VirtualBindings --
bindings for virtual mouse and key events
Description
The Motif manual pages describe translations in terms of
virtual bindings, based on those described in the
OSF/Motif Style Guide.
Mouse events are described in terms of virtual buttons, and key
events are described in terms of virtual keys.
The term virtual implies that the events as described do not
necessarily correspond to a fixed set of X Window System events.
Instead, virtual buttons and keys are linked to actual events by means
of virtual bindings.
Virtual modifiers
Both virtual buttons and virtual keys may contain virtual
modifiers.
Each virtual modifier corresponds to one or more actual modifiers.
The following table lists the bindings of virtual modifiers to actual
modifiers in Motif:
Virtual modifier bindings
Virtual modifier
Actual modifiers
MAlt
Mod1
MCopy
Ctrl
MCtrl
Ctrl
MLink
Ctrl Shift
MMove
Shift
MShift
Shift
Mod1 refers to the first modifier key.
Motif requires that it correspond to either <Alt> or <Meta>.
The virtual modifier MAny indicates that any modifier can be used.
If MAny is not specified and the user presses an actual modifier
that is not explicitly included in a translation, that modifier may
prevent the translation from being matched.
Virtual buttons
Each virtual button corresponds to one or more actual button event
descriptions.
Each button event description contains a button name and possibly
modifiers.
These button event descriptions, appropriately ordered and possibly
further modified, are used in translation tables.
The following table lists the bindings of virtual buttons to actual
button event descriptions in Motif:
Virtual button bindings
Virtual button
Actual button events
BCustom
<Btn3>
BDrag
<Btn2>
BExtend
Shift<Btn1>
BMenu
<Btn3>
BSelect
<Btn1>
BToggle
Ctrl<Btn1>
Virtual keys
Each virtual key corresponds to one or more actual key event
descriptions.
Each key event description contains a keysym name and possibly
modifiers.
These key event descriptions, appropriately ordered and possibly further
modified, are used in translation tables.
The following table lists the bindings of virtual keys to
actual key event descriptions in Motif:
Virtual key bindings
Virtual key
Actual key events
KActivate
<Key>Return
Ctrl<Key>Return
<Key>osfActivate
KAddMode
<Key>osfAddMode
KBackSpace
<Key>osfBackSpace
KBackTab
Shift<Key>Tab
KBeginData
Ctrl<Key>osfBeginLine
KBeginLine
<Key>osfBeginLine
KCancel
<Key>osfCancel
KClear
<Key>osfClear
KCopy
<Key>osfCopy
Ctrl<Key>osfInsert
KCut
<Key>osfCut
Shift<Key>osfDelete
KDelete
<Key>osfDelete
KDeselectAll
Ctrl<Key>backslash
KDown
<Key>osfDown
KEndData
Ctrl<Key>osfEndLine
KEndLine
<Key>osfEndLine
KEnter
<Key>Return
KEscape
<Key>Escape
KExtend
Ctrl Shift<Key>space
Shift<Key>osfSelect
KHelp
<Key>osfHelp
KInsert
<Key>osfInsert
KLeft
<Key>osfLeft
KMenu
<Key>osfMenu
KMenuBar
<Key>osfMenuBar
KNextField
<Key>Tab
Ctrl<Key>Tab
KNextMenu
Ctrl<Key>osfDown
Ctrl<Key>osfRight
KPageDown
<Key>osfPageDown
KPageLeft
Ctrl<Key>osfPageUp
<Key>osfPageLeft
KPageRight
Ctrl<Key>osfPageDown
<Key>osfPageRight
KPageUp
<Key>osfPageUp
KPaste
<Key>osfPaste
Shift<Key>osfInsert
KPrevField
Shift<Key>Tab
Ctrl Shift<Key>Tab
KPrevMenu
Ctrl<Key>osfUp
Ctrl<Key>osfLeft
KPrimaryCopy
Ctrl<Key>osfPrimaryPaste
Mod1<Key>osfCopy
Mod1 Ctrl<Key>osfInsert
KPrimaryCut
Mod1<Key>osfPrimaryPaste
Mod1<Key>osfCut
Mod1
Shift<Key>osfDelete
KPrimaryPaste
<Key>osfPrimaryPaste
KQuickCopy
Ctrl<Key>osfQuickPaste
KQuickCut
Mod1<Key>osfQuickPaste
KQuickExtend
Shift<Key>osfQuickPaste
KQuickPaste
<Key>osfQuickPaste
KReselect
Ctrl
Shift<Key>osfSelect
KRestore
Ctrl
Shift<Key>osfInsert
KRight
<Key>osfRight
KSelect
<Key>space
Ctrl<Key>space
<Key>osfSelect
KSelectAll
Ctrl<Key>slash
KSpace
<Key>space
KTab
<Key>Tab
KUndo
<Key>osfUndo
Mod1<Key>osfBackSpace
KUp
<Key>osfUp
KAny
<Key>
Bindings for osf keysyms
Keysym strings that begin with ``osf'' are not part of the X server's
keyboard mapping.
Instead, these keysyms are produced on the client side at run time.
They are interpreted by the routine XmTranslateKey, and
are used by the translation manager when the server delivers an actual
key event.
For each application, a mapping is maintained between ``osf'' keysyms and
keysyms that correspond to actual keys.
This mapping is based on information obtained at application startup
from one of the following sources, listed in order of precedence:
A defaultVirtualBindings application resource in the resource
database.
A property on the root window, which can be set by mwm on startup,
or by the xmbind client, or on prior startup of a Motif
application.
The file .motifbind in the user's home directory.
A set of bindings based on the vendor string and optionally the vendor
release of the X server.
Motif searches for these bindings in the following steps:
If the file xmbind.alias exists in the user's home directory,
Motif searches this file for a pathname associated with the vendor
string or with the vendor string and vendor release.
If it finds such a pathname and if that file exists, Motif loads the
bindings contained in that file.
If it has found no bindings, Motif next looks for the file
xmbind.alias in the directory specified by the environment
variable XMBINDDIR, if XMBINDDIR is set, or in the directory
/usr/lib/Xm/bindings if XMBINDDIR is not set.
If this file exists Motif searches it for a pathname associated with the
vendor string or with the vendor string and vendor release.
If it finds such a pathname and if that file exists, Motif loads the
bindings contained in that file.
If it still has found no bindings, Motif loads a set of hard-coded
fallback bindings.
The xmbind.alias file contains zero or more lines of the form:
"vendor_string[ vendor_release]" bindings_file
where vendor_string is the X server vendor name as returned by the
X client xdpyinfo or the Xlib function XServerVendor, and
must appear in double quotes.
If vendor_release is included, it is the X server vendor release
number as returned by the X client xdpyinfo or the Xlib function
XVendorRelease, and must also be contained within the double
quotes separated by one space from vendor_string.
vendor_release is provided to allow support of changes in keyboard
hardware from a vendor, assuming that the vendor increments the release
number to flag such changes.
Alternatively, the vendor may simply use a unique vendor string for each
different keyboard.
bindings_file is the pathname of the file containing the bindings
themselves. It can be a relative or absolute pathname.
If it it is a relative pathname, it is relative to the location of the
xmbind.alias file.
Comment lines in the xmbind.alias file begin with ``!''.
The bindings found in either the .motifbind file or the vendor
mapping are placed in a property on the root window.
This property is used to determine the bindings for subsequent Motif
applications.
On startup mwm attempts to load the file .motifbind
in the user's home directory. If this is unsuccessful, it loads the
vendor bindings as described above.
It places the bindings it loads in a property on the root window for use
by subsequent Motif applications.
xmbind loads bindings from a file if that file is specified on the
command line.
If no file is specified on the command line, it attempts to load the
file .motifbind in the user's home directory.
If this fails, it loads the vendor bindings as described above.
It places the bindings it loads in a property on the root window for use
by subsequent Motif applications.
The format of the specification for mapping ``osf'' keysyms to actual
keysyms is similar to that of a specification for an event translation.
The syntax is specified here in EBNF notation using the following
conventions:
[a] Means either nothing or a
{a} Means zero or more occurrences of a
Terminals are enclosed in double quotation marks.
The syntax of an ``osf'' keysym binding specification is as follows:
binding_spec
=
{line "\n"} [line]
line
=
virtual_keysym ":" key_event
key_event
=
{modifier_name} "<Key>" actual_keysym
virtual_keysym
=
keysym
actual_keysym
=
keysym
keysym
=
A valid X11 keysym name that is mapped by XStringToKeysym
As with event translations, more specific event descriptions must
precede less specific descriptions.
For example, an event description for a key with a modifier must precede
a description for the same key without the same modifier.
Following is an example of a specification for the
defaultVirtualBindings resource in a resource file:
The format of a .motifbind file or of a file containing vendor
bindings is the same, except that the binding specification for each
keysym is placed on a separate line.
The example specification above appears as follows in a
.motifbind or vendor bindings file: