Translation Table Syntax
Notation
Syntax is specified in EBNF notation with the following conventions:
[ a ]
Means either nothing or "a"
{ a }
Means zero or more occurrences of "a"
( a | b )
Means either "a" or "b"
\\n
Is the newline character
All terminals are enclosed in double quotation marks (" ").
Informal descriptions are enclosed in angle brackets (< >).
Syntax
The syntax of a translation table is
translationTable
= [ directive ] { production }
directive
= ( "#replace" | "#override" | "#augment" ) "\\\\n"
production
= lhs ":" rhs "\\\\n"
lhs
= ( event | keyseq ) { "," (event | keyseq) }
keyseq
= """ keychar {keychar} """
keychar
= [ "^" | "$" | "\\\\" ] <ISO Latin 1 character>
event
= [modifier_list] "<"event_type">" [ "(" count["+"] ")" ] {detail}
modifier_list
= ( ["!"] [":"] {modifier} ) | "None"
modifier
= ["~"] modifier_name
count
= ("1" | "2" | "3" | "4" | ...)
modifier_name
= "@" <keysym> | <see ModifierNames table below>
event_type
= <see Event Types table below>
detail
= <event specific details>
rhs
= { name "(" [params] ")" }
name
= namechar { namechar }
namechar
= { "a"-"z" | "A"-"Z" | "0"-"9" | "_" | "-" }
params
= string {"," string}
string
= quoted_string | unquoted_string
quoted_string
= "
{<Latin 1 character> | escape_char} ["\\\\" ] "
escape_char
= "\\""
unquoted_string
= {<Latin 1 character except space, tab, ",", "\\n", ")">}
The params field is parsed into a list of
String
values that will be passed to the named action procedure. A
quoted string may contain an embedded quotation mark if the
quotation mark is preceded by a single backslash (\). The
three-character sequence "\\\"" is interpreted as "single backslash
followed by end-of-string".
Modifier Names
The modifier field is used to specify standard X keyboard and button
modifier mask bits.
Modifiers are legal on event types
KeyPress,
KeyRelease,
ButtonPress,
ButtonRelease,
MotionNotify,
EnterNotify,
LeaveNotify,
and their abbreviations.
An error is generated when a translation table
that contains modifiers for any other events is parsed.
If the modifier list has no entries and is not "None",
it means "don't care" on all modifiers.
If an exclamation point (!) is specified at the beginning
of the modifier list,
it means that the listed modifiers must be in the correct state
and no other modifiers can be asserted.
If any modifiers are specified
and an exclamation point (!) is not specified,
it means that the listed modifiers must be in the
correct state and "don't care" about any other modifiers.
If a modifier is preceded by a tilde (~),
it means that that modifier must not be asserted.
If "None" is specified, it means no modifiers can be asserted.
If a colon (:) is specified at the beginning of the modifier list,
it directs the Intrinsics to apply any standard modifiers in the
event to map the event keycode into a KeySym.
The default standard modifiers are Shift and Lock,
with the interpretation as defined in X Window
System Protocol, Section 5.
The resulting KeySym must exactly match the specified
KeySym, and the nonstandard modifiers in the event must match the
modifier list.
For example, ":<Key>a" is distinct from ":<Key>A",
and ":Shift<Key>A" is distinct from ":<Key>A".
If both an exclamation point (!) and a colon (:) are specified at
the beginning of the modifier list, it means that the listed
modifiers must be in the correct state and that no other modifiers
except the standard modifiers can be asserted. Any standard
modifiers in the event are applied as for colon (:) above.
If a colon (:) is not specified,
no standard modifiers are applied.
Then, for example, "<Key>A" and "<Key>a" are equivalent.
In key sequences,
a circumflex (^) is an abbreviation for the Control modifier,
a dollar sign ($) is an abbreviation for Meta,
and a backslash (\) can be used to quote any
character, in particular a double quote ("), a circumflex (^),
a dollar sign ($), and another backslash (\).
Briefly:
No modifiers: None <event> detail
Any modifiers: <event> detail
Only these modifiers: ! mod1 mod2 <event> detail
These modifiers and any others: mod1 mod2 <event> detail
The use of "None" for a modifier list is identical to the use
of an exclamation point with no modifers.
Modifier
Abbreviation
Meaning
Ctrl
c
Control modifier bit
Shift
s
Shift modifier bit
Lock
l
Lock modifier bit
Meta
m
Meta key modifier
Hyper
h
Hyper key modifier
Super
su
Super key modifier
Alt
a
Alt key modifier
Mod1
Mod1 modifier bit
Mod2
Mod2 modifier bit
Mod3
Mod3 modifier bit
Mod4
Mod4 modifier bit
Mod5
Mod5 modifier bit
Button1
Button1 modifier bit
Button2
Button2 modifier bit
Button3
Button3 modifier bit
Button4
Button4 modifier bit
Button5
Button5 modifier bit
None
No modifiers
Any
Any modifier combination
A key modifier is any modifier bit one of whose corresponding KeyCodes
contains the corresponding left or right KeySym.
For example,
"m" or "Meta" means any modifier bit mapping to a KeyCode
whose KeySym list contains XK_Meta_L or XK_Meta_R.
Note that this interpretation is for each display,
not global or even for each application context.
The Control, Shift, and Lock modifier names refer
explicitly to the corresponding modifier bits;
there is no additional interpretation of KeySyms for these modifiers.
Because it is possible to associate arbitrary KeySyms with modifiers, the set of
key modifiers is extensible. The "@" <keysym> syntax means any
modifier bit whose corresponding KeyCode contains the specified KeySym name.
A modifier_list/KeySym combination in a translation matches a
modifiers/KeyCode combination in an event in the following ways:
If a colon (:) is used, the Intrinsics call the display's
with the KeyCode and modifiers.
To match, (modifiers & ~modifiers_return) must equal modifier_list, and
keysym_return must equal the given KeySym.
If (:) is not used, the Intrinsics mask off all don't-care bits from the
modifiers.
This value must be equal to modifier_list.
Then, for each possible combination of
don't-care modifiers in the modifier list, the Intrinsics call the display's
with the KeyCode and that combination ORed with the cared-about modifier bits
from the event.
Keysym_return must match the KeySym in the translation.
Event Types
The event-type field describes XEvent types.
In addition to the standard
Xlib symbolic event type names, the following event type synonyms
are defined:
Type
Meaning
Key
KeyPress
KeyDown
KeyPress
KeyUp
KeyRelease
BtnDown
ButtonPress
BtnUp
ButtonRelease
Motion
MotionNotify
PtrMoved
MotionNotify
MouseMoved
MotionNotify
Enter
EnterNotify
EnterWindow
EnterNotify
Leave
LeaveNotify
LeaveWindow
LeaveNotify
FocusIn
FocusIn
FocusOut
FocusOut
Keymap
KeymapNotify
Expose
Expose
GrExp
GraphicsExpose
NoExp
NoExpose
Visible
VisibilityNotify
Create
CreateNotify
Destroy
DestroyNotify
Unmap
UnmapNotify
Map
MapNotify
MapReq
MapRequest
Reparent
ReparentNotify
Configure
ConfigureNotify
ConfigureReq
ConfigureRequest
Grav
GravityNotify
ResReq
ResizeRequest
Circ
CirculateNotify
CircReq
CirculateRequest
Prop
PropertyNotify
SelClr
SelectionClear
SelReq
SelectionRequest
Select
SelectionNotify
Clrmap
ColormapNotify
Message
ClientMessage
Mapping
MappingNotify
The supported abbreviations are:
Abbreviation
Event Type
Including
Ctrl
KeyPress
with Control modifier
Meta
KeyPress
with Meta modifier
Shift
KeyPress
with Shift modifier
Btn1Down
ButtonPress
with Button1 detail
Btn1Up
ButtonRelease
with Button1 detail
Btn2Down
ButtonPress
with Button2 detail
Btn2Up
ButtonRelease
with Button2 detail
Btn3Down
ButtonPress
with Button3 detail
Btn3Up
ButtonRelease
with Button3 detail
Btn4Down
ButtonPress
with Button4 detail
Btn4Up
ButtonRelease
with Button4 detail
Btn5Down
ButtonPress
with Button5 detail
Btn5Up
ButtonRelease
with Button5 detail
BtnMotion
MotionNotify
with any button modifier
Btn1Motion
MotionNotify
with Button1 modifier
Btn2Motion
MotionNotify
with Button2 modifier
Btn3Motion
MotionNotify
with Button3 modifier
Btn4Motion
MotionNotify
with Button4 modifier
Btn5Motion
MotionNotify
with Button5 modifier
The detail field is event-specific and normally corresponds to the
detail field of the corresponding event as described
by X Window System Protocol, Section 11.
The detail field is supported for the following event types:
KeyPress
KeySym from event detail (keycode)
KeyRelease
KeySym from event detail (keycode)
ButtonPress
button from event detail
ButtonRelease
button from event detail
MotionNotify
event detail
EnterNotify
event mode
LeaveNotify
event mode
FocusIn
event mode
FocusOut
event mode
PropertyNotify
atom
SelectionClear
selection
SelectionRequest
selection
SelectionNotify
selection
ClientMessage
type
MappingNotify
request
If the event type is
KeyPress
or
KeyRelease,
the detail field
specifies a KeySym name in standard format which is matched against
the event as described above, for example, <Key>A.
For the
PropertyNotify,
SelectionClear,
SelectionRequest,
SelectionNotify,
and
ClientMessage
events the detail field is specified
as an atom name; for example, <Message>WM_PROTOCOLS. For the
MotionNotify,
EnterNotify,
LeaveNotify,
FocusIn,
FocusOut,
and
MappingNotify
events, either the symbolic constants as defined by
X Window
System Protocol, Section 11,
or the numeric values may be specified.
If no detail field is specified, then any value in the event detail is
accepted as a match.
A KeySym can be specified as any of the standard KeySym names,
a hexadecimal number prefixed with "0x" or "0X",
an octal number prefixed with "0", or a decimal number.
A KeySym expressed as a single digit is interpreted as the
corresponding Latin 1 KeySym, for example, "0" is the KeySym XK_0.
Other single character KeySyms are treated as literal constants from Latin 1,
for example, "!" is treated as 0x21.
Standard KeySym names are as defined in
<X11/keysymdef.h>
with the "XK_" prefix removed.
Canonical Representation
Every translation table has a unique, canonical text representation. This
representation is passed to a widget's
display_accelerator
procedure to describe the accelerators installed on that widget.
The canonical representation of a translation table is (see also
"Syntax")
translationTable
= { production }
production
= lhs ":" rhs "\\n"
lhs
=event { "," event }
event
=[modifier_list] "<"event_type">" [ "(" count["+"] ")" ] {detail}
modifier_list
= ["!"] [":"] {modifier}
modifier
= ["~"] modifier_name
count
=("1" | "2" | "3" | "4" | ...)
modifier_name
= "@" <keysym> | <see canonical modifier names below>
event_type
= <see canonical event types below>
detail
=<event-specific details>
rhs
={ name "(" [params] ")" }
name
=namechar { namechar }
namechar
= { "a"-"z" | "A"-"Z" | "0"-"9" | "_" | "-" }
params
=string {"," string}
string
=quoted_string
quoted_string
= "
{<Latin 1 character> | escape_char} ["\\\\" ] "
escape_char
= "\\""
The canonical modifier names are
Ctrl Mod1 Button1
Shift Mod2 Button2
Lock Mod3 Button3
Mod4 Button4
Mod5 Button5
The canonical event types are
KeyPress
KeyRelease
ButtonPress
ButtonRelease
MotionNotify
EnterNotify
LeaveNotify
FocusIn
FocusOut
KeymapNotify
Expose
GraphicsExpose,
NoExpose
VisibilityNotify
CreateNotify
DestroyNotify
UnmapNotify
MapNotify
MapRequest
ReparentNotify
ConfigureNotify
ConfigureRequest
GravityNotify
ResizeRequest
CirculateNotify
CirculateRequest
PropertyNotify
SelectionClear
SelectionRequest
SelectionNotify
ColormapNotify
ClientMessage
Examples
Always put more specific events in the table before more general ones:
Shift <Btn1Down> : twas()\n\
<Btn1Down> : brillig()
For double-click on Button1 Up with Shift, use this specification:
Shift<Btn1Up>(2) : and()
This is equivalent to the following line with appropriate timers set
between events:
Shift<Btn1Down>,Shift<Btn1Up>,Shift<Btn1Down>,Shift<Btn1Up> : and()
For double-click on Button1 Down with Shift, use this specification:
Shift<Btn1Down>(2) : the()
This is equivalent to the following line with appropriate timers set
between events:
Shift<Btn1Down>,Shift<Btn1Up>,Shift<Btn1Down> : the()
Mouse motion is always discarded when it occurs between events in a table
where no motion event is specified:
<Btn1Down>,<Btn1Up> : slithy()
This is taken, even if the pointer moves a bit between the down and
up events.
Similarly, any motion event specified in a translation matches any number
of motion events.
If the motion event causes an action procedure to be invoked,
the procedure is invoked after each motion event.
If an event sequence consists of a sequence of events that is also a
noninitial subsequence of another translation,
it is not taken if it occurs in the context of the longer sequence.
This occurs mostly in sequences like the following:
<Btn1Down>,<Btn1Up> : toves()\n\
<Btn1Up> : did()
The second translation is taken only if the button release is not
preceded by a button press or if there are intervening events between the
press and the release.
Be particularly aware of this when using the repeat notation, above,
with buttons and keys,
because their expansion includes additional events;
and when specifying motion events, because they are implicitly included
between any two other events.
In particular,
pointer motion and double-click translations cannot coexist in the same
translation table.
For single click on Button1 Up with Shift and Meta, use this specification:
Shift Meta <Btn1Down>, Shift Meta<Btn1Up>: gyre()
For multiple clicks greater or equal to a minimum number,
a plus sign (+) may be appended to the final (rightmost)
count in an event sequence. The actions will be invoked
on the count-th click and each subsequent one arriving
within the multi-click time interval. For example:
Shift <Btn1Up>(2+) : and()
To indicate
EnterNotify
with any modifiers, use this specification:
<Enter> : gimble()
To indicate
EnterNotify
with no modifiers, use this specification:
None <Enter> : in()
To indicate
EnterNotify
with Button1 Down and Button2 Up and "don't care" about
the other modifiers, use this specification:
Button1 ~Button2 <Enter> : the()
To indicate
EnterNotify
with Button1 down and Button2 down exclusively, use this specification:
! Button1 Button2 <Enter> : wabe()
You do not need to use a tilde (~) with an exclamation point (!).