Switch between two keyboard maps

keyb-switch

#!/bin/bash

###############################################################################
# Begin of configuration section
###############################################################################

# Define the default keyboard map here
default_map="de"

# Define the alternative keyboard map here
#alternative_map="us"
alternative_map="ru"

# Icon file for messages
ks_icon="/usr/share/pixmaps/keyb-switch.jpg" 

###############################################################################
# Begin of section with function definitions
# Don't change any lines below unless you know what you do!
###############################################################################

# Determine the current keyboard map
function det_curr_map {

    local curr=$(setxkbmap -query | grep layout | awk '{ print $2 }')
    echo "$curr"
}

# Show message to inform about keyboard map change
function ks_message {
    notify-send -t 3000 \
      --icon=$ks_icon \
      "keyb-switch" \
      "Changed keyboard map to \"${current_map^^}\"."
}

###############################################################################
# Begin of main program
###############################################################################

# Determine the current map
current_map=$(det_curr_map)

if [ "$current_map" == "$default_map" ]; then
    setxkbmap $alternative_map
else
    setxkbmap $default_map
fi

# Update variable current_map
current_map=$(det_curr_map)

# Show message
ks_message

Copy this file to /usr/local/bin and chmod +x. When you configure a keyboard shortcut like "CTRL+F9" (avoid letters!) for this script, you can quickly change between two predefined keyboard layouts. If you like, provide a icon file at /usr/share/pixmaps/keyb-switch.jpg.