---
name: "ckbcomp"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "console-setup"
version: "1.242~deb13u1"
release: "Debian 13 (Trixie)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/ckbcomp"
---

# ckbcomp(1)

compile a XKB keyboard description to a keymap suitable for loadkeys or kbdcontrol

## NAME

ckbcomp - compile a XKB keyboard description to a keymap suitable for loadkeys or kbdcontrol

## SYNOPSIS

**ckbcomp** \[*OPTION*...\] \[*XKBLAYOUT* \[*XKBVARIANT* \[*XKBOPTIONS*\]...\]\]

## DESCRIPTION

The **ckbcomp** keymap compiler converts a description of an XKB keyboard layout into a console keymap that can be read directly by [**loadkeys**(1)](/loadkeys/1.md) or [**kbdcontrol**(1)](/kbdcontrol/1.md).

On its standard output **ckbcomp** dumps the generated keyboard definition.  The most important difference between the arguments of  [**setxkbmap**(1)](/setxkbmap/1.md) and the arguments of **ckbcomp** is the additional parameter *-charmap* when non-Unicode keyboard map is wanted.  Without *-charmap* **ckbcomp** will generate Unicode keyboard.

## OPTIONS

### General options

- **-?**,**-help**

  Print a usage message and exit.

- **-charmap** *charmap*

  The encoding to use for the output keymap.  There should be an character mapping table defining this encoding in */usr/share/consoletrans*. Definitions of the following charmaps are provided: **ARMSCII-8**, **CP1251**, **CP1255**, **CP1256**, **GEORGIAN-ACADEMY**, **GEORGIAN-PS**, **IBM1133**, **ISIRI-3342**, **ISO-8859-1**, **ISO-8859-2**, **ISO-8859-3**, **ISO-8859-4**, **ISO-8859-5**, **ISO-8859-6**, **ISO-8859-7**, **ISO-8859-8**, **ISO-8859-9**, **ISO-8859-10**, **ISO-8859-11**, **ISO-8859-13**, **ISO-8859-14**, **ISO-8859-15**, **ISO-8859-16**, **KOI8-R**, **KOI8-U**, **TIS-620** and **VISCII**.

- **-I***dir*

  Look in the top-level directory *dir* for files included by the keymap description.  This option may be used multiple times.  If a file can not be found in any of the specified directories, it will be searched also in some other standard locations, such as */etc/console-setup/ckb*, */usr/share/X11/xkb* and */etc/X11/xkb*

- **-v** *level*

  Set level of detail for listing.  The argument *level* must be a number from 1 to 10.

- **-compact**

  Generate a compact keymap with at most two xkb groups and two levels in each or only one xkb-group and up to four levels.

- **-freebsd**

  Generate a keymap for FreeBSD.

- **-backspace** \[**bs**\|**del**\]

  Specifies the behaviour of the \<BackSpace\> and \<Delete\> keys. Value **bs** specifies VT100-conformant behaviour: \<BackSpace\> will generate **^H** (ASCII BS) and \<Delete\> will generate **^?** (ASCII DEL). Value **del** specifies VT220-conformant behavior: \<BackSpace\> will generate **^?** (ASCII DEL) and \<Delete\> will generate a special function sequence.

### XKB Keyboard Description

The keyboard layout, variant and options components can be also specified directly on the command line.  See the synopsis of the command.

- **-symbols** *name*

  Specifies the symbols component name of the XKB keyboard description.

- **-keycodes** *name*

  Specifies the keycodes component name of the XKB keyboard description.

- **-rules** *name*

  The name of the rules file to use.

- **-model** *name*

  Specifies the keyboard model used to choose the component names.

- **-layout** *name*

  Specifies the layout used to choose the component names.

- **-variant** *name*

  Specifies the layout variant used to choose the component names.

- **-option** *name*

  Adds an option used to choose component names.

## FILES

*/usr/share/consoletrans*\
 */etc/console-setup/ckb*\
 */usr/share/X11/xkb*\
 */etc/X11/xkb*

## NOTES

If the option *-freebsd* is used together with *-backspace del*, then the key \<Delete\> will generate the special code **fkey70**. It is your responsibility to assign the appropriate sequence to this special  code by using the following command:

```
kbdcontrol -f 70 "`printf '\033[3~'`"
```

## SEE ALSO

[**keyboard**(5)](/keyboard/5.md), [**setxkbmap**(1)](/setxkbmap/1.md)