WSCONSCTL(8)            OpenBSD System Manager's Manual           WSCONSCTL(8)

NAME
     wsconsctl - get or set wscons state

SYNOPSIS
     wsconsctl [-an]
     wsconsctl [-n] [-f file] name ...
     wsconsctl [-n] [-f file] name=value ...
     wsconsctl [-n] [-f file] name+=value ...

DESCRIPTION
     The wsconsctl command displays or sets various wscons system driver vari-
     ables.  If a list of variables is present on the command line, wsconsctl
     prints the current value of those variables for the specified device.

     The options are as follows:

     -a      Print all device variables and their current values.  This is the
             default, if no parameters are given to wsconsctl.

     -f file
             Specify an alternative control device.

     -n      Suppress printing of the variable name in the output.

     name=value
             Attempt to set the specified variable name to value.  The value
             can be specified as either an absolute, by using the `=' symbol,
             or as a relative value, by using the `+=' symbol.  See the
             EXAMPLES section for more details.

     The wsconsctl utility can be used to view and modify aspects of the key-
     board, display, and mouse using the standard, machine-independent work-
     station console device driver wscons(4).

     The keyboard type can be modified, the keyboard bell's pitch, period, and
     duration can be modified, the typematic value can be changed, and the
     keyboard encoding can be modified to switch keys, should the user find a
     keyboard's default layout difficult to use.

     There are also definitions relating to video control and cursor control,
     which are not applicable to all display types, and to text emulation and
     graphics (mapped) modes.

     Use the kbd(8) utility to determine which keyboard encodings are avail-
     able for your country.

     A keyboard mapping can also be specified in /etc/kbdtype.

FILES
     /dev/ttyC0                          display control device
     /dev/wskbd0                         keyboard control device
     /dev/wsmouse0                       mouse control device
     /etc/kbdtype                        default keyboard mapping
     /etc/wsconsctl.conf                 a list of parameters that get set at
                                         system startup time from rc(8)
     /usr/include/dev/wscons/wsconsio.h  keyboard/mouse/display definitions

EXAMPLES
     Set a UK keyboard encoding:

           # wsconsctl keyboard.encoding=uk

     Modify the current keyboard encoding so that, when the Caps Lock key is
     pressed, the same encoding sequence as Left Control is sent.  For a full
     list of keysyms, and keycodes, please refer to the
     /usr/include/dev/wscons/wsksymdef.h file.

           # wsconsctl keyboard.map+="keysym Caps_Lock = Control_L"

     Assign the Right Alt key to be the group modifier (layout is changed
     while the key is pressed):

           # wsconsctl keyboard.map+="keycode 184=Mode_switch"

     Assign the Right Control key to be the lock for the group modifier.  The
     effect of Mode_Lock and Mode_switch is not mutually exclusive, to be con-
     sistent with Caps Lock and Shift behaviour.

           # wsconsctl keyboard.map+="keycode 157=Mode_Lock"

     Set a US keyboard encoding, with the Caps Lock and Left Control keys
     swapped.  The .swapctrlcaps encoding does not work for all national key-
     board encodings.  For most purposes, the ability to set the value re-
     turned by the Caps Lock key is enough - see the previous example for de-
     tails.

           # wsconsctl keyboard.encoding=us.swapctrlcaps

     Set the bell pitch to be 1200:

           # wsconsctl keyboard.bell.pitch=1200

     Add 200 to the current pitch of the bell:

           # wsconsctl keyboard.bell.pitch+=200

SEE ALSO
     pckbd(4), wscons(4), wsconsctl.conf(5), kbd(8), wsconscfg(8),
     wsfontload(8)

HISTORY
     The wsconsctl command first appeared in NetBSD 1.4 and OpenBSD 2.8.

OpenBSD 4.7                     August 4, 2008                               2
