The Multinational keyboard is a Low-Profile Model II keyboard adapted to international standards. The Multinational keyboard has seven additional keys that impose a slightly different overall ar-rangement, as well as some different key labels. Each national ver-sion of the Multinational keyboard has the same physical layout.
See Appendix B for information on the predefined keys of the Mul-tinational keyboard.
European characters do not appear on the standard North Ameri-can keyboards, and only a subset appears on the various models of the Multinational keyboards. You can create and display European characters in the Latin-l character set that do not appear on your keyboard, by using the Domain/OS compose function. See Appen-dix F for information about the compose function.
The system stores the definitions for its predefined keys in a key-board-specific definition file. Table 4-3 lists the names of the defi-nition file for each keyboard.
Table 4-3. Key Definition Filenames
Keyboard Key Definition File
Low-Profile Model I /sys/dm/std_keys2 Low-Profile Model II /sys/dm/std_keys3 Multinational Keyboard /sys/dm/std_keys3x
(x is a letter from a-g)
The assigned key definitions for the Multinational keyboard are stored in a keyboard-specific definition file, /sys/dm/std_keys3x, where x is a letter from a to g representing the following:
All command files listed in Table 4-3 contain a line invoking the standard Domain/OS key definition file, /sys/dm/std_keys. basic.
(In addition, the Multinational keyboard key definitions invoke the file Isys/dm/std_keys.mn). If your environment is set to either BSD or SysV, the /sys/dm/std_keys.unix file is automatically in-voked when you log in. This file overwrites some of the standard key definitions to provide necessary UNIX functions.
The UNIX key definitions file includes commands that bind various keys to certain version-specific (or shell-specific) features. Chap-ter 2 describes which keys are redefined when the keyboard is remapped to std_keys.unix. You can also define your own func-tion keys and control key sequences by assigning commands to spe-cific key names. But, before you can define keys, you must both the low-profile type keyboards.
For instance, the <CUT>/<COPY> function key (L1A) performs a different function when you use it with <SHIFT>. The name LIA detail on the Multinational keyboard.
Using the Display Manager 4-13
When defining a key as a command or sequence of commands, you use the same name that the DM uses to identify the key. Some keys, like the DM and program function keys, function differently depending on how you use them. Therefore, each of these keys has a set of additional names that identify the manner in which the key is used.
Table 4-4 describes the key naming conventions you should use when defining keys.
Table 4-4. Key Naming Conventions
Key Type Description
Ordinary Have the same name as the numbers and let-Characters ters they represent. You can assign functions to
lowercase letters and numbers, capital letters, and special characters. When specifying ordi-nary characters, enclose in single quotes (' ').
ASCII Standard line control keys named:
Control
CR Carriage Return BS Back Space
TAB Tab
TABS Shifted Tab ATAB Control Tab
ESC Escape (Low-Profile) DEL Delete (Low-Profile)
Control Ordinary character or program function keys Key used with <CTRL>. Specify a control key
name as AX (where x is an ordinary character or program function key name). For example, use Ay for CTRLlY or AF4 for CTRLlF4 or F4C.
(Continued)
4-14 Using the Display Manager
Table 4-4. Key Naming Conventions (Cont.) direc-tory /domain_examples/keydefs. This direcdirec-tory contains some sample key definitions which you may find useful.
Using the Display Manager 4-15
When you define keys with the kd command during a session on your node, the DM writes the new definitions to one of the follow-ing files:
• key_defs_8bit2 for the Low-Profile Model I keyboard
• key_defs_8bit3 for the Low-Profile Model II keyboard
• key_defs_8bit3 for the Multinational keyboard
These files reside in the user_data subdirectory of your log-in home directory (see Chapter 3); they apply only to you, not to other node users. The DM checks these files whenever you log in, and sets your personal definitions to reset any of the standard key definitions set up by /sys/dm/std_keys(n) (see Table 4-3).
Definitions made from within a program override those made by kd commands; however, they work only within the program's process window. Therefore, keys defined from a program may function dif-ferently in different windows. "Controlling Keys from Within a Pro-gram" describes how programs control key functions.
To define a key from the keyboard or from a script, specify the kd command in the following format:
kd key_name definition ke
In the kd command format, key_name specifies the unique name of the key you want to define. The previous section describes key naming conventions, and Figure 4-3 shows the location and names of keys. Remember, always enclose ordinary character and special character names in single quotes. For example, to define the Z key, specify 'Z'.
The definition argument specifies either a single DM command or a sequence of DM commands that the desired key will perform. (The Domain Display Manager Command Reference describes all of the DM commands you can use in key definitions.) When you specify a sequence of commands, either specify each command on a new line (in scripts) or separate each command with a semicolon (;).
Always follow the definition argument with the ke argument, which signals the end of the kd command.
4-16 Using the Display Manager
The command in this example defines the program function key, Fl, to move the cursor to the end of the previous line in a window:
kd Fl au;tr ke
command key_name
~~~
definitionThe definition argument in the example above specifies a command sequence composed of two commands: au, which moves the cursor up to the previous line, and tr, which moves the cursor to the end of the line. You can specify any number of commands, but you cannot exceed 256 characters in the entire kd command.
You can embed key definitions inside other key definitions, and thereby define keys that define other keys. The embedded key definition follows the same rules as any other key definition; how-ever, you must precede the semicolon (;) with an escape character (@) to separate the embedded kd command from the next com-mand. The following example shows an embedded key definition:
kd F3 kd AX es 'This is a test' ke@; pv ke
I I
I
embedded key definition
This command defines the F3 key to perform the following opera-tions when pressed:
• Define CTRLlX to print out the string, "This is a test."
(The embedded key definition specifies this function.)
• Invoke the pv (pad vertical) command to scroll the cur-rent pad one line. (Chapter 5 describes the pv command.) The DM scans embedded key definitions three times when:
1. It makes the outer key definition.
2. It executes the outer key definition and makes the inner key definition.
3. It executes the inner key definition.
Using the Display Manager 4-17
To define a key that prompts you for input, specify as part of the definition argument, the input request character (&) as follows:
&'prompt'
where prompt specifies the prompt string. The input request charac-ter and prompt cause the DM to prompt for part of the definition argument you specified in the key definition. For example,
<READ> (R3) has the following default key definition:
kd R3 cv @&'read file:' ke
When you press <READ>, the DM displays a prompt, "read file: "
in the DM input pad and moves the cursor next to it. When you respond by typing the name of a file and pressing <RETURN>, the DM replaces &read file: from the key definition with your re-sponse. Thus, the cv (create view) command opens the file you specify.
NOTE: When you define keys in scripts, you must precede the input request character (&) with the escape character (@). Make sure that you do not include tab charac-ters in DM commands.
When you enter a response to a prompt, the DM remembers the response you typed. The next time you press the key, the DM automatically displays the previous response next to the prompt.
(This is why the <READ> and <EDIT> keys remember the last files used.) You can either move the cursor to the right of the previous response and press <RETURN> to enter the response, or delete the previous response and enter a new one.