[FEATURE] Use custom keyboard key maps
Continuing this issue:
I propose that the Gnome control panel include an option to set a custom map of a keyboard's keys and light colors, just as it does VIA:
Nowadays, most keyboards use customizable colored lights and layouts with different sizes, custom map keys, some even do not even use the printed key, as is the case with Corne keyboards:
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/0jJJLD4n8bk
- https://github.com/alvaro-prieto/corne/blob/main/README.md
To solve this need that all Operating Systems have, I propose that gnome control center have a section to configure a keyboard more completely and freely, from the graphical mapping of keys (as if it were a joystic) to the use of distributions with different keys and sizes including native drivers for professional keyboards depending on the type of chip such as corne or simple ANSI and ISO distribution keyboards.
In my case I have a 104 key ANSI keyboard and I need to enable the "ñ" key, but I can't find any configuration in Gnome to do this, so I had to solve this by modifying the file /etc/default/keyboard
to XKBMODEL="pc104"
and xmodmap
with the maps:
keycode 26 = e E eacute Eacute EuroSign cent EuroSign
keycode 30 = u U uacute Uacute downarrow uparrow downarrow
keycode 31 = i I iacute Iacute rightarrow idotless rightarrow
keycode 32 = o O oacute Oacute oslash Oslash oslash
keycode 38 = a A aacute Aacute ae AE ae
keycode 57 = n N ntilde Ntilde n N n
!Maps the Mode key to the Alt key
keycode 64 = Mode_switch
The problem is that this software applies the mapping only once, with each restart or screen lock it is deconfigured, I have had to configure the .bashrc
file and other special files to be able to keep the key configuration active, but in some Sometimes it is misconfigured and I must be constantly executing said command, it is not a comfortable solution, much less functional for a company team or a person who does not know much about technicalities. A basic example is the Ubuntu installation software which is capable of detecting the keyboard layout in a very easy and intuitive way, but then from the gnome panel it becomes much more complicated and tedious.
For this reason I propose that different functions be progressively added to be able to map the different existing keyboard layouts in an easier and more permanent way.
Proposals:
- Ability to incorporate non-generic keyboard chip drivers such as Corne.
- Ability to set colors on keyboards that allow it.
- Ability to select keyboard size or shape (in addition to regional layout).
- Ability to set custom key mappings, by key code like xmodmap or graphically like VIA app.
- Ability to detect distribution, size and chip model automatically through a wizard.
- Ability to save and load keyboard configurations like as network settings, this would allow multiple keyboards to be used on the same computer, for example, one for working in software development and another for gaming.
This would generate a giant leap between the systems that use Gnome and other systems since currently there are more and more people using keyboards with custom designs (especially those who use keyboards with cherry switches) and no system adapts to them: