Mike
McBride
2002-02-12
3.00.00
KDE
KControl
keyboard

# Keyboard

This module allows you to choose how your keyboard works.

The actual effect of setting these options depends upon the features provided by your keyboard hardware and the X server on which &kde; is running. As an example, you may find that changing the key click volume has no effect because that feature is not available on your system.

## Layout

Here you can select the keyboard layouts available to you from &kde;, or you can disable alternative keyboard layouts entirely, by unchecking the Enable keyboard layouts box.

The first option available is to select your physical Keyboard Model.

Next you can select the Primary Layout you wish to use, which would normally be the physical layout of keys on the keyboard.

You can enable additional keyboard layouts below this. You can select as many from the list as you like.

If you enable additional layouts, you will find a new icon embedded in your panel system tray. This will initially be set to your primary layout. You can right click on this icon to choose any of the additional layouts you have selected in this module, or choose the Configure from the menu to reopen the module to change your settings.

## Options

You can configure the switching policy, so that keyboard layouts switch on a Global basis, per Window Class, or on a Window basis.

You can set Xkb Options here also.

## Advanced

Keyboard Repeat

  When this option is selected, pressing and holding down a key emits the same character repeatedly until the key is released. Pressing and holding the key will have the same effect as pressing it multiple times in succession.

  Almost all users will want to have this option enabled, because it makes navigating through documents with the arrow keys significantly easier.

Key Click Volume

  If supported, this option allows you to hear audible clicks from your computer's speakers when you press the keys on your keyboard. In essence, this simulates the click of a mechanical type-writer. You can change the loudness of the key click feedback by dragging the slider button or by clicking the up/down arrows on the spin-button. Setting the volume to 0% turns off the key click.

  Many computers won't support this function.

  Very few people would choose to enable this option, since it generally annoys everyone else in the room. However, if your heart yearns for the pre-soft-key era, this may help you to re-experience the warm sentimentality of days-gone-by.

NumLock on KDE Startup

  You can choose to either always Turn on or Turn off the NumLock when &kde; starts, or you can choose to have &kde; leave NumLock at whatever it was set to before KDE started up.

## Section Author

Ellis Whitehead kde@ellisw.net

Updated for &kde; 2.2 by Lauri Watts lauri@kde.org