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This questions pops up every now and then and there are numerous answers, all of which may have been correct when they were written but somehow do not (always?) apply anymore.

I want to use a modified keymap based on or replacing the standard Colemak layout. I choose to modify the British keymap for this, and changed /usr/share/X11/xkb/symbols/gb accordingly. These changes work – sometimes:

  • When I issue setxkbmap 'gb (colemak)', my layout is applied. However, I cannot switch layouts using Super-Space or from the menu anymore. My layout sticks.
  • As long as I haven’t issued above command, I can switch layouts the way Ubuntu likes it (and I like it, too). US English Intl. is fine, but switching to GB Colemak I find that this is the original Colemak, not my modified version.

So it seems to me that Ubuntu is using a different mechanism now, which I overwrite with my setxkbmap command. What is the correct way of modifying an existing keymap (or creating a new one)?

MPi
  • 2,151
  • Neither https://askubuntu.com/questions/226318/ubuntu-not-respecting-custom-keymap nor https://askubuntu.com/questions/8697/how-can-i-change-my-keyboard-layout-to-a-modified-version answer the question of how to modify an existing entry. – MPi Sep 17 '21 at 11:33
  • Upon a new attempt, I succeeded in adding a Colemak variant to /usr/share/X11/xkb/symbols/de. It somehow did not work before… Still, weird behaviour remains: Why is the old value of gb (colemak) cached somewhere, why can’t I change keymaps in the GUI once I called setxkbmap, … – MPi Sep 17 '21 at 11:46
  • This kind of question requires that you show exactly what you did. So please edit your question to show which changes you made and which steps you take when you try to apply it. Also, state in your question which desktop environment you are using, – Gunnar Hjalmarsson Sep 17 '21 at 12:00
  • @MPi Best is to create new inherited layout. You don't have to modify it (gonna overwritten on update) or copy it completely (just same delarations, your entry works as a fix patch). This two posts explain steps (in details) : https://askubuntu.com/q/510024/26246 and https://askubuntu.com/q/482678/26246 – user.dz Sep 18 '21 at 06:46

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