Re: [PATCH] Unisys pc keyboard new keys patch, kernel 2.4.3

H. Peter Anvin
2001-04-13T23:54:29Z

In article <20010414002120.A15596@win.tue.nl> of
linux.dev.kernel, you write:
> On Fri, Apr 13, 2001 at 03:02:19PM +0200, Jan Dvorak wrote:
>
> > i recently met with a new (Unisys) keyboard, which have (among 'normal'
> > windows keys) 3 more keys on top of arrows, labeled by pictures as
> > halfsun, halfmoon, and power switch. Following patch adds 'support' for them
>
> > +#define E0_MSPOWER 128
> > +#define E0_MSHALFMOON 129
> > +#define E0_MSHALFSUN 130
>
> No, these codes cannot be larger than 127 today.
> You can use the utility setkeycodes to assign keycodes to these keys.
>
> [One of the things for 2.5 is 15- or 31-bit keycodes.
> The 7-bits we have today do no longer suffice. I have a 132-key keyboard.]
>

By the way, it's for things like this that I suggested using a keycode
which can be algorithmically mapped from scan codes once we go to a
larger keycode space. For example, if your key generates E0 63, it
would *always* have keycode 0x00E3 (227). For PC keyboards, I believe
the following mapping algorithm should work onto a 15-bit keycode
space (all numbers in hex):

xx -> 00xx
E0 xx -> 00xx | 0080
E1 xx yy -> yyxx

(I can't remember which one of the E1 bytes that has the make/break
bit, it should obviously go at the top.)

This assumes that there isn't a null byte form of E1, in which case it
really can't be made to fit, but I don't think so.

This means you don't have to configure two levels (scancodes ->
keycodes and keycodes -> keymap); since currently the keycodes are
keyboard-specific anyway there is no benefit to the two levels.

-hpa
--
<hpa@transmeta.com> at work, <hpa@zytor.com> in private!
"Unix gives you enough rope to shoot yourself in the foot."