Date: Wed, 16 Oct 1996 10:21:46 +0200 (MET DST) From: cracauer@cons.org To: FreeBSD-gnats-submit@freebsd.org Subject: misc/1820: Enabling Emacs Meta-Key in non-window mode Message-ID: <199610160821.KAA17050@knight.cons.org> Resent-Message-ID: <199610160830.BAA20844@freefall.freebsd.org>
next in thread | raw e-mail | index | archive | help
>Number: 1820
>Category: misc
>Synopsis: Emacs Meta-Key doesn't work in non-x11-mode
>Confidential: no
>Severity: serious
>Priority: medium
>Responsible: freebsd-bugs
>State: open
>Class: sw-bug
>Submitter-Id: current-users
>Arrival-Date: Wed Oct 16 01:30:02 PDT 1996
>Last-Modified:
>Originator: Martin Cracauer
>Organization:
private
>Release: FreeBSD 2.2-960801-SNAP i386
>Environment:
The problem is present in every version of FreeBSD, at least since
2.0.
>Description:
When using emacs in on-window-mode, the Meta-Mey doesn't work when
$TTY is xterm or syscons (I tested these, but the problem is probably
present for other terminal types, too).
The problem with FreeBSD is that the termcap entry for xterm and
syscons doesn't include the "km" flag.
When emacs starts up, it does:
emacs-19.34/src/term.c:
meta_key = tgetflag ("km") || tgetflag ("MT");
Therefore, the Meta-Key will not be used when the termcap entry has no
"km". You can activate the meta Key in emacs after startup using
"(set-input-mode t nil t)". xterm generates the Meta key in every
case, so overriding emacs startup value is sufficient to activate the
key.
All version of xterm I am aware of send the Meta-Key. I am sure the
termcap entry should always include this flag for all versions of
xterm. It does for all other Unix-clones I tried (SunOS, Solaris,
NetBSD, Linux).
For syscons, things are more complicated. You first have to make
syscons generate the Meta-Key (which is not the default on FreeBSD)
and then change the termcap entry to include "km".
>How-To-Repeat:
Try to use the Meta key in "emacs -nw"-Mode in xterm and/or
syscons. It will be ignored, "Meta-v" will generate the character
"v".
>Fix:
XTERM:
Either:
- add the "km" flag to xterm's termcap entry.
- import NetBSD's version of the termcap entry for xterm.
- import it from Eric Raymond's termcap database, where the NetBSD
entry is derived from.
I'd say one of the latter options is probably the better way, Eric
Raymond's database looks more polished than FreeBSD's in many ways.
SYSCONS:
You first have to use a keymap that includes support for the Meta
key. Then, change the termcap entry to include the "km" flag.
I'm not a syscons expert, but I assume the problem will be the number
fo different keymap layouts that are based on non-Meta-key-aware
versions. There's no way to make termcap's "km" key enabled based on
the keymap actually loaded into syscons by the user.
What will happen when "km" is set in the termcap database, but the
actual termincal will not generate the key (i.e., when "km" is
enabled, but the user uses a keymap without Meta-Key support)?
Obviously, Meta will not work, but it wouldn't anyway, so nothing is
lost.
The only theroretical situation where having a "km" entry in termcap
for a terminal without actual Meta capability is worse than not having
"km" is:
When an application asks for the presense of the Meta key, finds
support for it in termcap and then *disables* some other feature. An
example could be a program that uses Escape sequences as an alternate
way to using Meta-combination key sequences and *disables* these
alternate way when it thinks the Meta key is present.
I don't know of any program that does things this way. Either there is
*always* (no matter whether a Meta key is present or not) an alternate
way to call Meta-combinations (as in emacs) or no alternate support at
all is provided.
I actually tried out setting the Meta-Key anabled for a syscons
without Meta-Key support and nothing unexpencted happend.
So, I vote to include "km" in the termcap entry for syscons even with
the risk that the keymap actually loaded doesn't have support for it
(what we can't tell in advance).
This is a forwarded message including a keymap file with Meta-key
support. I tried it out and it worked.
~Date: Wed, 9 Oct 1996 08:27:47 -0700 (PDT)
~Message-Id: <199610091527.IAA01022@osprey.grizzly.com>
~From: Mark Diekhans <markd@Grizzly.COM>
~To: cracauer@wavehh.hanse.de
~In-Reply-To: <9610091039.AA13572@wavehh.hanse.de> (cracauer@wavehh.hanse.de)
~Subject: Re: Alt/Meta-Key problems/ pty problem?
~Status: RO
Here is the keyboard file. Use:
kbdcontrol -l emacs.kbd
to enable it...
# alt
# scan cntrl alt alt cntrl lock
# code base shift cntrl shift alt shift cntrl shift state
# ------------------------------------------------------------------
000 nop nop nop nop nop nop nop nop O
001 esc esc esc esc esc esc debug esc O
002 '1' '!' nop nop 0xb1 0xa1 nop nop O
003 '2' '@' nul nul 0xb2 0xc0 nul nul O
004 '3' '#' nop nop 0xb3 0xa3 nop nop O
005 '4' '$' nop nop 0xb4 0xa4 nop nop O
006 '5' '%' nop nop 0xb5 0xa5 nop nop O
007 '6' '^' rs rs 0xb6 0xde rs rs O
008 '7' '&' nop nop 0xb7 0xa6 nop nop O
009 '8' '*' nop nop 0xb8 0xaa nop nop O
010 '9' '(' nop nop 0xb9 0xa8 nop nop O
011 '0' ')' nop nop 0xb0 0xa9 nop nop O
012 '-' '_' ns ns 0xad 0xdf ns ns O
013 '=' '+' nop nop 0xbd 0xab nop nop O
014 bs bs del del bs bs del del O
015 ht btab nop nop ht btab nop nop O
016 'q' 'Q' dc1 dc1 0xf1 0xd1 dc1 dc1 C
017 'w' 'W' etb etb 0xf7 0xd7 etb etb C
018 'e' 'E' enq enq 0xe5 0xc5 enq enq C
019 'r' 'R' dc2 dc2 0xf2 0xd2 dc2 dc2 C
020 't' 'T' dc4 dc4 0xf4 0xd4 dc4 dc4 C
021 'y' 'Y' em em 0xf9 0xd9 em em C
022 'u' 'U' nak nak 0xf5 0xd5 nak nak C
023 'i' 'I' ht ht 0xe9 0xc9 ht ht C
024 'o' 'O' si si 0xef 0xcf si si C
025 'p' 'P' dle dle 0xf0 0xd0 dle dle C
026 '[' '{' esc esc 0xdb 0xfb esc esc O
027 ']' '}' gs gs 0xdd 0xfd gs gs O
028 cr cr nl nl cr cr nl nl O
029 lctrl lctrl lctrl lctrl lctrl lctrl lctrl lctrl O
030 'a' 'A' soh soh 0xe1 0xc1 soh soh C
031 's' 'S' dc3 dc3 0xf3 0xd3 dc3 dc3 C
032 'd' 'D' eot eot 0xe4 0xc4 eot eot C
033 'f' 'F' ack ack 0xe6 0xc6 ack ack C
034 'g' 'G' bel bel 0xe7 0xc7 bel bel C
035 'h' 'H' bs bs 0xe8 0xc8 bs bs C
036 'j' 'J' nl nl 0xea 0xca nl nl C
037 'k' 'K' vt vt 0xeb 0xcb vt vt C
038 'l' 'L' ff ff 0xec 0xcc ff ff C
039 ';' ':' nop nop 0xbb 0xba nop nop O
040 ''' '"' nop nop 0xa7 0xa2 nop nop O
041 '`' '~' nop nop 0xe0 0xfe nop nop O
042 lshift lshift lshift lshift lshift lshift lshift lshift O
043 '\' '|' fs fs 0xdc 0xfc fs fs O
044 'z' 'Z' sub sub 0xfa 0xda sub sub C
045 'x' 'X' can can 0xf8 0xd8 can can C
046 'c' 'C' etx etx 0xe3 0xc3 etx etx C
047 'v' 'V' syn syn 0xf6 0xd6 syn syn C
048 'b' 'B' stx stx 0xe2 0xc2 stx stx C
049 'n' 'N' so so 0xee 0xce so so C
050 'm' 'M' cr cr 0xed 0xcd cr cr C
051 ',' '<' nop nop 0xac 0xbc nop nop O
052 '.' '>' nop nop 0xae 0xbe nop nop O
053 '/' '?' nop nop 0xaf 0xbf nop nop O
054 rshift rshift rshift rshift rshift rshift rshift rshift O
055 '*' '*' nscr nscr 0xaa 0xaa nscr nscr O
056 lalt lalt lalt lalt lalt lalt lalt lalt O
057 ' ' ' ' nul ' ' 0xa0 0xa0 130 ' ' O
058 clock clock clock clock clock clock clock clock O
059 fkey01 fkey13 fkey25 fkey37 scr01 scr11 scr01 scr11 O
060 fkey02 fkey14 fkey26 fkey38 scr02 scr12 scr02 scr12 O
061 fkey03 fkey15 fkey27 fkey39 scr03 scr13 scr03 scr13 O
062 fkey04 fkey16 fkey28 fkey40 scr04 scr14 scr04 scr14 O
063 fkey05 fkey17 fkey29 fkey41 scr05 scr15 scr05 scr15 O
064 fkey06 fkey18 fkey30 fkey42 scr06 scr16 scr06 scr16 O
065 fkey07 fkey19 fkey31 fkey43 scr07 scr07 scr07 scr07 O
066 fkey08 fkey20 fkey32 fkey44 scr08 scr08 scr08 scr08 O
067 fkey09 fkey21 fkey33 fkey45 scr09 scr09 scr09 scr09 O
068 fkey10 fkey22 fkey34 fkey46 scr10 scr10 scr10 scr10 O
069 nlock nlock nlock nlock nlock nlock nlock nlock O
070 slock slock slock slock slock slock slock slock O
071 fkey49 '7' '7' '7' 0xb7 0xb7 '7' '7' N
072 fkey50 '8' '8' '8' 0xb8 0xb8 '8' '8' N
073 fkey51 '9' '9' '9' 0xb9 0xb9 '9' '9' N
074 fkey52 '-' '-' '-' 0xad 0xad '-' '-' N
075 fkey53 '4' '4' '4' 0xb4 0xb4 '4' '4' N
076 nop '5' '5' '5' 0xb5 0xb5 '5' '5' N
077 fkey55 '6' '6' '6' 0xb6 0xb6 '6' '6' N
078 fkey56 '+' '+' '+' 0xab 0xab '+' '+' N
079 fkey57 '1' '1' '1' 0xb1 0xb1 '1' '1' N
080 fkey58 '2' '2' '2' 0xb2 0xb2 '2' '2' N
081 fkey59 '3' '3' '3' 0xb3 0xb3 '3' '3' N
082 fkey60 '0' '0' '0' 0xb0 0xb0 '0' '0' N
083 del '.' del del del del boot del N
084 nop nop nop nop nop nop nop nop O
085 nop nop nop nop nop nop nop nop O
086 nop nop nop nop nop nop nop nop O
087 fkey11 fkey23 fkey35 fkey47 scr11 scr11 scr11 scr11 O
088 fkey12 fkey24 fkey36 fkey48 scr12 scr12 scr12 scr12 O
089 cr cr cr cr cr cr cr cr O
090 rctrl rctrl rctrl rctrl rctrl rctrl rctrl rctrl O
091 '/' '/' '/' '/' 0xaf 0xaf '/' '/' O
092 nscr nop debug nop nop nop nop nop O
093 ralt ralt ralt ralt ralt ralt ralt ralt O
094 fkey49 fkey49 fkey49 fkey49 fkey49 fkey49 fkey49 fkey49 O
095 fkey50 fkey50 fkey50 fkey50 fkey50 fkey50 fkey50 fkey50 O
096 fkey51 fkey51 fkey51 fkey51 fkey51 fkey51 fkey51 fkey51 O
097 fkey53 fkey53 fkey53 fkey53 fkey53 fkey53 fkey53 fkey53 O
098 fkey55 fkey55 fkey55 fkey55 fkey55 fkey55 fkey55 fkey55 O
099 fkey57 fkey57 fkey57 fkey57 fkey57 fkey57 fkey57 fkey57 O
100 fkey58 fkey58 fkey58 fkey58 fkey58 fkey58 fkey58 fkey58 O
101 fkey59 fkey59 fkey59 fkey59 fkey59 fkey59 fkey59 fkey59 O
102 fkey60 fkey60 fkey60 fkey60 fkey60 fkey60 fkey60 fkey60 O
103 fkey54 fkey54 fkey54 fkey54 fkey54 fkey54 boot fkey54 O
104 slock slock slock slock slock slock slock slock O
105 fkey61 fkey61 fkey61 fkey61 fkey61 fkey61 fkey61 fkey61 O
106 fkey62 fkey62 fkey62 fkey62 fkey62 fkey62 fkey62 fkey62 O
107 fkey63 fkey63 fkey63 fkey63 fkey63 fkey63 fkey63 fkey63 O
>Audit-Trail:
>Unformatted:
Want to link to this message? Use this URL: <https://mail-archive.FreeBSD.org/cgi/mid.cgi?199610160821.KAA17050>