Tip #166: Mapping caps lock to esc in XWindows

tip karma

Rating 765/206, Viewed by 11185

Read and edit this tip on the Vim tip wiki. The wiki may have a more recent version of this tip.

created: November 19, 2001 11:19 complexity: basic

author: Leif Wickland as of Vim: 5.7

(This originally appeared on the vim mailing list as post by Adam Monsen http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vim/message/19856) If you want to completely swap caps lock and escape, you have to replace the "Lock" on caps lock. Drop this file in your home dir: -----------start------------ ! Swap caps lock and escape remove Lock = Caps_Lock keysym Escape = Caps_Lock keysym Caps_Lock = Escape add Lock = Caps_Lock ------------end------------- and call it ".speedswapper". Then open a terminal and type $ xmodmap .speedswapper and you'll be twice as efficient in vim. Who needs caps lock anyway? The swapping lasts for the duration of the X session, so you can put it in a .xinitrc or similar startup file. As far as other people using my laptop, I'd rather they didn't! Using a Dvorak layout might protect me even more... :)

<< Deleting a buffer without closing the window | Using vim as a man-page viewer under Unix >>

Additional Notes

leifw @at@ bigfoot dot.dot com, November 19, 2001 11:21

Oh, and I really didn't mean for those 's to show up in the file. It should look like -----------start------------ ! Swap caps lock and escape remove Lock = Caps_Lock keysym Escape = Caps_Lock keysym Caps_Lock = Escape add Lock = Caps_Lock ------------end-------------

[email protected], July 2, 2002 21:06

Great tip!!! And I might try the other tip on the Dvorak mappings :-)

[email protected], October 3, 2002 23:38

If you want to use the capslock as escape on the console as opposed to just in X, try: loadkeys ~/keymap where ~/keymap contains: ---------->8---------- keycode 58 = Escape ----------8<---------- Or, if you want to completely swap them: ---------->8---------- keycode 1 = Caps_Lock keycode 58 = Escape ----------8<---------- see 'man 5 keymaps', and verify with 'dumpkeys' that keycode 1 is Escape and keycode 58 is Caps_Lock beforehand :)

[email protected], October 12, 2002 11:05

hehe, nice, very nice... but i'm living in a torture right now, because i DO wanna change <esc> to another key closer, *** but i'm so used to <esc> that i can't !!!! *** damn. :P

[email protected], January 22, 2003 3:23

How to do this in windows: Create the following file, calling it capstoesc.reg: -------start REGEDIT4 [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Keyboard Layout] "Scancode Map"=hex:00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,02,00,00,00,01,00,3a,00,00,00,00,00 --------end Then double-click on it and reboot. The syntax is explained in https://www.vim8.org/tip_view.php?tip_id=285

gtg947a@<nospam>mail.gatech.edu, September 13, 2003 18:05

I had this script working nicely before, but now it gives me this error: xmodmap: .speedswapper:1: bad keysym in remove modifier list 'Caps_Lock', no corresponding keycodes xmodmap: .speedswapper:3: bad keysym target keysym 'Caps_Lock', no corresponding keycodes xmodmap: 2 errors encountered, aborting. Anybody know what's up?

gtg947a@<nospam>mail.gatech.edu, September 13, 2003 18:13

Nevermind, I forgot to delete a line from my XF86Config file. Disregard.

adityam at inbox dot lv, September 17, 2003 12:29

I connect to a X-server through ssh, and though the script runs correctly I can not get the desired effect. Can not change the keysettings in the windows machine that I use since I am not a administrator :( Anyway to overcome this?

mail at bjoernalbers dot de, May 13, 2004 3:23

This is really a life changing tip since I hardly ever user my caps_lock! Thanks

leifw @at@ bigfoot dot.dot com, October 5, 2004 1:49

Nearly three years after posting this tip originally, I'll say that the worst part of using it is that if you ever have to set up a new PC, you'll drive yourself mad until you find and implement this tip.

nyte2k@<nospam>yahoo DOT com, March 13, 2005 18:16

Anyone have an idea as to how to make this work in os x? I recently acquired a g5 and it doesn't run linux too well yet, so I'm stuck in OS X for the time being. The <Capslock> DAMN! <Capslock><escape> sequence is getting really annoying.. (please send ideas to my email address)

oleslists (at) gmail andadot com, July 5, 2005 4:15

Not sure if this is going to be read anytime soon - but worth a shot: Any way of making this work under XP? The registry entry doesnt work for me.

[email protected], February 25, 2006 18:34

another way to exit insert-mode or command mode is: <CTRL-C> anouther key for <Esc> is: <CTRL-3>

[email protected], October 21, 2006 17:20

Any ideas on switch caps and escape on a mac os x (v. 1.4)?




	If you have questions or remarks about this site, visit the vimonline development pages. Please use this site responsibly. Questions about Vim should go to the maillist. Help Bram help Uganda.