Description of Problem: When executing Xconfigurator in a normal root session for the purposes of fine-tune the configuration or either take advantage of new features of updated XFree86 Packages (such as the one in https://www.redhat.com/support/errata/RHEA-2002-010.html), Xconfigurator does not ask the user for X keyboard configuration. After configuring the XFree86 parameters, Xconfigurator saves a XF86Config file that overrides the keyboard settings entered at installation. Concretely, Xconfigurator overwrites any value of XkbModel with "pc101" and XkbLayout with "us" regardless of whichever previous values of these settings. This is highly problematic since the list of layouts is not easily available; neither /usr/X11R6/lib/X11/doc/README.Config nor the XF86Config.4 man page have relevant or useful information in this regard. Version-Release number of selected component (if applicable): Xconfigurator-4.9.39-2 and earlier How Reproducible: every time Steps to Reproduce: 1. Execute Xconfigurator with a previous non-US working X keyboard setup. 2. 3. Actual Results: Keyboard configuration overwriten to US parameters Expected Results: Either preserve the XkbModel, XkbLayout and related parameters when writing the XF86Config file or ask the user for input regarding X keyboard settings and use them when writing the XF86Config file. Additional Information: WORKAROUND: Save the newly produced XF86Config with other name, like XF86Config.temp; then run xf86config and get a new XF86Config file; Look at the keyboard settings in that file; write them down and then replace the xf86config-generated XF86Config with your old XF86Config.temp; edit the file, and replace the values of XkbModel and XkbLayout for the correct ones. HELPFUL: include documentation on X keyboard configuration paramenters.
Xconfigurator does not at all allow "tweaking" a configuration file currently. It always creates a brand new config file from scratch, completely ignoring any prior configuration. As such, when running Xconfigurator, if you save the config file, all prior configuration is lost, since the previous config file(s) are totally ignored and overwritten. So, while this is extremely inconvenient, it is not a bug. Always make a backup copy of any X config files before running Xconfigurator. It is planned in the future to have a much better X configuration tool which does in fact read the config file and allow modification and tweaking. This will be a primary feature in a future release.
Thank you very much for answering. However, it seems that I did not explain myself correctly or either you did not understand. Please think about this: I use a non-us keyboard (say, a Spanish one, with the accents and the q letter). The problem is that after I run Xconfigurator, the keyboard layout in X goes to the US layout. I lose all my accents and my q letter. There is not even the slightest hint on the documentation, either about this shortcoming or how to implement a workaround. I see no problem with this: "Xconfigurator does not at all allow "tweaking" a configuration file currently. It always creates a brand new config file from scratch, completely ignoring any prior configuration. As such, when running Xconfigurator, if you save the config file, all prior configuration is lost, since the previous config file(s) are totally ignored and overwritten." It is ok that Xconfigurator should overwrite completely any file; but then our utility's configuration scope should be broader. Non english speakers are caught in a catch-22 situation. The important thing here is that if Xconfigurator always creates a brand- new config file from scratch, it should ask the user about keyboard settings (very important for non-english speaking people and for i18n stuff in general), or either document the shortcoming and provide instructions on how to overcome this by hand-editing the appropriate file. Thanks, Eduardo
No, you explained yourself fine.. I understand the problem. I think I perhaps wasn't clear enough though. I realize Xconfigurators shortcomings indeed. These types of issues will indeed be dealt with in a future X configuration tool release. The _current_ Xconfigurator tool does not deal with this. kbdconfig is used to configure the keyboard settings.
Thank you very much for your answer. Please bear in mind, however, that kbdconfig is useful for the console only. I tried that and I got a beautiful us-latin1 layout for consoles, but X still was using the "us" layout, without any deadkey. My only workaround was, as I put there, to run the older xf86config in order to grab the appropriate values for the X keyboard settings, as I told you