain virtual modifiers. Each virtual modifier corresponds to one or more actual modifiers. The following table lists the bindings of virtual modifiers to actual modifiers in OSF/Motif:

Mod1 refers to the first modifier key. OSF/Motif requires that it correspond to either Alt or Meta.

The virtual modifier MAny indicates that any modifier can be used. If MAny is not specified and the user presses an actual modifier that is not explicitly included in a translation, that modifier may prevent the translation from being matched.

Virtual Buttons

Each virtual button corresponds to one or more actual button event descriptions. Each button event description contains a button name and possibly modifiers. These button event descriptions, appropriately ordered and possibly further modified, are used in translation tables. The following table lists the bindings of virtual buttons to actual button event descriptions in OSF/Motif:

Virtual Keys

Each virtual key corresponds to one or more actual key event descriptions. Each key event description contains a keysym name and possibly modifiers. These key event descriptions, appropriately ordered and possibly further modified,

are used in translation tables. The following table lists the bindings of virtual keys to actual key event descriptions in OSF/Motif:

Bindings for osf Keysyms

Keysym strings that begin with "osf" are not part of the X server's keyboard mapping. Instead, these keysyms are produced on the client side at run time. They are interpreted by the routine XmTranslateKey, and are used by the translation manager when the server delivers an actual key event. For each application, a mapping is maintained between "osf" keysyms and keysyms that correspond to actual keys. This mapping is based on information obtained at application startup from one of the following sources, listed in order of precedence:

The xmbind.alias file contains zero or more lines of the form:

"vendor_string[ vendor_release]" bindings_file

where vendor_string is the X server vendor name as returned by the X client xdpyinfo or the Xlib function XServerVendor, and must appear in double quotes. If vendor_release is included, it is the X server vendor release number as returned by the X client xdpyinfo or the Xlib function XVendorRelease, and must also be contained within the double quotes separated by one space from vendor_string. vendor_release is provided to allow support of changes in keyboard hardware from a vendor, assuming that the vendor increments the release number to flag such changes. Alternatively, the vendor may simply use a unique vendor string for each different keyboard.

bindings_file is the pathname of the file containing the bindings themselves. It can be a relative or absolute pathname. If it it is a relative pathname, it is relative to the location of the xmbind.alias file.

Comment lines in the xmbind.alias file begin with !.

The bindings found in either the .motifbind file or the vendor mapping are placed in a property on the root window. This property is used to determine the bindings for subsequent Motif applications.

On startup mwm attempts to load the file .motifbind in the user's home directory. If this is unsuccessful, it loads the vendor bindings as described above. It places the bindings it loads in a property on the root window for use by subsequent Motif applications.

xmbind loads bindings from a file if that file is specified on the command line. If no file is specified on the command line, it attempts to load the file .motifbind in the user's home directory. If this fails, it loads the vendor bindings as described above. It places the bindings it loads in a property on the root window for use by subsequent Motif applications.

The format of the specification for mapping "osf" keysyms to actual keysyms is similar to that of a specification for an event translation. The syntax is specified here in EBNF notation using the following conventions:

[a] Means either nothing or a
{a} Means zero or more occurrences of a

Terminals are enclosed in double quotation marks.

The syntax of an "osf" keysym binding specification is as follows:

binding_spec    =   {line "\n"} [line]
 
line            =   virtual_keysym ":" key_event 
key_event       =   {modifier_name} "<Key>" actual_keysym
 
virtual_keysym  =   keysym 
actual_keysym   =   keysym 
keysym          =   A valid X11 keysym name that is 

As with event translations, more specific event descriptions must precede less specific descriptions. For example, an event description for a key with a modifier must precede a description for the same key without the same modifier.

Following is an example of a specification for the defaultVirtualBindings resource in a resource file:

*defaultVirtualBindings: \ 

  osfBackSpace :   <Key>BackSpace   \n\ 

  osfInsert    :   <Key>InsertChar     \n\ 

...  

  osfDelete    :   <Key>DeleteChar 

The format of a .motifbind file or of a file containing vendor bindings is the same, except that the binding specification for each keysym is placed on a separate line. The example specification above appears as follows in a .motifbind or vendor bindings file:

osfBackSpace   :   <Key>BackSpace 
osfInsert      :   <Key>InsertChar 
...  
osfDelete      :   <Key>DeleteChar 

The following table lists the fixed fallback default bindings for "osf" keysyms: