---
name: "xkbsel-aw"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "xkbsel"
version: "0.13-12"
release: "Arch Linux 2026-11-01"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/xkbsel-aw"
---

# xkbsel-aw(1)

select keyboard layout using a Xaw GUI

## NAME

xkbsel-aw - select keyboard layout using a Xaw GUI

## SYNOPSIS

**xkbsel-aw** \[*OPTION*\]

## DESCRIPTION

**xkbsel-aw** is a simple GUI for selecting the keyboards and indicating the current selection. It displays a window where the current selection is indicated. When clicking on this window, a menu of the configured map shortcuts together with the descriptions pops up, allowing to select one of them. installs the first configured map when started.

## OPTIONS

**xkbsel-aw** has no own options, but it accepts common Xt options such as *-display*, *-geometry*, *-bg* **or** *-fg*. As the map descriptions are normally written in local language, **xkbsel-aw** is using font sets instead of fonts to allow automatic encoding selection based on current locale. That means that *-fn* will *not* work. Use fontSet for this purpose, either on the command line using e.g.\
 \-xrm '\*fontSet: -\*-courier-medium-r-\*-\*-\*-100-\*-\*-m-\*-\*-\*'\
 or use application default file.

## EXAMPLES

### Fvwm2 configuration

Following lines added to *.fvwm2rc* will automatically start the selector on login:\

Style "**xkbsel-aw**" NoTitle, Sticky, WindowListSkip\

AddToFunc "InitFunction" "I" ...\
 \[...original stuff...\]\
 \+ "I" Exec exec **xkbsel-aw** -geometry 48x24-0-0 &

If you are using *FvwmWharf* or *FvwmButtons* modules, instead of starting and explicitly positioning **xkbsel-aw** in *InitFunction* you can dock the application into them using the *Swallow* directory, e.g. by adding following line into your *FvwmButtons* configuration in *.fvwm2rc* (should be written on single line):

\*FvwmButtons(Swallow (NoHints) "**xkbsel-aw**"\
\
   'Exec **xkbsel-aw** -geometry 48x24')\

To switch the keyboards on ctrl-F1, -F2 etc., add something like this into your *.fvwm2rc*:

Key F1 A C Exec exec **xkbsel** us\
 Key F2 A C Exec exec **xkbsel** sk\
 Key F3 A C Exec exec **xkbsel** cs

## FILES

- **/etc/xkbsel.conf**

  system configuration file

- **~/.xkbsel/xkbsel.conf**

  user´s configuration file

## SEE ALSO

[**xkbseldb**(1)](/xkbseldb/1.md), [**xkbsel**(1)](/xkbsel/1.md), [**xkbsel**(5)](/xkbsel/5.md)

## AUTHOR

Stanislav Meduna \<stano@trillian.eunet.sk\>