Compose(5) File Formats Manual Compose(5)
NAME
Compose - X client mappings for multi-key input sequences
DESCRIPTION
The X library, libX11, provides a simple input method for characters be-
yond 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/com-
pose.dir.
Compose files can use an "include" instruction. This allows local modi-
fications 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 vari-
able)
%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 com-
pose rules can be added, and previous ones replaced.
FILE FORMAT
Compose files are plain text files, with a separate line for each com-
pose sequence. Comments begin with # characters. Each compose sequence
specifies one or more events and a resulting input sequence, with an op-
tional 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 re-
ceives 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 "\x3a". 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 com-
pose.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), Xutf8Lookup-
String(3), mkcomposecache(1), locale(7).
Xlib - C Language X Interface
X Version 11 libX11 1.8.12 Compose(5)
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