How to create your very own keyboard layout

1. Create a new file in the /usr/share/X11/xkb/symbols/ directory. You can name the file anything you like, but it's recommended to use a name that reflects your new layout.

   For example, you can create a file called "mydvorak" by opening a terminal and typing the following command:

    sudo gedit /usr/share/X11/xkb/symbols/mydvorak
   

2. In the new file, define your new layout. You can use the existing dvorak layout as a starting point, and make modifications as needed.

   Here's an example of a modified dvorak layout that makes the symbol positioning easier for people coming from qwerty.

    // My custom Dvorak layout
    partial alphanumeric_keys
    xkb_symbols "basic" {
   
        include "us(dvorak)"
   
        key <AE11> {    [     minus,    underscore    ]    };
        key <AE12> {    [     equal,    plus        ]    };
   
        key <AC11> {    [     slash,    question    ]    };
   
        key <AD11> {    [ bracketleft,    braceleft    ]    };
        key <AD12> {    [ bracketright,    braceright    ]    };
   
        key <BKSL> {    [ backslash,         bar    ]    };
    };
   

3. Save the file and exit the editor.

4. Edit the /usr/share/X11/xkb/rules/evdev.xml file to include a reference to your new layout.

   I added the following next to all the dovrak entries

            <variant>
              <configItem>
                <name>mydvorak</name>
                <description>mydvorak</description>
              </configItem>
            </variant>
   

5. Restart your computer to apply the changes.

How to switch keyboard layouts

you can use the setxkbmap program to change the keyboard layouts.

I have setup the following aliases to switch back and forth between the qwerty vs mydvorak layout.

alias asdf="setxkbmap -v mydvorak"
alias aoeu="setxkbmap -v us"