Compose(5)

NAME

   Compose - X client mappings for multi-key input sequences

DESCRIPTION

   The  X  library,  libX11, provides a simple input method for characters
   beyond those represented on typical keyboards using  sequences  of  key
   strokes that are combined to enter a single character.

   The compose file is searched for in  the following order:

   -      If  the  environment variable $XCOMPOSEFILE is set, its value is
          used as the name of the Compose file.

   -      If the user's home directory has a file named .XCompose,  it  is
          used as the Compose file.

   -      The  system  provided compose file is used by mapping the locale
          to     a     compose     file     from     the      list      in
          /usr/share/X11/locale/compose.dir.

   Compose  files  can  use  an  "include" instruction.  This allows local
   modifications to be made to existing compose  files  without  including
   all  of  the  content  directly.   For  example, the system's iso8859-1
   compose file can be included with a line like this:
       include "%S/iso8859-1/Compose"

   There are several substitutions that can be made in the  file  name  of
   the include instruction:

   %H  expands  to  the  user's  home  directory  (the  $HOME  environment
       variable)

   %L  expands to the name of the  locale  specific  Compose  file  (i.e.,
       "/usr/share/X11/locale/<localename>/Compose")

   %S  expands  to  the  name  of  the  system directory for Compose files
       (i.e., "/usr/share/X11/locale")

   For example, you can include in your compose file the  default  Compose
   file by using:
          include "%L"
   and  then  rewrite  only  the  few  rules that you need to change.  New
   compose rules can be added, and previous ones replaced.

FILE FORMAT

   Compose files are plain text files,  with  a  separate  line  for  each
   compose  sequence.    Comments  begin with # characters.   Each compose
   sequence specifies one or more events and a resulting  input  sequence,
   with an optional comment at the end of the line:
          EVENT [EVENT...] : RESULT [# COMMENT]

   Each  event consists of a specified input keysym, and optional modifier
   states:
          [([!] ([~] MODIFIER)...) | None] <keysym>

   If the modifier  list  is  preceded  by  "!"  it  must  match  exactly.
   MODIFIER  may  be  one  of  Ctrl, Lock, Caps, Shift, Alt or Meta.  Each
   modifier may be preceded by  a  "~"  character  to  indicate  that  the
   modifier  must  not be present. If "None" is specified, no modifier may
   be present.

   The result specifies a string, keysym,  or  both,  that  the  X  client
   receives as input when the sequence of events is input:
          "STRING" | keysym | "STRING" keysym

   Keysyms are specified without the XK_ prefix.

   Strings  may be direct text encoded in the locale for which the compose
   file is to be used, or an escaped octal or hexadecimal character  code.
   Octal codes are specified as "\123" and hexadecimal codes as "\0x123a".
   It is not necessary to specify in the right part of  a  rule  a  locale
   encoded  string  in  addition  to  the  keysym  name.  If the string is
   omitted, Xlib figures it out from the keysym according to  the  current
   locale.  I.e., if a rule looks like:
          <dead_grave> <A> : "\300" Agrave
   the  result  of  the  composition  is always the letter with the "\300"
   code.  But if the rule is:
          <dead_grave> <A> : Agrave
   the result depends on how Agrave is mapped in the current locale.

ENVIRONMENT

   XCOMPOSEFILE
          File to use for compose sequences.

   XCOMPOSECACHE
          Directory to use for caching compiled compose files.

FILES

   $HOME/.XCompose
          User default compose file if XCOMPOSEFILE is not set.

   /usr/share/X11/locale/compose.dir
          File listing the compose file path to use for each locale.

   /usr/share/X11/locale/<localemapping>/Compose
          System  default  compose  file  for  the  locale,   mapped   via
          compose.dir.

   /var/cache/libx11/compose/
          System-wide cache directory for compiled compose files.

   $HOME/.compose-cache/
          Per-user cache directory for compiled compose files.

SEE ALSO

   XLookupString(3),        XmbLookupString(3),        XwcLookupString(3),
   Xutf8LookupString(3), mkcomposecache(1), locale(7).
   Xlib - C Language X Interface

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