Compose

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 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 "\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 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

X Version 11 libX11 1.8.4 Compose(5)