I need to type in multiple languages, each having a different
script. So, I have shortcuts set up to change the layout using
setxkbmap
.
# setxkbmap [ layout [ variant ] ]
setxkbmap us altgr-intl
setxkbmap am western
...
But, sometimes, every other word is in a different language, so it is very cumbersome to switch layouts back and forth for every word.
Turns out, it is possible to add a second keyboard, and assign a
persistent layout to it. We simply need to apply setxkbmap
on a
specific device id.
![my second keyboard - Armenian Phonetic layout](/images/kb_poker_am.jpg)
my second keyboard - Armenian Phonetic layout
First we need to get the device ID of the second keyboard, which we
can do with xinput
.
Sometimes, the same keyboard appears multiple times. I couldn’t find a better way, other than trial and error with every device id.
Now, we can set the global layout, and then set an alternative layout for the second keyboard.
# each keyboard gets a different layout
setxkbmap us altgr-intl
setxkbmap am western -device 17
Thankfully, the device id appears to persist through reboots, and stays the same.