Re: [LINUX5250] New User Requires Help With Keyboard Re-mapping]

[Scott Klement <klemscot@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

tn5250 does not "really" do keyboard mapping.  It relies on your
terminal's capability to do that.

When you run the xt5250 script (which is nothing more than a shell script)
it creates a new xterm, tells the xterm what keyboard settings to use
by directing it to your /usr/local/share/tn5250/XTerm file, and then
runs the tn5250 program.

If you want to run tn5250 instead of xt5250, then you have to do that
manually.   Since TN5250 does not do keyboard mapping, then how you do
it will depend on your terminal!

The Linux console does it using the "loadkeys" command.  You need to
make your keyboard mapping changes in the "us5250.map" or "uk5250.map"
(or whatever is appropriate) and then load it by running "loadkeys
us5250.map"

If you're doing this from X, then you could do it from an xterm.  This
is what xt5250 does.  If you don't want to use xt5250, you could try
doing it manually (thought it's not simple) by doing something like
this:
     1)  Make your own copy of /usr/local/share/tn5250/XTerm:
              cd /usr/local/share/tn5250
              cp XTerm mymap
     2)  Edit your copy, and change the "xt5250" on the top
          line of the file to read "xterm".
     3)  Run xrdb to load your settings:
            xrdb mymap
     4)  Launch a new xterm, using the xterm-5250 terminal type:
            xterm -fg white -bg black -tn xterm-5250
     5)  And in your new xterm, run tn5250:
              tn5250 gec400

If you looked at the xt5250 script, you'd see that it's doing pretty
much the same thing... though it has a few more bells and whistles,
and only affects xt5250 sessions, not all xterms.

If you want to run tn5250 with keyboard mapping in another terminal,
such as the ones included with KDE, or Gnome, then you'd have to figure
out how to do keyboard mapping in THOSE terminals.   I can't help you
with that one, I've never done it.

Again, I strongly recommend that you get xt5250 working instead.  Trying
to do it yourself is the long-way-around.


On Fri, 22 Feb 2002, Alstom Engineering Office wrote:
>
> Thank you for your reply, but I just can seem to get it working properly!
>
> I using Version 0.16.3 of tn5250 on Linux Mandrake 8.1 with KDE.
>
> I connecting to "gec400", which is defined in the hosts file as 198.25.23.3
>
> I created a program shortcut on the desktop:
>   Command:  /usr/local/bin/tn5250
>   Run in Terminal: Yes
>      Terminal Options: gec400
>
> This works fine in running the tn5250 emulator.
>
> I tried Command: /usr/local/share/bin/xt5250, but that did not work, it does
> not connect at all ???? How can I run this script? (As it is recommended in
> the HOWTO manual.) (It appears that the mapping does not work, because I
> cannot run the xt5250 script.)
>
> If I rather use tn5250 (as I am using now) what file (and how) must I change
> to include the keyboard mapping? If it is in ~\.tn5250rc then what is the
> format of the file, seeing that is is:
>   gec400 {
>       host = 198.25.23.3
>   }
>
> I modified the XTerm file in /usr/local/share/tn5250/ for the keys I wanted
> to map, but it does not appear if it works:
> Key pad plus as Field Plus:   <Key>KP_Add: string("\030") \n\
>     It appears to be working - but only sometimes? Sometimes it displays a
> "+" in stead of advancing to the next line / page.
> Key pad enter as Field Plus:   <Key>KP_Enter: string("\030") \n\
>    This does not work!
> Page Down (not key pad page down) as New Line:   <Key>KP_Enter:
> string("\033\012") \n\
> Left Control as Reset (default):   <Key>Control_L: string("\022") \n\
>    (This does NOT work. If I press Cntr L, it works (evern if I use the left
> control key, buy if I press ONLY the Control Left is does NOTHING!)
> Backspace does not work at all! When I press it, it displays a blank.
>
> Where do you find a list of the keys on the keyboard descriptions, e.g.
> KP_Left, Cotnrol_L, etc.
>
>
> Thank you for your help so far.
>
> Henk de Swardt
> South Africa
>