How To Set Keyboard Layout in Sway on Ubuntu 20.4

In this comprehensive guide, we will walk you through the process of setting the keyboard layout in Sway on Ubuntu 20.4. Sway is a tiling Wayland compositor and a drop-in replacement for the i3 window manager for X11. It works with your existing i3 configuration and supports most of i3’s features, and a few extras.

Understanding Sway and Keyboard Layouts

Before we delve into the steps, it’s important to understand the concept of keyboard layouts and how they work in the context of Sway. A keyboard layout maps the physical keys of a keyboard to elements of a linguistic or functional system. In simpler terms, it’s the arrangement of keys and their functions on your keyboard.

Locating Your Sway Configuration File

The first step in setting your keyboard layout in Sway is to locate your sway configuration file. This file is usually located at ~/.config/i3/config. If you can’t find it there, you may need to create it.

Modifying Your Sway Configuration File

Once you’ve located your configuration file, you can modify it to set your preferred keyboard layout. For instance, if you want to permanently switch from the us X11 layout to the cz layout with the coder variant, you can do so by adding the following lines to your configuration file:

input * {
 xkb_layout "cz"
 xkb_variant "coder"
}

In this code, input * indicates that the following settings apply to all input devices. xkb_layout "cz" sets the keyboard layout to Czech, and xkb_variant "coder" sets the variant to coder.

After adding these lines, save the file and restart Sway for the changes to take effect.

Alternative Methods

If the above method doesn’t work for you, there are alternative methods you can try:

Using the swaymsg Command

You can use the swaymsg command to set the keyboard layout. Open a terminal and run the following command:

swaymsg input keyboard xkb_layout cz xkb_variant coder

This command should immediately apply the Czech layout with the coder variant. If it works, you can add this command to your sway configuration file to make it permanent.

Using localectl Command

If you’re using a distro like Fedora, you can use the localectl command to set the keyboard layout:

localectl set-x11-keymap cz coder

This command sets the X11 keymap, which should also affect Wayland sessions.

Conclusion

Setting the keyboard layout in Sway on Ubuntu 20.4 is a straightforward process once you understand how to modify your configuration file. If you encounter any issues, it’s likely due to distro-specific differences or other configuration or compatibility issues specific to your setup. In such cases, trying out the alternative methods mentioned above can be helpful.

Remember, the key to mastering Sway, like any other window manager, lies in understanding and effectively modifying its configuration file. Happy tweaking!