Adding a Mode_switch key in xmodmap
Thanks to my thumb-shift keyboard, I don’t need the hardware Super key and can reuse it for something else.
I map my left Super key to Mode_switch.
Mode_switch basically functions as an additional shift key.
While Mode_switch is held down, X11 will send different keysyms to applications, and the sent keysyms can be configured with xmodmap
.
It’s a good way to make it easier to send out-of-the-way, rarely used keys, such as the arrow keys or Home/End/PgUp/PgDn. I use mappings that follow the vi keybindings, so that even in applications that only understand arrow keys, I can still use hjkl.
This is a list of the relevant keys sent when I hold down Mode_shift.
You can see my xmodmap
configuration here.
- hjkl: Arrow Keys
- ^ and 0: Home
- $: End
- f/b: Page Up/Page Down
- u/d: Page Up/Page Down
- x: Delete
- i: Insert
- [: Escape
If you know of a way to easily display this more attractively, probably with an image, I’d welcome an email or message about it.