Chad Walstrom writes:
 > On Wed, Jun 26, 2002 at 09:17:55AM -0500, rpgoldman at real-time.com wrote:
 > > Does anyone have any suggestions about how to find and use the compose
 > > key? 
 > 
 > WTF is a compose key?  Some shortcut to open your favorite editor???
 > Check your window manager keybindings.


The compose key is the key that lets you build ISO characters (French
letters? :->) like e with various accents.

Now I see why the German guy on the HOWTO list grumbles about American
Culture [sic] Imperialism!

I don't think this is a matter for the window mangler, is it?  I found
the following in a .xkm file:

keycode  99 = Compose
keycode 100 = AltGr
        alt     keycode 100 = Compose

...but it doesn't seem to work as advertised.

See dumpkeys, for example to see what it should do:

compose ',' 'i' to 'ç'

Keycode 99 does seem to be mapped to compose, per the description, and
pressing PrintScrn seems to generate a 99, but I don't seem to be able
to generate the non-US keys....  Compose doesn't seem to be acting as
a modifier properly (i.e., I hold it down and press an e, and I just
see an e).

In the StarOffice Help I see:

Linux / NetBSD: Using the dead-keys. In an xterm window first press
the 'or' key. It should not appear on the screen. Now press, for
example, e. The e is given an accent é or è. If not, then check in the
XF86Config file if a "nodeadkeys" XkbdVariant has been loaded there
and replace it.  You may also have set the environment variable
SAL_NO_DEADKEYS, that deactivates the dead keys.

All Unix systems: (Alt Gr) as additional compose key. The (Alt Gr) key
can work in StarOffice like the Compose key, if you set the
environment variable SAL_ALTGR_COMPOSE. The Alt Gr key must trigger a
mode_switch, so, for example, xmodmap -e "keysym Alt_R = Mode_switch"
must be set. First press (Alt Gr), then the first modifier, then the
second modifier. The characters are combined as described on a Solaris
system in the file /usr/openwin/include/X11/Suncompose.h."

Anyone have a clue what the OR key is?  Or the Alt Gr?

R