#981115 please support multiple compose keys in keyboard-configuration

Package:
keyboard-configuration
Source:
console-setup
Submitter:
Martin
Date:
2021-01-26 22:54:03 UTC
Severity:
wishlist
#981115#5
Date:
2021-01-26 16:24:14 UTC
From:
To:
It is convenient to have compose keys for both hands, e.g.
capslock and ralt, similar to the two shift keys.

When running
$ sudo dpkg-reconfigure keyboard-configuration
users can only select one compose key.

I assume, that multiple comma separated values would work.
#981115#10
Date:
2021-01-26 19:02:59 UTC
From:
To:
It is not that simple.  While xkboptions supports specifying the compose
option multiple times, it is not a comma separated list.  Right now
the config for keyboard-configuration stores a single value for the
compose key in the debconf database and is able to match that against a
simple switch statement.  If it was changed to a comma separated list,
it would require splitting before being able to match each key against
the switch statement.  The code that turns the compose key value into
the right xkboptions would need to be expanded to handle multiple values
in a loop.  Quite a lot of current assumptions would need to be tossed
away and replaced with code that is quite a bit more complicated.  I am
sure it could be done but I am not sure if anyone would be willing to
put in the effort for something that is probably very rarely wanted.

Simply manually putting in the config instead seems like a lot less work.
#981115#15
Date:
2021-01-26 19:02:59 UTC
From:
To:
It is not that simple.  While xkboptions supports specifying the compose
option multiple times, it is not a comma separated list.  Right now
the config for keyboard-configuration stores a single value for the
compose key in the debconf database and is able to match that against a
simple switch statement.  If it was changed to a comma separated list,
it would require splitting before being able to match each key against
the switch statement.  The code that turns the compose key value into
the right xkboptions would need to be expanded to handle multiple values
in a loop.  Quite a lot of current assumptions would need to be tossed
away and replaced with code that is quite a bit more complicated.  I am
sure it could be done but I am not sure if anyone would be willing to
put in the effort for something that is probably very rarely wanted.

Simply manually putting in the config instead seems like a lot less work.
#981115#20
Date:
2021-01-26 21:33:07 UTC
From:
To:
...

Thanks for the investigation, Lennart!

I probably stay with:

$ setxkbmap -option compose:caps
$ setxkbmap -option compose:ralt

Cheers
#981115#25
Date:
2021-01-26 22:50:22 UTC
From:
To:
You could do them on one line too.