I wanted a math keyboard and I set out to create one myself,
but the task was daunting and the learning curve was to be
steep. The new X Keyboard Extension method is quite complicated.

However, there is no need. Someone has done it already:

https://github.com/CaptchaSamurai/Math-Unicode-keyboard-overlay-Linux-XKB

This is fantastic!

I am using it now. Here is some of the Greek alphabet:

α β γ δ ... φ θ ω Ω

And some math symbols:

∂f/∂x

∫fdx

Effortless! No need for Shift+Alt+U, enter hex code, Enter.

There are problems, however. The key to enter math mode is only the
Alt-R key, which can be awkward, and especially the Shift+Alt-R. That
hurts my fingers.

Also, the Greek letters are not all mapped to the appropriate English
key. For example, gamma is not mapped to "c" and psi is mapped to "g."
There are also upper-case Greek chars missing.

But I have a good template that I can modify. I need to change the modifier
key to both the right and left Win key and also exclude/include symbols that
I don't/do want.

GNU/Linux/FOSS is the greatest.

--
Systemd: solving all the problems that you never knew you had.

Farley Flud wrote this copyrighted missive and expects royalties:

> I wanted a math keyboard and I set out to create one myself,
> but the task was daunting and the learning curve was to be
> steep. The new X Keyboard Extension method is quite complicated.
>
> However, there is no need. Someone has done it already:
>
> https://github.com/CaptchaSamurai/Math-Unicode-keyboard-overlay-Linux-XKB
>
> This is fantastic!
>
> I am using it now. Here is some of the Greek alphabet:
>
> α β γ δ ... φ θ ω Ω
>
> And some math symbols:
>
> ∂f/∂x
>
> ∫fdx
>
> Effortless! No need for Shift+Alt+U, enter hex code, Enter.

But can you write APL code with it?

--
Celebrate Hannibal Day this year. Take an elephant to lunch.

On Sun, 25 Aug 2024 09:39:33 -0400, Chris Ahlstrom wrote:

>
> But can you write APL code with it?
>

Most definitely.

Look inside the "mth" file. You can see that each key is given
four levels. The first two levels correspond to the ordinary
keypress and the Shift+Key. The 3rd and 4th levels correspond
to Modifier+Key and Shift+Modifier+Key. The modifier key is defined
in the "include" directive shown in the last line.

Thus all APL symbols could very easily be assigned to 3rd and 4th
levels:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_encoding_of_APL_symbols

Of course your font must be able to display those symbols.

There may a way to create 5th and higher level keys using different
modifiers but I don't know how to do that (yet).

To change the 3rd level modifier key to both right and left "win" keys
just modify the include:

include "level3(win_switch)"

Then:

setxkbmap -layout mth

I have already modified my "mth" file to better meet my needs.

Now I can have some serious FUN!

--
Systemd: solving all the problems that you never knew you had.

On Sun, 25 Aug 2024 09:39:33 -0400, Chris Ahlstrom wrote:

> But can you write APL code with it?

That takes more than a keyboard. The IBM 5120 had an APL interpreter and
the squiggles on the keys. It was all Greek to me.

rbowman wrote this copyrighted missive and expects royalties:

> On Sun, 25 Aug 2024 09:39:33 -0400, Chris Ahlstrom wrote:
>
>> But can you write APL code with it?
>
> That takes more than a keyboard. The IBM 5120 had an APL interpreter and
> the squiggles on the keys. It was all Greek to me.

See the sig.

--
"There are three things a man must do / Before his life is done
Write 2 lines in APL / And make the buggers run"
-- Stan Kelly-Bootle from "The Devil's DP Dictionary"

Farley Flud <ff@linux.rocks> wrote at 13:04 this Sunday (GMT):
> I wanted a math keyboard and I set out to create one myself,
> but the task was daunting and the learning curve was to be
> steep. The new X Keyboard Extension method is quite complicated.
>
> However, there is no need. Someone has done it already:
>
> https://github.com/CaptchaSamurai/Math-Unicode-keyboard-overlay-Linux-XKB
>
> This is fantastic!
>
> I am using it now. Here is some of the Greek alphabet:
>
> α β γ δ ... φ θ ω Ω
>
> And some math symbols:
>
> ∂f/∂x
>
> ∫fdx
>
> Effortless! No need for Shift+Alt+U, enter hex code, Enter.
>
> There are problems, however. The key to enter math mode is only the
> Alt-R key, which can be awkward, and especially the Shift+Alt-R. That
> hurts my fingers.
>
> Also, the Greek letters are not all mapped to the appropriate English
> key. For example, gamma is not mapped to "c" and psi is mapped to "g."
> There are also upper-case Greek chars missing.
>
> But I have a good template that I can modify. I need to change the modifier
> key to both the right and left Win key and also exclude/include symbols that
> I don't/do want.
>
> GNU/Linux/FOSS is the greatest.

While I would probably not need it, that is a really cool program :D
--
user <candycane> is generated from /dev/urandom