New keyboard layout does not refresh unless renamed

Question

Keyboard layout names are not being released for reuse.

I am trying to create a new xkb layout. Here is how I am doing it.

• Add the new layout to /usr/share/X11/xkb/symbols/in
• Register the layout into /usr/share/X11/xkb/rules/evdev.xml

The layout registers well the first time around. But if I change the layout and repeat the steps above, the layout is not reloaded.

Things that didn't work: - setxkbmap -layout us didn't work. - Remove the layout completely from symbols/in and rules/evdev.xml -> logoff -> login -> re-introduce the layout -> logoff -> login. - Restart the computer. - Remove the layout completely from symbols/in and rules/evdev.xml -> restart -> re-introduce the layout -> restart.

Thing that worked.

• Rename the layout in evdev.xml and symbols/in each time I make changes to the layout.

I am unable to reuse a name, this is a problem obviously. This sounds like a bug to me or I am not doing things correctly.

I didn't know if the issue was with xkb (xorg), Mint or Ubuntu. So I thought I decided to start here.

https://bugs.launchpad.net/linuxmint/+bug/1369410

Answer 1

Keyboard layouts are compiled and cached; the cache is cleaned on reboot (I think — but I am not sure at all). What I normally do is to manually delete the cache files, which are the files that ends in .xkm in /var/lib/xkb/.

cd /var/lib/xkb/
rm *.xkm

(as root, or add the appropriate sudo).

(Data form my blog post on modifying layouts).