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haskellemacskey-bindingsxmonadkeyboard-layout
Geradlus_RU
Geradlus_RU

Reputation: 1478

XMonad: how to bind Super (Win key) + Space to keyboard layout switch?

I used to switch keyboard layout pressing ❖ win+spacebar on Windows 8, and ⌘+spacebar on OS X.

However, on Linux I have ❖ win key dedicated to XMonad as modificator key. So, to switch between layouts I have to use alt+⇧ shift.

This was not a problem until I've installed Emacs. Now I'm able to use all meta+shift key combinations, because I have alt as meta (⎋ escape could help, but it's very unhandy).

I think the easiest workaround for this case is to configure ❖ win+space to layout switch combination. Though XMonad by default use this combination to switching layouts, I rarely cycle layouts in both direction, so I will happy to have ❖ win+space for switching keyboard layout, and ❖ win+shift+space to switch XMonad layout. If I could make such configuration I will be able to use alt key as meta in Emacs.

However, I don't know how to make XMonad to use ❖ win+space as keyboard switch combination, being more preciese I don't know is it even possible.

Upvotes: 2

Views: 4626

Answers (2)

Schlueter
Schlueter

Reputation: 4029

I was able to accomplish this with a shell (zsh) script saved on my path as cycle-keyboard-layout:

#!/usr/bin/env zsh

total_layouts="${#@}"
current_layout=$(setxkbmap -query | awk '/layout:/{ print $2 }')
current_index="${@[(i)$current_layout]}"
next_index="$((current_index % total_layouts + 1))"
next_layout="${@[$next_index]}"

setxkbmap "$next_layout"

Then, in my xmonad.hs I include:

import XMonad.Util.CustomKeys (customKeys)

altMask = mod1Mask

main =
  xmonad $ defaultConfig
    { keys = customKeys delkeys inskeys
    , modMask = mod4Mask
    }

inskeys :: XConfig l -> [((KeyMask, KeySym), X ())]
inskeys conf@XConfig {modMask = modMask} =
  [ -- modMask + alt + space
  , ((modMask .|. altMask, xK_space),
        spawn "cycle-keyboard-layout dvorak us")
  ]

delkeys :: XConfig l -> [(KeyMask, KeySym)]
delkeys XConfig {} = []

And now ⌘+alt+spacebar (I use ⌘+spacebar for other things) switches my layout between dvorak and us qwerty. To use other layouts, just replace dvorak us with a space separated list of layouts which can be set with setxkbmap layout.

My full bare bones xmonad.hs is at https://github.com/schlueter/xmonad-config/blob/master/xmonad.hs.

Upvotes: 2

deshtop
deshtop

Reputation: 745

All you've got to do is unbind Win-Space (using removeKeys), and create bindings for xmonad-layout switching and keyboard-layout switching (using additionalKeys or additionalKeysP). Details and examples in the documentation. The keyboard-layout switching command can be launched by using spawn from the Core library.

Upvotes: 1

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