New kbd Package vs. kbd-legacy

kbd-new.md

The kbd Packages

In the current Tumbleweed, there are now two kbd packages:

• kbd-legacy, the old one
• kbd, the new one

To compare the package content, install QDirStat (zypper in qdirstat) and view both packages with qdirstat pkg:/kbd.

kbd-legacy

This is the /usr/share/kbd/keymaps directory (and nothing outside of that directory) with all subdirectories except the xkb/ subdirectory there (i.e. /usr/share/kbd/keymaps/xkb) which belongs to the new kbd package.

/usr/share/kbd/keymaps
├── amiga
├── atari
├── i386
│   ├── azerty
│   ├── bepo
│   ├── carpalx
│   ├── colemak
│   ├── dvorak
│   ├── fgGIod
│   ├── include
│   ├── neo
│   ├── olpc
│   ├── qwerty
│   └── qwertz
├── include
├── mac
│   ├── all
│   └── include
├── ppc -> mac
└── sun

Many of the keymaps there start with the locale, but it's not completely consistent:

i386/quertz/:

• croat.map.gz
• cz.map.gz
• cz-us-qwertz.map.gz
• de_alt_UTF-8.map.gz
• de_CH-latin1.map.gz
• de-latin1.map.gz
• de-latin1-nodeadkeys.map.gz
• de.map.gz
• de-mobii.map.gz
• fr_CH-latin1.map.gz
• fr_CH.map.gz
• hu.map.gz
• ro-latin2.map.gz
• sg-latin1-lk450.map.gz
• sg-latin1.map.gz
• sg.map.gz
• sk-prog-qwertz.map.gz
• sk-qwertz.map.gz
• slovene.map.gz
• sr-latin.map.gz

Notice exceptions like croat.map.gz and slovene.map.gz.

Some of the keymaps include another one with an include statement.

Sample Legacy Keymap

zcat de-latin1.map.gz

# de-latin1.map: German keymap
...
...

keymaps 0-2,4-6,8-10,12
alt_is_meta
include "qwertz-layout"
	altgr keycode  16 = at
control altgr keycode  16 = nul
	altgr keycode  50 = mu
include "linux-with-alt-and-altgr"
	plain keycode  83 = KP_Comma
include "euro2.map"
include "compose.latin1"
strings as usual

#             Normal           Shift            AltGr           Strg
keycode   1 = Escape           Escape
keycode   2 = one              exclam
keycode   3 = two              quotedbl         twosuperior     nul
keycode   4 = three            section          threesuperior   Escape
keycode   5 = four             dollar
keycode   6 = five             percent
keycode   7 = six              ampersand
keycode   8 = seven            slash            braceleft
keycode   9 = eight            parenleft        bracketleft
keycode  10 = nine             parenright       bracketright
        control altgr keycode  10 = Control_bracketright
keycode  11 = zero             equal            braceright
keycode  12 = ssharp           question         backslash
        control altgr keycode  12 = Control_backslash
keycode  13 = dead_acute       dead_grave
        alt     keycode  13 = Meta_acute
        shift   alt   keycode  13 = Meta_grave
keycode  14 = Delete           Delete
        alt     keycode  14 = Meta_Delete
keycode  15 = Tab              Meta_Tab
keycode  26 = +udiaeresis       +Udiaeresis
keycode  27 = plus             asterisk         dead_tilde
keycode  28 = Return
	alt	keycode  28 = Meta_Control_m
keycode  29 = Control
keycode  39 = +odiaeresis       +Odiaeresis

Each key has up to four bindings, so this is easy to read and easy to edit.

kbd (new)

Most important directories:

/usr/share/kbd
├── consolefonts
│   └── partialfonts
├── consoletrans
├── keymaps
│   ├── [amiga] (belongs to kbd-legacy)
.   .   ...
│   ├── [i386]  (belongs to kbd-legacy)
.   .   ...     (more subdirs that belong to kbd-legacy)
│   └── xkb
└── unimaps

/usr/share/kbd/keymaps/xkb contains all the new keymaps directly without any subdirectories. This is the only directory below /usr/share/kbd/keymaps/ that does not belong to kbd-legacy.

In addition to that, the new kbd package contains 33 commands + 3 symlinks in /usr/bin, 2 commands in /usr/sbin, the corresponding man pages, message translations and some miscellaneous files for its systemd service etc.

New Style Keymaps

The naming is now much more consistent; now they always start with the locale. There is no more croat.map.gz; it's now hr.map.gz ("Hrvatska"), there is no more slovene.map.gz; it's now si.map.gz.

Those keymaps are generated from xkb X11 keyboard definitions.

But the keymaps now have many more (128?) entries for each key which makes them much harder to read and to edit:

[sh @ balrog-tw-dev] ...kbd/keymaps/xkb 63 % zcat de.map.gz | head -n 10

keymaps 0-127
keycode 1 = Escape Escape Escape Escape Escape Escape Escape Escape Meta_Escape Meta_Escape Meta_Escape Meta_Escape Meta_Escape Meta_Escape Meta_Escape Meta_Escape Escape Escape Escape Escape Escape Escape Escape Escape Meta_Escape Meta_Escape Meta_Escape Meta_Escape Meta_Escape Meta_Escape Meta_Escape Meta_Escape Escape Escape Escape Escape Escape Escape Escape Escape Meta_Escape Meta_Escape Meta_Escape Meta_Escape Meta_Escape Meta_Escape Meta_Escape Meta_Escape Escape Escape Escape Escape Escape Escape Escape Escape Meta_Escape Meta_Escape Meta_Escape Meta_Escape Meta_Escape Meta_Escape Meta_Escape Meta_Escape Escape Escape Escape Escape Escape Escape Escape Escape Meta_Escape Meta_Escape Meta_Escape Meta_Escape Meta_Escape Meta_Escape Meta_Escape Meta_Escape Escape Escape Escape Escape Escape Escape Escape Escape Meta_Escape Meta_Escape Meta_Escape Meta_Escape Meta_Escape Meta_Escape Meta_Escape Meta_Escape Escape Escape Escape Escape Escape Escape Escape Escape Meta_Escape Meta_Escape Meta_Escape Meta_Escape Meta_Escape Meta_Escape Meta_Escape Meta_Escape Escape Escape Escape Escape Escape Escape Escape Escape Meta_Escape Meta_Escape Meta_Escape Meta_Escape Meta_Escape Meta_Escape Meta_Escape Meta_Escape
keycode 2 = U+0031 U+0021 U+00b9 U+00a1 U+0031 U+0021 U+00b9 U+00a1 Meta_one Meta_exclam Meta_one Meta_exclam Meta_one Meta_exclam Meta_one Meta_exclam U+0031 U+0021 U+00b9 U+00a1 U+0031 U+0021 U+00b9 U+00a1 Meta_one Meta_exclam Meta_one Meta_exclam Meta_one Meta_exclam Meta_one Meta_exclam U+0031 U+0021 U+00b9 U+00a1 U+0031 U+0021 U+00b9 U+00a1 Meta_one Meta_exclam Meta_one Meta_exclam Meta_one Meta_exclam Meta_one Meta_exclam U+0031 U+0021 U+00b9 U+00a1 U+0031 U+0021 U+00b9 U+00a1 Meta_one Meta_exclam Meta_one Meta_exclam Meta_one Meta_exclam Meta_one Meta_exclam U+0031 U+0021 U+00b9 U+00a1 U+0031 U+0021 U+00b9 U+00a1 Meta_one Meta_exclam Meta_one Meta_exclam Meta_one Meta_exclam Meta_one Meta_exclam U+0031 U+0021 U+00b9 U+00a1 U+0031 U+0021 U+00b9 U+00a1 Meta_one Meta_exclam Meta_one Meta_exclam Meta_one Meta_exclam Meta_one Meta_exclam U+0031 U+0021 U+00b9 U+00a1 U+0031 U+0021 U+00b9 U+00a1 Meta_one Meta_exclam Meta_one Meta_exclam Meta_one Meta_exclam Meta_one Meta_exclam U+0031 U+0021 U+00b9 U+00a1 U+0031 U+0021 U+00b9 U+00a1 Meta_one Meta_exclam Meta_one Meta_exclam Meta_one Meta_exclam Meta_one Meta_exclam
keycode 3 = U+0032 U+0022 U+00b2 U+215b U+0032 U+0022 U+00b2 U+215b Meta_two Meta_quotedbl Meta_two Meta_quotedbl Meta_two Meta_quotedbl Meta_two Meta_quotedbl U+0032 U+0022 U+00b2 U+215b U+0032 U+0022 U+00b2 U+215b Meta_two Meta_quotedbl Meta_two Meta_quotedbl Meta_two Meta_quotedbl Meta_two Meta_quotedbl U+0032 U+0022 U+00b2 U+215b U+0032 U+0022 U+00b2 U+215b Meta_two Meta_quotedbl Meta_two Meta_quotedbl Meta_two Meta_quotedbl Meta_two Meta_quotedbl U+0032 U+0022 U+00b2 U+215b U+0032 U+0022 U+00b2 U+215b Meta_two Meta_quotedbl Meta_two Meta_quotedbl Meta_two Meta_quotedbl Meta_two Meta_quotedbl U+0032 U+0022 U+00b2 U+215b U+0032 U+0022 U+00b2 U+215b Meta_two Meta_quotedbl Meta_two Meta_quotedbl Meta_two Meta_quotedbl Meta_two Meta_quotedbl U+0032 U+0022 U+00b2 U+215b U+0032 U+0022 U+00b2 U+215b Meta_two Meta_quotedbl Meta_two Meta_quotedbl Meta_two Meta_quotedbl Meta_two Meta_quotedbl U+0032 U+0022 U+00b2 U+215b U+0032 U+0022 U+00b2 U+215b Meta_two Meta_quotedbl Meta_two Meta_quotedbl Meta_two Meta_quotedbl Meta_two Meta_quotedbl U+0032 U+0022 U+00b2 U+215b U+0032 U+0022 U+00b2 U+215b Meta_two Meta_quotedbl Meta_two Meta_quotedbl Meta_two Meta_quotedbl Meta_two Meta_quotedbl
keycode 4 = U+0033 U+00a7 U+00b3 U+00a3 U+0033 U+00a7 U+00b3 U+00a3 Meta_three Meta_three Meta_three U+00a3 Meta_three Meta_three Meta_three U+00a3 U+0033 U+00a7 U+00b3 U+00a3 U+0033 U+00a7 U+00b3 U+00a3 Meta_three Meta_three Meta_three U+00a3 Meta_three Meta_three Meta_three U+00a3 U+0033 U+00a7 U+00b3 U+00a3 U+0033 U+00a7 U+00b3 U+00a3 Meta_three Meta_three Meta_three U+00a3 Meta_three Meta_three Meta_three U+00a3 U+0033 U+00a7 U+00b3 U+00a3 U+0033 U+00a7 U+00b3 U+00a3 Meta_three Meta_three Meta_three U+00a3 Meta_three Meta_three Meta_three U+00a3 U+0033 U+00a7 U+00b3 U+00a3 U+0033 U+00a7 U+00b3 U+00a3 Meta_three Meta_three Meta_three U+00a3 Meta_three Meta_three Meta_three U+00a3 U+0033 U+00a7 U+00b3 U+00a3 U+0033 U+00a7 U+00b3 U+00a3 Meta_three Meta_three Meta_three U+00a3 Meta_three Meta_three Meta_three U+00a3 U+0033 U+00a7 U+00b3 U+00a3 U+0033 U+00a7 U+00b3 U+00a3 Meta_three Meta_three Meta_three U+00a3 Meta_three Meta_three Meta_three U+00a3 U+0033 U+00a7 U+00b3 U+00a3 U+0033 U+00a7 U+00b3 U+00a3 Meta_three Meta_three Meta_three U+00a3 Meta_three Meta_three Meta_three U+00a3
keycode 5 = U+0034 U+0024 U+00bc U+00a4 U+0034 U+0024 U+00bc U+00a4 Meta_four Meta_dollar Meta_four Meta_dollar Meta_four Meta_dollar Meta_four Meta_dollar U+0034 U+0024 U+00bc U+00a4 U+0034 U+0024 U+00bc U+00a4 Meta_four Meta_dollar Meta_four Meta_dollar Meta_four Meta_dollar Meta_four Meta_dollar U+0034 U+0024 U+00bc U+00a4 U+0034 U+0024 U+00bc U+00a4 Meta_four Meta_dollar Meta_four Meta_dollar Meta_four Meta_dollar Meta_four Meta_dollar U+0034 U+0024 U+00bc U+00a4 U+0034 U+0024 U+00bc U+00a4 Meta_four Meta_dollar Meta_four Meta_dollar Meta_four Meta_dollar Meta_four Meta_dollar U+0034 U+0024 U+00bc U+00a4 U+0034 U+0024 U+00bc U+00a4 Meta_four Meta_dollar Meta_four Meta_dollar Meta_four Meta_dollar Meta_four Meta_dollar U+0034 U+0024 U+00bc U+00a4 U+0034 U+0024 U+00bc U+00a4 Meta_four Meta_dollar Meta_four Meta_dollar Meta_four Meta_dollar Meta_four Meta_dollar U+0034 U+0024 U+00bc U+00a4 U+0034 U+0024 U+00bc U+00a4 Meta_four Meta_dollar Meta_four Meta_dollar Meta_four Meta_dollar Meta_four Meta_dollar U+0034 U+0024 U+00bc U+00a4 U+0034 U+0024 U+00bc U+00a4 Meta_four Meta_dollar Meta_four Meta_dollar Meta_four Meta_dollar Meta_four Meta_dollar
keycode 6 = U+0035 U+0025 U+00bd U+215c U+0035 U+0025 U+00bd U+215c Meta_five Meta_percent Meta_five Meta_percent Meta_five Meta_percent Meta_five Meta_percent U+0035 U+0025 U+00bd U+215c U+0035 U+0025 U+00bd U+215c Meta_five Meta_percent Meta_five Meta_percent Meta_five Meta_percent Meta_five Meta_percent U+0035 U+0025 U+00bd U+215c U+0035 U+0025 U+00bd U+215c Meta_five Meta_percent Meta_five Meta_percent Meta_five Meta_percent Meta_five Meta_percent U+0035 U+0025 U+00bd U+215c U+0035 U+0025 U+00bd U+215c Meta_five Meta_percent Meta_five Meta_percent Meta_five Meta_percent Meta_five Meta_percent U+0035 U+0025 U+00bd U+215c U+0035 U+0025 U+00bd U+215c Meta_five Meta_percent Meta_five Meta_percent Meta_five Meta_percent Meta_five Meta_percent U+0035 U+0025 U+00bd U+215c U+0035 U+0025 U+00bd U+215c Meta_five Meta_percent Meta_five Meta_percent Meta_five Meta_percent Meta_five Meta_percent U+0035 U+0025 U+00bd U+215c U+0035 U+0025 U+00bd U+215c Meta_five Meta_percent Meta_five Meta_percent Meta_five Meta_percent Meta_five Meta_percent U+0035 U+0025 U+00bd U+215c U+0035 U+0025 U+00bd U+215c Meta_five Meta_percent Meta_five Meta_percent Meta_five Meta_percent Meta_five Meta_percent
keycode 7 = U+0036 U+0026 U+00ac U+215d U+0036 U+0026 U+00ac U+215d Meta_six Meta_ampersand Meta_six Meta_ampersand Meta_six Meta_ampersand Meta_six Meta_ampersand U+0036 U+0026 U+00ac U+215d U+0036 U+0026 U+00ac U+215d Meta_six Meta_ampersand Meta_six Meta_ampersand Meta_six Meta_ampersand Meta_six Meta_ampersand U+0036 U+0026 U+00ac U+215d U+0036 U+0026 U+00ac U+215d Meta_six Meta_ampersand Meta_six Meta_ampersand Meta_six Meta_ampersand Meta_six Meta_ampersand U+0036 U+0026 U+00ac U+215d U+0036 U+0026 U+00ac U+215d Meta_six Meta_ampersand Meta_six Meta_ampersand Meta_six Meta_ampersand Meta_six Meta_ampersand U+0036 U+0026 U+00ac U+215d U+0036 U+0026 U+00ac U+215d Meta_six Meta_ampersand Meta_six Meta_ampersand Meta_six Meta_ampersand Meta_six Meta_ampersand U+0036 U+0026 U+00ac U+215d U+0036 U+0026 U+00ac U+215d Meta_six Meta_ampersand Meta_six Meta_ampersand Meta_six Meta_ampersand Meta_six Meta_ampersand U+0036 U+0026 U+00ac U+215d U+0036 U+0026 U+00ac U+215d Meta_six Meta_ampersand Meta_six Meta_ampersand Meta_six Meta_ampersand Meta_six Meta_ampersand U+0036 U+0026 U+00ac U+215d U+0036 U+0026 U+00ac U+215d Meta_six Meta_ampersand Meta_six Meta_ampersand Meta_six Meta_ampersand Meta_six Meta_ampersand
keycode 8 = U+0037 U+002f U+007b U+215e Escape U+002f Escape Escape Meta_seven Meta_slash Meta_braceleft Meta_braceleft Meta_Escape Meta_slash Meta_Escape Meta_Escape U+0037 U+002f U+007b U+215e Escape U+002f Escape Escape Meta_seven Meta_slash Meta_braceleft Meta_braceleft Meta_Escape Meta_slash Meta_Escape Meta_Escape U+0037 U+002f U+007b U+215e Escape U+002f Escape Escape Meta_seven Meta_slash Meta_braceleft Meta_braceleft Meta_Escape Meta_slash Meta_Escape Meta_Escape U+0037 U+002f U+007b U+215e Escape U+002f Escape Escape Meta_seven Meta_slash Meta_braceleft Meta_braceleft Meta_Escape Meta_slash Meta_Escape Meta_Escape U+0037 U+002f U+007b U+215e Escape U+002f Escape Escape Meta_seven Meta_slash Meta_braceleft Meta_braceleft Meta_Escape Meta_slash Meta_Escape Meta_Escape U+0037 U+002f U+007b U+215e Escape U+002f Escape Escape Meta_seven Meta_slash Meta_braceleft Meta_braceleft Meta_Escape Meta_slash Meta_Escape Meta_Escape U+0037 U+002f U+007b U+215e Escape U+002f Escape Escape Meta_seven Meta_slash Meta_braceleft Meta_braceleft Meta_Escape Meta_slash Meta_Escape Meta_Escape U+0037 U+002f U+007b U+215e Escape U+002f Escape Escape Meta_seven Meta_slash Meta_braceleft Meta_braceleft Meta_Escape Meta_slash Meta_Escape Meta_Escape
keycode 9 = U+0038 U+0028 U+005b U+2122 Escape U+0028 Escape Escape Meta_eight Meta_parenleft Meta_bracketleft Meta_bracketleft Meta_Escape Meta_parenleft Meta_Escape Meta_Escape U+0038 U+0028 U+005b U+2122 Escape U+0028 Escape Escape Meta_eight Meta_parenleft Meta_bracketleft Meta_bracketleft Meta_Escape Meta_parenleft Meta_Escape Meta_Escape U+0038 U+0028 U+005b U+2122 Escape U+0028 Escape Escape Meta_eight Meta_parenleft Meta_bracketleft Meta_bracketleft Meta_Escape Meta_parenleft Meta_Escape Meta_Escape U+0038 U+0028 U+005b U+2122 Escape U+0028 Escape Escape Meta_eight Meta_parenleft Meta_bracketleft Meta_bracketleft Meta_Escape Meta_parenleft Meta_Escape Meta_Escape U+0038 U+0028 U+005b U+2122 Escape U+0028 Escape Escape Meta_eight Meta_parenleft Meta_bracketleft Meta_bracketleft Meta_Escape Meta_parenleft Meta_Escape Meta_Escape U+0038 U+0028 U+005b U+2122 Escape U+0028 Escape Escape Meta_eight Meta_parenleft Meta_bracketleft Meta_bracketleft Meta_Escape Meta_parenleft Meta_Escape Meta_Escape U+0038 U+0028 U+005b U+2122 Escape U+0028 Escape Escape Meta_eight Meta_parenleft Meta_bracketleft Meta_bracketleft Meta_Escape Meta_parenleft Meta_Escape Meta_Escape U+0038 U+0028 U+005b U+2122 Escape U+0028 Escape Escape Meta_eight Meta_parenleft Meta_bracketleft Meta_bracketleft Meta_Escape Meta_parenleft Meta_Escape Meta_Escape

Config Files

• /etc/vconsole.conf (text consoles)
• /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/00-keyboard.conf (X11)
• /etc/sysconfig/keyboard (NumLock etc.)
• /usr/share/systemd/kbd-model-map (from the systemd package)
• /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/00-keyboard.conf (from the systemd package)

Related Commands

• loadkeys
• setxkbmap
• xkbctrl

Sources

• Both packages are built from the same sources.
• They share the same kbd.spec file.
• They have a different file list section:
  • kbd-legacy:

    %files legacy
    %{kbd}/keymaps/{%{legacy_folders}}
    

    where

    %define legacy_folders amiga,atari,i386,include,mac,ppc,sun
    

  • kbd: All the rest.

Reference

• SLES Manuals: Keyboard
• man keymaps
• kbd.spec in OBS
• http://kbd-project.org/
• https://github.com/mike-fabian/langtable
• Keyboard layouts at Gate2Home
• Keyboards at Lexilogos

Check how relevant / up-to-date this is for SUSE Linux:

• https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Linux_console/Keyboard_configuration
• https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Xorg/Keyboard_configuration

YaST Keyboard Handling

Temporary During Installation

This is used only for the inst-sys.

• Using loadkeys and xkbctrl
• Creating an UDEV rule in /run/udev/rules.d/70-installation-keyboard.rules (not copied to the target!)

See https://github.com/yast/yast-country/blob/master/keyboard/src/lib/y2keyboard/strategies/kb_strategy.rb

Saving to the Target During Installation

https://github.com/yast/yast-country/blob/master/keyboard/src/lib/y2keyboard/strategies/systemd_strategy.rb#L22-L64

Using localectl (from the systemd universe) with a special command line since systemd is not running in the inst-sys:

https://github.com/yast/yast-country/blob/master/keyboard/src/lib/y2keyboard/strategies/systemd_strategy.rb#L22-L64

systemd-firstboot --root /mnt --keymap my_keymap

In the Installed System

Using localectl:

• Query what the current keymap is: localectl status and filter for "VC Keymap"
• Set the keyboard: localectl set-keymap my_keymap
• List available keymaps: localectl list-keymaps

Internal Representation

The central data source for keyboards in YaST is /usr/share/YaST2/lib/y2keyboard/keyboards.rb. It contains a Ruby hash like this:

{ "description"        => _("German"),
  "alias"              => "german",
  "code"               => "de-nodeadkeys",
  "legacy_code"        => "de-latin1-nodeadkeys",
  "suggested_for_lang" => ["de"]
},
{ "description" => _("German (with deadkeys)"),
  "alias"       => "german-deadkey",
  "code"        => "de",
  "legacy_code" => "de-latin1"
},
{ "description"        => _("German (Switzerland)"),
  "alias"              => "german-ch",
  "code"               => "ch",
  "legacy_code"        => "sg-latin1",
  "suggested_for_lang" => ["de_CH"]
},
...

AutoYaST

In AutoYaST, you specify a section <keyboard> in the XML profile:

<keyboard>
  <keymap>german</keymap>
</keyboard>

This can be either the alias field or the code field of the Ruby hash in /usr/share/YaST2/lib/y2keyboard/keyboards.rb.

Reference

• AutoYaST Documentation

---

X11 Keyboards

Tools

• setxkbmap
• localectl
  • localectl list-x11-keymap-models
  • localectl list-x11-keymap-layouts

Files

• /usr/share/X11/xkb/rules/base.lst
• /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/00-keyboard.conf
• Ubuntu: /etc/default/keyboard

localectl Sequence

• localectl set-x11-keyboard sends a DBUS message SetX11Keyboard to localed
• localed receives the DBUS message and:
  • Checks with PolicyKit for permissions
  • Writes a new /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/00-keyboard.conf

Sample /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/00-keyboard.conf

# Written by systemd-localed(8), read by systemd-localed and Xorg. It's
# probably wise not to edit this file manually. Use localectl(1) to
# instruct systemd-localed to update it.
Section "InputClass"
        Identifier "system-keyboard"
        MatchIsKeyboard "on"
        Option "XkbLayout" "at"
        Option "XkbModel" "microsoftpro"
        Option "XkbVariant" "nodeadkeys"
        Option "XkbOptions" "terminate:ctrl_alt_bksp"
EndSection

Reference

• man xkeyboard-config
• https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Xorg/Keyboard_configuration

Upstream Code

• Freedesktop: https://github.com/freedesktop/xkeyboard-config/tree/master/symbols

man keymaps = keyboard table descriptions for loadkeys and dumpkeys

If these new keymaps are generated from xkb anyway it would be great if the user could specify a X11 keymap layout (incl options, multiple layers, layer switches, etc) that would then be used everywhere - X11, Wayland (uses llibxkbcommon), and console (by conversion, to the extent that console supports the layout).

Then these keymap files can be trashed except maybe for a fallback keymap file in case the conversion fails.

Related bug: bsc#1176302 keyboard: Switch kbd keyboard defaults to xkb based ones

Related PR: yast/yast-country#288 Migration to new kbd Package