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Compose(5)		      File Formats Manual		    Compose(5)

NAME
       Compose - X client mappings for multi-key input sequences

DESCRIPTION
       The  X  library,	 libX11, provides a simple input method	for characters
       beyond those represented	on typical keyboards using  sequences  of  key
       strokes that are	combined to enter a single character.

       The compose file	is searched for	in  the	following order:

       -      If  the  environment variable $XCOMPOSEFILE is set, its value is
	      used as the name of the Compose file.

       -      If the user's home directory has a file named .XCompose,	it  is
	      used as the Compose file.

       -      The  system  provided compose file is used by mapping the	locale
	      to a  compose  file  from	 the  list  in	/usr/local/lib/X11/lo-
	      cale/compose.dir.

       Compose files can use an	"include" instruction.	This allows local mod-
       ifications  to  be made to existing compose files without including all
       of the content directly.	 For example, the system's  iso8859-1  compose
       file can	be included with a line	like this:
	   include "%S/iso8859-1/Compose"

       There  are  several  substitutions that can be made in the file name of
       the include instruction:

       %H  expands to the user's home directory	(the $HOME  environment	 vari-
	   able)

       %L  expands  to	the  name  of  the locale specific Compose file	(i.e.,
	   "/usr/local/lib/X11/locale/<localename>/Compose")

       %S  expands to the name of  the	system	directory  for	Compose	 files
	   (i.e., "/usr/local/lib/X11/locale")

       For  example,  you can include in your compose file the default Compose
       file by using:
	      include "%L"
       and then	rewrite	only the few rules that	you need to change.  New  com-
       pose rules can be added,	and previous ones replaced.

FILE FORMAT
       Compose	files are plain	text files, with a separate line for each com-
       pose sequence.  Comments	begin with #  characters.   Each  compose  se-
       quence  specifies  one  or  more	events and a resulting input sequence,
       with an optional	comment	at the end of the line:
	      EVENT [EVENT...] : RESULT	[# COMMENT]

       Each event consists of a	specified input	keysym,	and optional  modifier
       states:
	      [([!] ([~] MODIFIER)...) | None] <keysym>

       If  the	modifier list is preceded by "!" it must match exactly.	 MODI-
       FIER may	be one of Ctrl,	Lock, Caps, Shift, Alt or Meta.	 Each modifier
       may be preceded by a "~"	character to indicate that the	modifier  must
       not be present.	If "None" is specified,	no modifier may	be present.

       The  result  specifies a	string,	keysym,	or both, that the X client re-
       ceives as input when the	sequence of events is input:
	      "STRING" | keysym	| "STRING" keysym

       Keysyms are specified without the XK_ prefix.

       Strings may be direct text encoded in the locale	for which the  compose
       file  is	to be used, or an escaped octal	or hexadecimal character code.
       Octal codes are specified as "\123" and hexadecimal  codes  as  "\x3a".
       It is not necessary to specify in the right part	of a rule a locale en-
       coded string in addition	to the keysym name.  If	the string is omitted,
       Xlib  figures  it  out from the keysym according	to the current locale.
       I.e., if	a rule looks like:
	      <dead_grave> <A> : "\300"	Agrave
       the result of the composition is	always	the  letter  with  the	"\300"
       code.  But if the rule is:
	      <dead_grave> <A> : Agrave
       the result depends on how Agrave	is mapped in the current locale.

ENVIRONMENT
       XCOMPOSEFILE
	      File to use for compose sequences.

       XCOMPOSECACHE
	      Directory	to use for caching compiled compose files.

FILES
       $HOME/.XCompose
	      User default compose file	if XCOMPOSEFILE	is not set.

       /usr/local/lib/X11/locale/compose.dir
	      File listing the compose file path to use	for each locale.

       /usr/local/lib/X11/locale/<localemapping>/Compose
	      System  default  compose	file  for  the locale, mapped via com-
	      pose.dir.

       /var/cache/libx11/compose/
	      System-wide cache	directory for compiled compose files.

       $HOME/.compose-cache/
	      Per-user cache directory for compiled compose files.

SEE ALSO
       XLookupString(3), XmbLookupString(3), XwcLookupString(3),  Xutf8Lookup-
       String(3), mkcomposecache(1), locale(7).
       Xlib - C	Language X Interface

X Version 11			 libX11	1.8.12			    Compose(5)

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