Cannot set compose key in xorg.conf

**maplon** · April 10th, 2009

I am running Xubuntu Intrepid 64bit (fresh install) on a Lenovo X61. I want to use the caps lock key as the compose key.

To do so, I added the following section at the end of my xorg.conf:

Code:

Section "InputDevice"
        Identifier      "Generic Keyboard"
        Driver          "kbd"
        Option          "XkbRules" "xorg"
        Option          "XkbModel" "pc105"
        Option          "XkbLayout"  "us"
        Option          "XkbOptions" "compose:caps"
EndSection

But when I then do Ctrl-Alt-Backspace, X says it cannot parse the configuration file, and starts in low resolution mode (which I think uses etc/X11/xorg.conf.failsafe).

What is wrong with the section above, or is there any other way to set the compose key to CapsLock in Xubuntu/ Xfce?

Just to be complete, the rest of the xorg.conf is what is automatically generated, and looks like this (without the commented section at the beginning of the file):

Code:

Section "Device"
        Identifier      "Configured Video Device"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
        Identifier      "Configured Monitor"
EndSection

Section "Screen"
        Identifier      "Default Screen"
        Monitor         "Configured Monitor"
        Device          "Configured Video Device"
EndSection

**VCoolio** · April 10th, 2009

Try the gui-way this time. For Ubuntu Intrepid this would be: Preferences > Keyboard > Layouts > Other options > Compose key position, tick the Capslock option. After you changed that and if it works, check the .conf file again to see what you did wrong.

**Thura** · April 10th, 2009

I don't know much about xfce, but in gnome I cannot edit xorg.conf directly for keyboard settings, since kbd is overwriting them ...

xfce4-xkb-plugin ?
http://blog.kivisoo.eu/2009/03/xfce-and-keyboard/

But to be honest, I have never used xfce personally ...

**maplon** · April 10th, 2009

Originally Posted by VCoolio

Try the gui-way this time. For Ubuntu Intrepid this would be: Preferences > Keyboard > Layouts > Other options > Compose key position, tick the Capslock option. After you changed that and if it works, check the .conf file again to see what you did wrong.

Thanks, but to my knowledge, no GUI option exists on Xfce.

**maplon** · April 10th, 2009

thanks.

Originally Posted by Thura

I don't know much about xfce, but in gnome I cannot edit xorg.conf directly for keyboard settings, since kbd is overwriting them ...

But that's not even my problem. My problem is X hiccuping on the section in the xorg.conf.

Originally Posted by Thura

xfce4-xkb-plugin ?

I am using this and it doesn't do anything about the compose key.

Originally Posted by Thura

http://blog.kivisoo.eu/2009/03/xfce-and-keyboard/

I'm not sure I understand this either. The xorg.conf section looks identical to the one I have in all the relevant bits, but for me, X doesn't like this.

**maplon** · April 15th, 2009

I managed to solve this by adding the line about "CoreKeyboard" (see below), and I moved the section to the beginning of the xorg.conf file. I don't know what did it, but now it works.

Code:

Section "InputDevice"
        Identifier      "Generic Keyboard"
        Driver          "kbd"
        Option          "CoreKeyboard"
        Option          "XkbRules" "xorg"
        Option          "XkbModel" "pc105"
        Option          "XkbLayout"  "us"
        Option          "XkbOptions" "compose:caps"
EndSection

**jonkulp** · May 10th, 2009

This solution didn't work for me--very annoying since I've always been able to add the keyboard option to xorg.conf successfully in the past--but I found another way to do it. This command will set the compose key to the right alt key:

Code:

setxkbmap -option compose:ralt

To have this set automatically, add the command to your startup applications by going to "Applications>Settings>Session and Startup" and clicking on the "Application Autostart" tab. Click "Add" and give it a name, then put the aforementioned command in the command field. Now when you log in, the compose key will be set.

**susokukan47** · July 4th, 2009

hey, thanks jonkulp! i'm a relative novice with ubuntu and i didn't want to mess around with xorg.conf. now i can type macrons for my latin studies all day

**foresto** · October 22nd, 2009

I don't think XFCE offers a GUI for this, but you can edit /etc/default/console-setup to contain this line:
XKBOPTIONS="compose:caps"
(and then restart X)

To discover which keys you can use other than Caps Lock, run:
grep compose: /usr/share/X11/xkb/rules/xorg.lst

More info:
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/ComposeKey