Keyboard Geometry
The Xkb description of a keyboard includes an optional keyboard geometry that
describes the physical appearance of the keyboard. Keyboard geometry describes
the shape, location, and color of all keyboard keys or other visible keyboard
components such as indicators. The information contained in a keyboard geometry
is sufficient to allow a client program to draw an accurate two-dimensional
image of the keyboard.
You can retrieve a keyboard geometry from an X server that supports Xkb, or you
can allocate it from scratch and initialize it in a client program. The
keyboard geometry need not have any correspondence with the physical keyboard
that is connected to the X server.
Geometry measurements are specified in mm/10 units. The origin (0,0) is in the
top left corner of the keyboard image. A component’s own origin is also its
upper left corner. In some cases a component needs to be drawn rotated. For
example, a special keyboard may have a section of keys arranged in rows in a
rectangular area, but the entire rectangle may not be in alignment with the
rest of the keyboard, and instead, it is rotated from horizontal by 30°.
Rotation for a geometry object is specified in 1/10° increments about its
origin. An example of a keyboard with rotated sections is shown in Figure 13.1.
Some geometry components include a
priority,
which indicates the order in which overlapping objects should be drawn.
Objects should be drawn in order from highest priority (0) to lowest (255).
XkbGeometryRec
The keyboard geometry’s top-level description is stored in a
XkbGeometryRec
structure. This structure contains three types of information:
Lists of items, not used to draw the basic keyboard, but indexed by the
geometry descriptions that comprise the entire keyboard geometry (colors,
geometry properties, key aliases, shapes)
A number of singleton items that describe the keyboard as a whole (keyboard
name, width and height, a color for the keyboard as a whole, and a color for
keyboard key labels)
A list of the keyboard’s sections and nonkey doodads
The top-level geometry is described in more detail in the following.
The lists of items used by components of the keyboard geometry description is
as follows:
The top-level keyboard geometry description includes a list of up to
XkbGeomMaxColors
(32)
color names.
A color name is a string whose interpretation is not specified by Xkb. The
XkbColorRec
structure provides a field for this name as well as a pixel field. The pixel
field is a convenient place for an application to store a pixel value or color
definition, if it needs to. All other geometry data structures refer to colors
using their indices in this global list.
The top-level keyboard geometry description includes a list of
geometry properties.
A geometry property associates an arbitrary string with an equally arbitrary
name. Geometry properties can be used to provide hints to programs that display
images of keyboards, but they are not interpreted by Xkb. No other geometry
structures refer to geometry properties. As an example of a possible use of
properties,
consider the pause/break key on most PC keyboards: the break
symbol is
usually on the front of the key and is often a different color. A program might
set a property to:
LBL_PAUS = "{Pause/top/black,Break/front/red}"
and use the property information to draw the key with a front label as well as
a top label.
The top-level keyboard geometry description includes a list of
key aliases
(see ). Key aliases allow the keyboard layout designer to assign
multiple key names to a single key.
Key aliases defined in the geometry component of a keyboard mapping
override those defined in the keycodes component of the server database, which
are stored in the
XkbNamesRec
(xkb->names).
Therefore, consider the key aliases defined by the geometry before
considering key aliases supplied by the keycodes.
The top-level keyboard geometry description includes a list of
shapes;
other keyboard components refer to shapes by their index in this list. A
shape consists of an arbitrary name of type Atom and one or more closed-polygon
outlines.
All points in an outline are specified relative to the origin of its
enclosing shape, that is, whichever shape that contains this outline in its
list of outlines. One outline is the primary outline. The primary outline is by
default the first outline, or it can be optionally specified by the
primary
field in the
XkbShapeRec
structure. A keyboard display application can generate a simpler but still
accurate keyboard image by displaying only the primary outlines for each shape.
Nonrectangular keys must include a rectangular
approximation
as one of the outlines associated with the shape. The approximation is not
normally displayed but can be used by very simple keyboard display applications
to generate a recognizable but degraded image of the keyboard.
The
XkbGeometryRec
top-level geometry description contains the following information that
pertains to the keyboard as a whole:
A
keyboard symbolic name
of type Atom to help users identify the keyboard.
The
width
and
height
of the keyboard, in mm/10. For nonrectangular keyboards, the width and height
describe the smallest bounding box that encloses the outline of the keyboard.
The
base color
of the keyboard is the predominant color on the keyboard and is used as the
default color for any components whose color is not explicitly specified.
The
label color
is the color used to draw the labels on most of the keyboard keys.
The
label font
is a string that describes the font used to draw labels on most keys; label
fonts are arbitrary strings, because Xkb does not specify the format or name
space for font names.
The keyboard is subdivided into named
sections
of related keys and doodads. The sections and doodads on the keyboard are
listed in the
XkbGeometryRec
top-level keyboard geometry description. A section is composed of keys that
are physically together and logically related. Figure 13.2 shows a keyboard
that is divided into four sections. A
doodad
describes some visible aspect of the keyboard that is not a key and is not a
section.
Shapes and Outlines
A
shape,
used to draw keyboard components and stored in a
XkbShapeRec
structure, has:
An arbitrary name of type Atom.
Bounds (two x and y coordinates) that describe the corners of a rectangle
containing the shape’s top surface outline.
A list of one or more outlines (described below).
Optional pointers to a primary and an approximation outline (described below).
If either of these pointers is
NULL,
the default primary/approximation outline is the first one in the list of
outlines for the shape.
An
outline,
stored in a
XkbOutlineRec
structure, is a list of one or more points that describes a single
closed-polygon, as follows:
A list with a single point describes a rectangle with one corner at the origin
of the shape (0,0) and the opposite corner at the specified point.
A list of two points describes a rectangle with one corner at the position
specified by the first point and the opposite corner at the position specified
by the second point.
A list of three or more points describes an arbitrary polygon. If necessary,
the polygon is automatically closed by connecting the last point in the list
with the first.
A nonzero value for the
corner_radius
field specifies that the corners of the polygon should be drawn as circles
with the specified radius.
All points in an outline are specified relative to the origin of the enclosing
shape. Points in an outline may have negative values for the X and Y coordinate.
One outline is the primary outline; a keyboard display application can generate
a simple but still accurate keyboard image by displaying only the primary
outlines for each shape. The default primary outline is the first in a
shape’s list of outlines. If the
primary
field of the
XkbShapeRec
structure is not
NULL,
it points to the primary outline. A rectangular
approximation
must be included for nonrectangular keys as one of the outlines associated
with the shape; the approximation is not normally displayed but can be used by
very simple keyboard display applications to generate a recognizable but
degraded image of the keyboard.
Sections
As previously noted, a keyboard is subdivided into
sections
of related keys. Each section has its own coordinate system — if a section
is rotated, the coordinates of any components within the section are
interpreted relative to the edges that were on the top and left before
rotation. The components that make up a section, stored in a
XkbSectionRec,
include:
An arbitrary name of type Atom.
A priority, to indicate drawing order. 0 is the highest priority, 255 the
lowest.
Origin of the section, relative to the origin of the keyboard.
The width and height and the angle of rotation.
A list of
rows.
A row is a list of horizontally or vertically adjacent keys. Horizontal rows
parallel the (prerotation) top of the section, and vertical rows parallel the
(prerotation) left of the section. All keys in a horizontal row share a common
top coordinate; all keys in a vertical row share a left coordinate. Figure 13.3
shows the alpha section from the keyboard shown in Figure 13.2, divided into
rows. Rows and keys are defined below.
An optional list of
doodads;
any type of doodad can be enclosed within a section. Position and angle of
rotation are relative to the origin and angle of rotation of the sections that
contain them. Priority for doodads in a section is relative to the other
components of the section, not to the keyboard as a whole.
An optional
overlay
with a name of type Atom and a list of overlay rows (described below).
Bounds (two x and y coordinates) that describe the corners of a rectangle
containing the entire section.
Rows and Keys
A row description
(XkbRowRec)
consists of the coordinates of its origin relative to its enclosing section,
a flag indicating whether the row is horizontal or vertical, and a list of keys
in the row.
A key description
(XkbKeyRec)
consists of a key name, a shape, a key color, and a gap. The key name should
correspond to one of the keys named in the keyboard names description, the
shape specifies the appearance of the key, and the key color specifies the
color of the key (not the label on the key; the label color is stored in the
XkbGeometryRec).
Keys are normally drawn immediately adjacent to one another from left to
right (or top to bottom) within a row. The gap field specifies the distance
between a key and its predecessor.
Doodads
Doodads can be global to the keyboard or part of a section. Doodads have
symbolic names of arbitrary length. The only doodad name whose interpretation
is specified by Xkb is Edges, which, if present, describes the
outline of the entire keyboard.
Each doodad’s origin is stored in fields named
left
and
top,
which are the coordinates of the doodad’s origin relative to its enclosing
object, whether it be a section or the top-level keyboard. The priority for
doodads that are listed in the top-level geometry is relative to the other
doodads listed in the top-level geometry and the sections listed in the
top-level geometry. The priority for doodads listed in a section are relative
to the other components of the section. Each doodad is stored in a structure
with a
type
field, which specifies the type of doodad.
Xkb supports five types of doodads:
An
indicator doodad
describes one of the physical keyboard indicators. Indicator doodads specify
the shape of the indicator, the indicator color when it is lit
(on_color)
and the indicator color when it is dark
(off_color).
An
outline doodad
describes some aspect of the keyboard to be drawn as one or more hollow,
closed polygons. Outline doodads specify the shape, color, and angle of
rotation about the doodad origin at which they should be drawn.
A
solid doodad
describes some aspect of the keyboard to be drawn as one or more filled
polygons. Solid doodads specify the shape, color, and angle of rotation about
the doodad origin at which they should be drawn.
A
text doodad
describes a text label somewhere on the keyboard. Text doodads specify the
label string, the font and color to use when drawing the label, and the angle
of rotation of the doodad about its origin.
A
logo doodad
is a catch-all, which describes some other visible element of the keyboard. A
logo doodad is essentially an outline doodad with an additional symbolic name
that describes the element to be drawn. If a keyboard display program
recognizes the symbolic name, it can draw something appropriate within the
bounding region of the shape specified in the doodad. If the symbolic name does
not describe a recognizable image, it should draw an outline using the
specified shape, outline, and angle of rotation. The Xkb extension does not
specify the interpretation of logo names.
The structures these doodads are stored in and the values of the
type
fields are shown in Table 13.1.
Overlay Rows and Overlay Keys
An
overlay row
(XkbOverlayRowRec)
contains a pointer to the row it overlays and a list of
overlay keys.
Each overlay key definition
(XkbOverlayKeyRec)
indicates a key that can yield multiple keycodes and consists of a field
named
under,
which specifies the primary name of the key and a field named
over,
which specifies the name for the key when the overlay keycode is selected.
The key specified in
under
must be a member of the section that contains the overlay key definition,
while the key specified in over must not be.
Drawing a Keyboard Representation
To draw a representation of the keyboard, draw in the following order:
Draw the top-level keyboard as a rectangle, using its width and height.
For each component (section or doodad) of the top-level geometry, in priority order:
If component is a section
For each row, in the order it appears in the section
Draw keys in the order they appear in the row
Draw doodads within the section in priority order.
Else draw doodad
Geometry Data Structures
In the following figures, a solid arrow denotes a pointer to an array of
structures or a singleton structure. A dotted arrow denotes an index or a
pointer into the array.
typedef struct _XkbGeometry { /* top-level keyboard geometry structure */
Atom name; /* keyboard name */
unsigned short width_mm; /* keyboard width in mm/10 */
unsigned short height_mm; /* keyboard height in mm/10 */
char * label_font; /* font for key labels */
XkbColorPtr label_color; /* color for key labels
- pointer into colors array */
XkbColorPtr base_color; /* color for basic keyboard
- pointer into colors array */
unsigned short sz_properties; /* size of properties array */
unsigned short sz_colors; /* size of colors array */
unsigned short sz_shapes; /* size of shapes array */
unsigned short sz_sections; /* size of sections array */
unsigned short sz_doodads; /* size of doodads array */
unsigned short sz_key_aliases; /* size of key aliases array */
unsigned short num_properties; /* number of properties in the
properties array */
unsigned short num_colors; /* number of colors in the
colors array */
unsigned short num_shapes; /* number of shapes in the
shapes array */
unsigned short num_sections; /* number of sections in the
sections array */
unsigned short num_doodads; /* number of doodads in the
doodads array */
unsigned short num_key_aliases; /* number of key aliases in the
key_aliases array */
XkbPropertyPtr properties; /* properties array */
XkbColorPtr colors; /* colors array */
XkbShapePtr shapes; /* shapes array */
XkbSectionPtr sections; /* sections array */
XkbDoodadPtr doodads; /* doodads array */
XkbKeyAliasPtr key_aliases; /* key aliases array */
} XkbGeometryRec, *XkbGeometryPtr;
The
doodads
array is only for doodads not contained in any of the
sections
that has its own
doodads.
The key aliases contained in the
key_aliases
array take precedence over any defined in the keycodes component of the
keyboard description.
typedef struct _XkbProperty {
char * name; /* property name */
char * value; /* property value */
} XkbPropertyRec, *XkbPropertyPtr;
typedef struct _XkbColor {
unsigned int pixel; /* color */
char * spec; /* color name */
} XkbColorRec, *XkbColorPtr;
typedef struct _XkbKeyAliasRec {
char real[XkbKeyNameLength]; /* real name of the key */
char alias[XkbKeyNameLength]; /* alias for the key */
} XkbKeyAliasRec, *XkbKeyAliasPtr;
typedef struct _XkbPoint { /* x, y coordinates */
short x;
short y;
} XkbPointRec, *XkbPointPtr;
typedef struct _XkbOutline {
unsigned short num_points; /* number of points in the outline */
unsigned short sz_points; /* size of the points array */
unsigned short corner_radius; /* draw corners as circles
with this radius */
XkbPointPtr points; /* array of points defining
the outline */
} XkbOutlineRec, *XkbOutlinePtr;
typedef struct _XkbBounds {
short x1, y1; /* upper left corner of the bounds, in mm/10 */
short x2, y2; /* lower right corner of the bounds, in mm/10 */
} XkbBoundsRec, *XkbBoundsPtr;
typedef struct _XkbShape {
Atom name; /* shape’s name */
unsigned short num_outlines; /* number of outlines for the shape */
unsigned short sz_outlines; /* size of the outlines array */
XkbOutlinePtr outlines; /* array of outlines for the shape */
XkbOutlinePtr approx; /* pointer into the array to the
approximating outline */
XkbOutlinePtr primary; /* pointer into the array to the
primary outline */
XkbBoundsRec bounds; /* bounding box for the shape;
encompasses all outlines */
} XkbShapeRec, *XkbShapePtr;
If
approx
and/or
primary
is
NULL,
the default value is used. The default primary outline is the first element
in the outlines array, as is the default approximating outline.
typedef struct _XkbKey { /* key in a row */
XkbKeyNameRec name; /* key name */
short gap; /* gap in mm/10 from previous key in row */
unsigned char shape_ndx; /* index of shape for key */
unsigned char color_ndx; /* index of color for key body */
} XkbKeyRec, *XkbKeyPtr;
typedef struct _XkbRow { /* row in a section */
short top; /* top coordinate of row origin,
relative to section’s origin */
short left; /* left coordinate of row origin,
relative to section’s origin */
unsigned short num_keys; /* number of keys in the keys array */
unsigned short sz_keys; /* size of the keys array */
int vertical; /* True ⇒vertical row,
False ⇒horizontal row */
XkbKeyPtr keys; /* array of keys in the row */
XkbBoundsRec bounds; /* bounding box for the row */
} XkbRowRec, *XkbRowPtr;
top
and
left
are in
mm/10.
typedef struct _XkbOverlayRec {
Atom name; /* overlay name */
XkbSectionPtr section_under; /* the section under this overlay */
unsigned short num_rows; /* number of rows in the rows array */
unsigned short sz_rows; /* size of the rows array */
XkbOverlayRowPtr rows; /* array of rows in the overlay */
XkbBoundsPtr bounds; /* bounding box for the overlay */
} XkbOverlayRec, *XkbOverlayPtr;
typedef struct _XkbOverlayRow {
unsigned short row_under; /* index into the row under this
overlay row */
unsigned short num_keys; /* number of keys in the keys array */
unsigned short sz_keys; /* size of the keys array */
XkbOverlayKeyPtr keys; /* array of keys in the overlay row */
} XkbOverlayRowRec, *XkbOverlayRowPtr;
row_under
is an index into the array of
rows
in the section under this overlay. The section under this overlay row is the
one pointed to by
section_under
in this overlay row’s
XkbOverlayRec.
typedef struct _XkbOverlayKey {
XkbKeyNameRec over; /* name of this overlay key */
XkbKeyNameRec under; /* name of the key under this overlay key */
} XkbOverlayKeyRec, *XkbOverlayKeyPtr;
typedef struct _XkbSection {
Atom name; /* section name */
unsigned char priority; /* drawing priority, 0⇒highest, 255⇒lowest */
short top; /* top coordinate of section origin */
short left; /* left coordinate of row origin */
unsigned short width; /* section width, in mm/10 */
unsigned short height; /* section height, in mm/10 */
short angle; /* angle of section rotation,
counterclockwise */
unsigned short num_rows; /* number of rows in the rows array */
unsigned short num_doodads; /* number of doodads in the doodads array */
unsigned short num_overlays; /* number of overlays in the overlays array */
unsigned short sz_rows; /* size of the rows array */
unsigned short sz_doodads; /* size of the doodads array */
unsigned short sz_overlays; /* size of the overlays array */
XkbRowPtr rows; /* section rows array */
XkbDoodadPtr doodads; /* section doodads array */
XkbBoundsRec bounds; /* bounding box for the section,
before rotation */
XkbOverlayPtr overlays; /* section overlays array */
} XkbSectionRec, *XkbSectionPtr;
top
and
left
are the origin of the section, relative to the origin of the keyboard, in
mm/10.
angle
is in
1/10
degrees.
DoodadRec Structures
The doodad arrays in the
XkbGeometryRec
and the
XkbSectionRec
may contain any of the doodad structures and types shown in
Table 13.1.
The doodad structures form a union:
typedef union _XkbDoodad {
XkbAnyDoodadRec any;
XkbShapeDoodadRec shape;
XkbTextDoodadRec text;
XkbIndicatorDoodadRec indicator;
XkbLogoDoodadRec logo;
} XkbDoodadRec, *XkbDoodadPtr;
The
top
and
left
coordinates of each doodad are the coordinates of the origin of the doodad
relative to the keyboard’s origin if the doodad is in the
XkbGeometryRec
doodad array, and with respect to the section’s origin if the doodad is in a
XkbSectionRec
doodad array. The
color_ndx
or
on_color_ndx
and
off_color_ndx
fields are color indices into the
XkbGeometryRec’s
color array and are the colors to draw the doodads with. Similarly, the
shape_ndx
fields are indices into the
XkbGeometryRec’s
shape array.
typedef struct _XkbShapeDoodad {
Atom name; /* doodad name */
unsigned char type; /* XkbOutlineDoodad
or XkbSolidDoodad */
unsigned char priority; /* drawing priority,
0⇒highest, 255⇒lowest */
short top; /* top coordinate, in mm/10 */
short left; /* left coordinate, in mm/10 */
short angle; /* angle of rotation, clockwise,
in 1/10 degrees */
unsigned short color_ndx; /* doodad color */
unsigned short shape_ndx; /* doodad shape */
} XkbShapeDoodadRec, *XkbShapeDoodadPtr;
typedef struct _XkbTextDoodad {
Atom name; /* doodad name */
unsigned char type; /* XkbTextDoodad */
unsigned char priority; /* drawing priority,
0⇒highest, 255⇒lowest */
short top; /* top coordinate, in mm/10 */
short left; /* left coordinate, in mm/10 */
short angle; /* angle of rotation, clockwise,
in 1/10 degrees */
short width; /* width in mm/10 */
short height; /* height in mm/10 */
unsigned short color_ndx; /* doodad color */
char * text; /* doodad text */
char * font; /* arbitrary font name for doodad text */
} XkbTextDoodadRec, *XkbTextDoodadPtr;
typedef struct _XkbIndicatorDoodad {
Atom name; /* doodad name */
unsigned char type; /* XkbIndicatorDoodad */
unsigned char priority; /* drawing priority, 0⇒highest, 255⇒lowest */
short top; /* top coordinate, in mm/10 */
short left; /* left coordinate, in mm/10 */
short angle; /* angle of rotation, clockwise,
in 1/10 degrees */
unsigned short shape_ndx; /* doodad shape */
unsigned short on_color_ndx; /* color for doodad if indicator is on */
unsigned short off_color_ndx;/* color for doodad if indicator is off */
} XkbIndicatorDoodadRec, *XkbIndicatorDoodadPtr;
typedef struct _XkbLogoDoodad {
Atom name; /* doodad name */
unsigned char type; /* XkbLogoDoodad */
unsigned char priority; /* drawing priority, 0⇒highest, 255⇒lowest */
short top; /* top coordinate, in mm/10 */
short left; /* left coordinate, in mm/10 */
short angle; /* angle of rotation, clockwise,
in 1/10 degrees */
unsigned short color_ndx; /* doodad color */
unsigned short shape_ndx; /* doodad shape */
char * logo_name; /* text for logo */
} XkbLogoDoodadRec, *XkbLogoDoodadPtr
Getting Keyboard Geometry From the Server
You can load a keyboard geometry as part of the keyboard description returned
by
XkbGetKeyboard.
However, if a keyboard description has been previously loaded, you can
instead obtain the geometry by calling the
XkbGetGeometry.
In this case, the geometry returned is the one associated with the keyboard
whose device ID is contained in the keyboard description.
To load a keyboard geometry if you already have the keyboard description, use
XkbGetGeometry.
XkbGetGeometryStatus XkbGetGeometryDisplay *dpyXkbDescPtr xkbdpy
connection to the X server
xkb
keyboard description that contains the ID for the keyboard and into
which the geometry should be loaded
XkbGetGeometry
can return
BadValue,
BadImplementation,
BadName,
BadAlloc,
or
BadLength
errors or
Success
if it succeeds.
It is also possible to load a keyboard geometry by name. The X server maintains
a database of keyboard components (see ). To load a keyboard geometry
description from this database by name, use
XkbGetNamedGeometry.
XkbGetNamedGeometryStatus XkbGetNamedGeometryDisplay *dpyXkbDescPtr xkbAtom namedpy
connection to the X server
xkb
keyboard description into which the geometry should be loaded
name
name of the geometry to be loaded
XkbGetNamedGeometry
can return
BadName
if the
name
cannot be found.
Using Keyboard Geometry
Xkb provides a number of convenience functions to help use a keyboard geometry.
These include functions to return the bounding box of a shape’s top surface
and to update the bounding box of a shape row or section.
A shape is made up of a number of outlines. Each outline is a polygon made up
of a number of points. The bounding box of a shape is a rectangle that contains
all the outlines of that shape.
To determine the bounding box of the top surface of a shape, use
XkbComputeShapeTop.
XkbComputeShapeTopBool XkbComputeShapeTopXkbShapePtr shapeXkbBoundsPtr bounds_rtrnshape
shape to be examined
bounds_rtrn
backfilled with the bounding box for the shape
XkbComputeShapeTop
returns a
BoundsRec
that contains two x and y coordinates. These coordinates describe the corners
of a rectangle that contains the outline that describes the top surface of the
shape. The top surface is defined to be the approximating outline if the
approx
field of
shape
is not
NULL.
If
approx
is
NULL,
the top surface is defined as the last outline in the
shape’s
array of outlines.
XkbComputeShapeTop
returns
False
if
shape
is
NULL
or if there are no outlines for the shape; otherwise, it returns
True.
A
ShapeRec
contains a
BoundsRec
that describes the bounds of the shape. If you add or delete an outline to or
from a shape, the bounding box must be updated. To update the bounding box of a
shape, use XkbComputeShapeBounds.
XkbComputeShapeBoundsBool XkbComputeShapeBoundsXkbShapePtr shapeshape
shape to be examined
XkbComputeShapeBounds
updates the
BoundsRec
contained in the
shape
by examining all the outlines of the shape and setting the
BoundsRec
to the minimum x and minimum y, and maximum x and maximum y values found in
those outlines.
XkbComputeShapeBounds
returns
False
if
shape
is
NULL
or if there are no outlines for the shape; otherwise, it returns
True.
If you add or delete a key to or from a row, or if you update the shape of one
of the keys in that row, you may need to update the bounding box of that row.
To update the bounding box of a row, use XkbComputeRowBounds.
XkbComputeRowBoundsBool XkbComputeRowBoundsXkbGeometryPtr geomXkbSectionPtr sectionXkbRowPtr rowgeom
geometry that contains the sectionsection
section that contains the row
row
row to be examined and updated
XkbComputeRowBounds
checks the bounds of all keys in the
row
and updates the bounding box of the row if necessary.
XkbComputeRowBounds
returns
False
if any of the arguments is
NULL;
otherwise, it returns
True.
If you add or delete a row to or from a section, or if you change the geometry
of any of the rows in that section, you may need to update the bounding box for
that section. To update the bounding box of a section, use
XkbComputeSectionBounds.
XkbComputeSectionBoundsBool XkbComputeSectionBoundsXkbGeometryPtr geomXkbSectionPtr sectiongeom
geometry that contains the sectionsection
section to be examined and updated
XkbComputeSectionBounds
examines all the rows of the
section
and updates the bounding box of that section so that it contains all rows.
XkbComputeSectionBounds
returns
False
if any of the arguments is
NULL;
otherwise, it returns
True.
Keys that can generate multiple keycodes may be associated with multiple names.
Such keys have a primary name and an alternate name. To find the alternate name
by using the primary name for a key that is part of an overlay, use
XkbFindOverlayForKey.
XkbFindOverlayForKeychar *XkbFindOverlayForKeyXkbGeometryPtr geomXkbSectionPtr sectionchar *undergeom
geometry that contains the sectionsection
section to be searched for matching keys
under
.primary name of the key to be considered
XkbFindOverlayForKey
uses the primary name of the key,
under,
to look up the alternate name, which it returns.
Adding Elements to a Keyboard Geometry
Xkb provides functions to add a single new element to the top-level keyboard
geometry. In each case the
num_*
fields of the corresponding structure is incremented by 1. These functions do
not change
sz_*
unless there is no more room in the array. Some of these functions fill in the
values of the element’s structure from the arguments. For other functions,
you must explicitly write code to fill the structure’s elements.
The top-level geometry description includes a list of
geometry properties.
A geometry property associates an arbitrary string with an equally arbitrary
name. Programs that display images of keyboards can use geometry properties as
hints, but they are not interpreted by Xkb. No other geometry structures refer
to geometry properties.
To add one property to an existing keyboard geometry description, use
XkbAddGeomProperty.
XkbAddGeomPropertyXkbPropertyPtr XkbAddGeomPropertyXkbGeometryPtr geomchar *namechar *valuegeom
geometry to be updated
name
name of the new property
value
value for the new property
XkbAddGeomProperty
adds one property with the specified
name
and
value
to the keyboard geometry specified by geom.
XkbAddGeomProperty
returns
NULL
if any of the parameters is empty or if it was not able to allocate space for
the property. To allocate space for an arbitrary number of properties, use the
XkbAllocGeomProps function.
To add one key alias to an existing keyboard geometry description, use
XkbAddGeomKeyAlias.
XkbAddGeomKeyAliasXkbKeyAliasPtr XkbAddGeomKeyAliasXkbGeometryPtr geomchar *aliaschar *realgeom
geometry to be updated
alias
alias to be added
real
real name to be bound to the new alias
XkbAddGeomKeyAlias
adds one key alias with the value alias to the geometry geom, and associates
it with the key whose real name is real.
XkbAddGeomKeyAlias
returns
NULL
if any of the parameters is empty or if it was not able to allocate space for
the alias. To allocate space for an arbitrary number of aliases, use the
XkbAllocGeomKeyAliases function.
To add one color name to an existing keyboard geometry description, use
XkbAddGeomColor.
XkbAddGeomColorXkbColorPtr XkbAddGeomColorXkbGeometryPtr geomchar *specunsigned int pixelgeom
geometry to be updated
spec
color to be added
pixel
color to be added
XkbAddGeomColor
adds the specified color
name
and
pixel
to the specified geometry
geom.
The top-level geometry description includes a list of up to
MaxColors
(32)
color names.
A color
name
is a string whose interpretation is not specified by Xkb and neither is the
pixel
value’s interpretation. All other geometry data structures refer to colors
using their indices in this global list or pointers to colors in this list.
XkbAddGeomColor
returns
NULL
if any of the parameters is empty or if it was not able to allocate space for
the color. To allocate space for an arbitrary number of colors to a geometry,
use the
XkbAllocGeomColors
function.
To add one outline to an existing shape, use
XkbAddGeomOutline.
XkbAddGeomOutlineXkbOutlinePtr XkbAddGeomOutlineXkbShapePtr shapeint sz_pointsshape
shape to be updated
sz_points
number of points to be reserved
An outline consists of an arbitrary number of points.
XkbAddGeomOutline
adds an outline to the specified
shape
by reserving
sz_points
points for it. The new outline is allocated and zeroed.
XkbAddGeomOutline
returns
NULL
if any of the parameters is empty or if it was not able to allocate space. To
allocate space for an arbitrary number of outlines to a shape, use
XkbAllocGeomOutlines.
To add a shape to a keyboard geometry, use
XkbAddGeomShape.
XkbAddGeomShapeXkbShapePtr XkbAddGeomShapeXkbGeometryPtr geomAtom nameint sz_outlinesgeom
geometry to be updated
name
name of the new shape
sz_outlines
number of outlines to be reserved
A geometry contains an arbitrary number of shapes, each of which is made up of
an arbitrary number of outlines.
XkbAddGeomShape
adds a shape to a geometry
geom
by allocating space for
sz_outlines
outlines for it and giving it the name specified by name. If a shape with name
name
already exists in the geometry, a pointer to the existing shape is returned.
XkbAddGeomShape
returns
NULL
if any of the parameters is empty or if it was not able to allocate space. To
allocate space for an arbitrary number of geometry shapes, use
XkbAllocGeomShapes.
To add one key at the end of an existing row of keys, use
XkbAddGeomKey.
XkbAddGeomKeyXkbKeyPtr XkbAddGeomKeyXkbRowPtr rowrow
row to be updated
Keys are grouped into rows.
XkbAddGeomKey
adds one key to the end of the specified
row.
The key is allocated and zeroed.
XkbAddGeomKey
returns
NULL
if
row
is empty or if it was not able to allocate space for the key. To allocate
space for an arbitrary number of keys to a row, use XkbAllocGeomKeys.
To add one section to an existing keyboard geometry, use
XkbAddGeomSection.
XkbAddGeomSectionXkbSectionPtr XkbAddGeomSectionXkbGeometryPtr geomAtom nameint sz_rowsint sz_doodadsint sz_overlaysgeom
geometry to be updated
name
name of the new section
sz_rows
number of rows to reserve in the section
sz_doodads
number of doodads to reserve in the section
sz_overlays
number of overlays to reserve in the section
A keyboard geometry contains an arbitrary number of sections.
XkbAddGeomSection
adds one section to an existing keyboard geometry
geom.
The new section contains space for the number of rows, doodads, and overlays
specified by
sz_rows,
sz_doodads,
and
sz_overlays.
The new section is allocated and zeroed and given the name specified by
name.
If a section with name
name
already exists in the geometry, a pointer to the existing section is
returned.
XkbAddGeomSection
returns
NULL
if any of the parameters is empty or if it was not able to allocate space for
the section. To allocate space for an arbitrary number of sections to a
geometry, use XkbAllocGeomSections.
To add a row to a section, use
XkbAddGeomRow.
XkbAddGeomRowXkbRowPtr XkbAddGeomRowXkbSectionPtr sectionint sz_keyssection
section to be updated
sz_keys
number of keys to be reserved
One of the components of a keyboard geometry section is one or more rows of
keys.
XkbAddGeomRow
adds one row to the specified
section.
The newly created row contains space for the number of keys specified in
sz_keys.
They are allocated and zeroed, but otherwise uninitialized.
XkbAddGeomRow
returns
NULL
if any of the parameters is empty or if it was not able to allocate space for
the row. To allocate space for an arbitrary number of rows to a section, use
the XkbAllocGeomRows function.
To add one doodad to a section of a keyboard geometry or to the top-level
geometry, use
XkbAddGeomDoodad.
XkbAddGeomDoodadXkbDoodadPtr XkbAddGeomDoodadXkbGeometryPtr geomXkbSectionPtr sectionAtom namegeom
geometry to which the doodad is added
section
section, if any, to which the doodad is added
name
name of the new doodad
A
doodad
describes some visible aspect of the keyboard that is not a key and is not a
section.
XkbAddGeomDoodad
adds a doodad with name specified by name to the geometry
geom
if section is
NULL
or to the section of the geometry specified by section if
section
is not
NULL.
XkbAddGeomDoodad
returns
NULL
if any of the parameters is empty or if it was not able to allocate space for
the doodad. If there is already a doodad with the name
name
in the doodad array for the geometry (if
section
is
NULL)
or the section (if
section
is non-
NULL),
a pointer to that doodad is returned. To allocate space for an arbitrary
number of doodads to a section, use the XkbAllocGeomSectionDoodads function. To
allocate space for an arbitrary number of doodads to a keyboard geometry, use
the XkbAllocGeomDoodads function.
To add one overlay to a section, use
XkbAddGeomOverlay.
XkbAddGeomOverlayXkbOverlayPtr XkbAddGeomOverlayXkbSectionPtr sectionAtom nameint sz_rowssection
section to which an overlay will be added
name
name of the overlay
sz_rows
number of rows to reserve in the overlay
XkbAddGeomOverlay
adds an overlay with the specified name to the specified
section.
The new overlay is created with space allocated for sz_rows rows. If an
overlay with name
name
already exists in the section, a pointer to the existing overlay is
returned.
XkbAddGeomOverlay
returns
NULL
if any of the parameters is empty or if it was not able to allocate space for
the overlay. To allocate space for an arbitrary number of overlays to a
section, use the XkbAllocGeomOverlay function.
To add a row to an existing overlay, use
XkbAddGeomOverlayRow.
XkbAddGeomOverlayRowXkbOverlayRowPtr XkbAddGeomOverlayRowXkbOverlayPtr overlayXkbRowPtr row_underint sz_keysoverlay
overlay to be updated
row_under
row to be overlayed in the section overlay
overlays
sz_keys
number of keys to reserve in the row
XkbAddGeomOverlayRow
adds one row to the
overlay.
The new row contains space for
sz_keys
keys. If
row_under
specifies a row that doesn’t exist on the underlying section,
XkbAddGeomOverlayRow
returns
NULL
and doesn’t change the overlay.
XkbAddGeomOverlayRow
returns
NULL
if any of the parameters is empty or if it was not able to allocate space for
the overlay.
To add a key to an existing overlay row, use
XkbAddGeomOverlayKey.
XkbAddGeomOverlayKeyXkbOverlayKeyPtr XkbAddGeomOverlayKeyXkbOverlayPtr overlayXkbRowPtr rowchar *underoverlay
overlay to be updated
row
row in overlay to be updated
under
primary name of the key to be considered
XkbAddGeomOverlayKey
adds one key to the
row
in the
overlay.
If there is no key named
under
in the row of the underlying section,
XkbAddGeomOverlayKey
returns
NULL.
Allocating and Freeing Geometry Components
Xkb provides a number of functions to allocate and free subcomponents of a
keyboard geometry. Use these functions to create or modify keyboard geometries.
Note that these functions merely allocate space for the new element(s), and it
is up to you to fill in the values explicitly in your code. These allocation
functions increase
sz_*
but never touch
num_*
(unless there is an allocation failure, in which case they reset both
sz_*
and
num_*
to zero). These functions return
Success
if they succeed,
BadAlloc
if they are not able to allocate space, or
BadValue
if a parameter is not as expected.
To allocate space for an arbitrary number of outlines to a shape, use
XkbAllocGeomOutlines.
XkbAllocGeomOutlinesStatus XkbAllocGeomOutlinesXkbShapePtr shapeint num_neededshape
shape for which outlines should be allocated
num_needed
number of new outlines required
XkbAllocGeomOutlines
allocates space for
num_needed
outlines in the specified
shape.
The outlines are not initialized.
To free geometry outlines, use
XkbFreeGeomOutlines.
XkbFreeGeomOutlinesvoid XkbFreeGeomOutlinesXkbShapePtr shapeint firstint countBool free_allshape
shape in which outlines should be freed
first
first outline to be freed
count
number of outlines to be freed
free_allTrue ⇒ all outlines are freed
If free_all is
True,
all outlines are freed regardless of the value of first or count. Otherwise,
count outlines are freed beginning with the one specified by first.
To allocate space for an arbitrary number of keys to a row, use
XkbAllocGeomKeys.
XkbAllocGeomKeysStatus XkbAllocGeomKeysXkbRowPtr rowint num_neededrow
row to which keys should be allocated
num_needed
number of new keys required
XkbAllocGeomKeys
allocates num_needed keys and adds them to the row. No initialization of the
keys is done.
To free geometry keys, use
XkbFreeGeomKeys.
XkbFreeGeomKeysvoid XkbFreeGeomKeysXkbRowPtr rowint firstint countBool free_allrow
row in which keys should be freed
first
first key to be freed
count
number of keys to be freed
free_allTrue ⇒ all keys are freed
If free_all is
True,
all keys are freed regardless of the value of first or count. Otherwise,
count keys are freed beginning with the one specified by first.
To allocate geometry properties, use
XkbAllocGeomProps.
XkbAllocGeomPropsStatus XkbAllocGeomPropsXkbGeometryPtr geomint num_neededgeom
geometry for which properties should be allocated
num_needed
number of new properties required
XkbAllocGeomProps
allocates space for num_needed properties and adds them to the specified
geometry
geom.
No initialization of the properties is done. A geometry property associates
an arbitrary string with an equally arbitrary name. Geometry properties can be
used to provide hints to programs that display images of keyboards, but they
are not interpreted by Xkb. No other geometry structures refer to geometry
properties.
To free geometry properties, use
XkbFreeGeomProperties.
XkbFreeGeomPropertiesvoid XkbFreeGeomPropertiesXkbGeometryPtr geomint firstint countBool free_allgeom
geometry in which properties should be freed
first
first property to be freed
count
number of properties to be freed
free_allTrue ⇒ all properties are freed
If free_all is
True,
all properties are freed regardless of the value of first or count.
Otherwise, count properties are freed beginning with the one specified by first.
To allocate geometry key aliases, use
XkbAllocGeomKeyAliases.
XkbAllocGeomKeyAliasesStatus XkbAllocGeomKeyAliasesXkbGeometryPtr geomint num_neededgeom
geometry for which key aliases should be allocated
num_needed
number of new key aliases required
XkbAllocGeomKeyAliases
allocates space for num_needed key aliases and adds them to the specified
geometry
geom.
A key alias is a pair of strings that associates an alternate name for a key
with the real name for that key.
To free geometry key aliases, use
XkbFreeGeomKeyAliases.
XkbFreeGeomKeyAliasesvoid XkbFreeGeomKeyAliasesXkbGeometryPtr geomint firstint countBool free_allgeom
geometry in which key aliases should be freed
first
first key alias to be freed
count
number of key aliases to be freed
free_allTrue ⇒ all key aliases are freed
If free_all is
True,
all aliases in the top level of the specified geometry
geom
are freed regardless of the value of first or count. Otherwise, count aliases
in
geom
are freed beginning with the one specified by first.
To allocate geometry colors, use
XkbAllocGeomColors.
XkbAllocGeomColorsStatus XkbAllocGeomColorsXkbGeometryPtr geomint num_neededgeom
geometry for which colors should be allocated
num_needed
number of new colors required.
XkbAllocGeomColors
allocates space for num_needed colors and adds them to the specified geometry
geom.
A color name is a string whose interpretation is not specified by Xkb. All
other geometry data structures refer to colors using their indices in this
global list or pointers to colors in this list.
To free geometry colors, use
XkbFreeGeomColors.
XkbFreeGeomColorsvoid XkbFreeGeomColorsXkbGeometryPtr geomint firstint countBool free_allgeom
geometry in which colors should be freed
first
first color to be freed
count
number of colors to be freed
free_allTrue ⇒ all colors are freed
If free_all is
True,
all colors are freed regardless of the value of first or count. Otherwise,
count colors are freed beginning with the one specified by first.
To allocate points in an outline, use
XkbAllocGeomPoints.
XkbAllocGeomPointsStatus XkbAllocGeomPointsXkbOutlinePtr outlineint num_neededoutline
outline for which points should be allocated
num_needed
number of new points required
XkbAllocGeomPoints
allocates space for
num_needed
points in the specified
outline.
The points are not initialized.
To free points in a outline, use
XkbFreeGeomPoints.
XkbFreeGeomPointsvoid XkbFreeGeomPointsXkbOutlinePtr outlineint firstint countBool free_alloutline
outline in which points should be freed
first
first point to be freed.
count
number of points to be freed
free_allTrue ⇒ all points are freed
If free_all is
True,
all points are freed regardless of the value of first and count. Otherwise,
the number of points specified by count are freed, beginning with the point
specified by first in the specified outline.
To allocate space for an arbitrary number of geometry shapes, use
XkbAllocGeomShapes.
XkbAllocGeomShapesStatus XkbAllocGeomShapesXkbGeometryPtr geomint num_neededgeom
geometry for which shapes should be allocated
num_needed
number of new shapes required
XkbAllocGeomShapes
allocates space for
num_needed
shapes in the specified geometry
geom.
The shapes are not initialized.
To free geometry shapes, use
XkbFreeGeomShapes.
XkbFreeGeomShapesvoid XkbFreeGeomShapesXkbGeometryPtr geomint firstint countBool free_allgeom
geometry in which shapes should be freed
first
first shape to be freed
count
number of shapes to be freed
free_allTrue ⇒ all shapes are freed
If free_all is
True,
all shapes in the geometry are freed regardless of the values of first and
count. Otherwise, count shapes are freed, beginning with the shape specified by
first.
To allocate geometry sections, use
XkbAllocGeomSections.
XkbAllocGeomSectionsStatus XkbAllocGeomSectionsXkbGeometryPtr geomint num_neededgeom
geometry for which sections should be allocated
num_needed
number of new sections required
XkbAllocGeomSections
allocates num_needed sections and adds them to the geometry geom. No
initialization of the sections is done.
To free geometry sections, use
XkbFreeGeomSections.
XkbFreeGeomSectionsvoid XkbFreeGeomSectionsXkbGeometryPtr geomint firstint countBool free_allgeom
geometry in which sections should be freed
first
first section to be freed.
count
number of sections to be freed
free_allTrue ⇒ all sections are freed
If free_all is
True,
all sections are freed regardless of the value of first and count. Otherwise,
the number of sections specified by count are freed, beginning with the section
specified by first in the specified geometry.
To allocate rows in a section, use
XkbAllocGeomRows.
XkbAllocGeomRowsStatus XkbAllocGeomRowsXkbSectionPtr sectionint num_neededsection
section for which rows should be allocated
num_needed
number of new rows required
XkbAllocGeomRows
allocates num_needed rows and adds them to the section. No initialization of
the rows is done.
To free rows in a section, use
XkbFreeGeomRows.
XkbFreeGeomRowsvoid XkbFreeGeomRowsXkbSectionPtr sectionint firstint countBool free_allsection
section in which rows should be freed
first
first row to be freed.
count
number of rows to be freed
free_allTrue ⇒ all rows are freed
If free_all is
True,
all rows are freed regardless of the value of first and count. Otherwise, the
number of rows specified by count are freed, beginning with the row specified
by first in the specified section.
To allocate overlays in a section, use
XkbAllocGeomOverlays.
XkbAllocGeomOverlaysStatus XkbAllocGeomOverlaysXkbSectionPtr sectionint num_neededsection
section for which overlays should be allocated
num_needed
number of new overlays required
XkbAllocGeomRows
allocates num_needed overlays and adds them to the section. No initialization
of the overlays is done.
To free rows in an section, use
XkbFreeGeomOverlays.
XkbFreeGeomOverlaysvoid XkbFreeGeomOverlaysXkbSectionPtr sectionint firstint countBool free_allsection
section in which overlays should be freed
first
first overlay to be freed.
count
number of overlays to be freed
free_allTrue ⇒ all overlays are freed
If free_all is
True,
all overlays are freed regardless of the value of first and count. Otherwise,
the number of overlays specified by count are freed, beginning with the overlay
specified by first in the specified section.
To allocate rows in a overlay, use
XkbAllocGeomOverlayRows.
XkbAllocGeomOverlayRowsStatus XkbAllocGeomOverlayRowsXkbSectionPtr overlayint num_neededoverlay
section for which rows should be allocated
num_needed
number of new rows required
XkbAllocGeomOverlayRows
allocates num_needed rows and adds them to the overlay. No initialization of
the rows is done.
To free rows in an overlay, use
XkbFreeGeomOverlayRows.
XkbFreeGeomOverlayRowsvoid XkbFreeGeomOverlayRowsXkbSectionPtr overlayint firstint countBool free_alloverlay
section in which rows should be freed
first
first row to be freed.
count
number of rows to be freed
free_allTrue ⇒ all rows are freed
If free_all is
True,
all rows are freed regardless of the value of first and count. Otherwise, the
number of rows specified by count are freed, beginning with the row specified
by first in the specified overlay.
To allocate keys in an overlay row, use
XkbAllocGeomOverlayKeys.
XkbAllocGeomOverlayKeysStatus XkbAllocGeomOverlayKeysXkbRowPtr rowint num_neededrow
section for which rows should be allocated
num_needed
number of new rows required
XkbAllocGeomOverlayKeys
allocates num_needed keys and adds them to the row. No initialization of the
keys is done.
To free keys in an overlay row, use
XkbFreeGeomOverlayKeys.
XkbFreeGeomOverlayKeysvoid XkbFreeGeomOverlayKeysXkbRowPtr rowint firstint countBool free_allrow
row in which keys should be freed
first
first key to be freed.
count
number of keys to be freed
free_allTrue ⇒ all keys are freed
If free_all is
True,
all keys are freed regardless of the value of first and count. Otherwise, the
number of keys specified by count are freed, beginning with the key specified
by first in the specified row.
To allocate doodads that are global to a keyboard geometry, use
XkbAllocGeomDoodads.
XkbAllocGeomDoodadsStatus XkbAllocGeomDoodadsXkbGeometryPtr geomint num_neededgeom
geometry for which doodads should be allocated
num_needed
number of new doodads required
XkbAllocGeomDoodads
allocates num_needed doodads and adds them to the specified geometry
geom.
No initialization of the doodads is done.
To allocate doodads that are specific to a section, use
XkbAllocGeomSectionDoodads.
XkbAllocGeomSectionDoodadsStatus XkbAllocGeomSectionDoodadsXkbSectionPtr sectionint num_neededsection
section for which doodads should be allocated
num_needed
number of new doodads required
XkbAllocGeomSectionDoodads
allocates num_needed doodads and adds them to the specified
section.
No initialization of the doodads is done.
To free geometry doodads, use
XkbFreeGeomDoodads.
XkbFreeGeomDoodadsvoid XkbFreeGeomDoodadsXkbDoodadPtr doodadsint countBool free_alldoodads
doodads to be freed
count
number of doodads to be freed
free_allTrue ⇒ all doodads are freed
If
free_all
is
True,
all doodads in the array are freed, regardless of the value of count.
Otherwise, count doodads are freed.
To allocate an entire geometry, use
XkbAllocGeometry.
XkbAllocGeometryStatus XkbAllocGeometryXkbDescPtr xkbXkbGeometrySizesPtr sizesxkb
keyboard description for which geometry is to be allocated
sizes
initial sizes for all geometry components
XkbAllocGeometry
allocates a keyboard geometry and adds it to the keyboard description
specified by xkb. The keyboard description should be obtained via the
XkbGetKeyboard or XkbAllockeyboard functions. The sizes parameter specifies the
number of elements to be reserved for the subcomponents of the keyboard
geometry and can be zero or more. These subcomponents include the properties,
colors, shapes, sections, and doodads.
To free an entire geometry, use
XkbFreeGeometry.
XkbFreeGeometryvoid XkbFreeGeometryXkbGeometryPtr geomunsigned int whichBool free_allgeom
geometry to be freed
which
mask of geometry components to be freed
free_allTrue ⇒ the entire geometry is freed.
The values of which and free_all determine how much of the specified geometry
is freed. The valid values for which are:
#define XkbGeomPropertiesMask (1<<0)
#define XkbGeomColorsMask (1<<1)
#define XkbGeomShapesMask (1<<2)
#define XkbGeomSectionsMask (1<<3)
#define XkbGeomDoodadsMask (1<<4)
#define XkbGeomAllMask (0x1f)
If free_all is
True,
the entire geometry is freed regardless of the value of which. Otherwise, the
portions of the geometry specified by which are freed.