Hi, Porgy! :-)

Hmmm, you probably shouldn't run the script as root but use sudo; that's what I do at least. Ownership and privileges can be finicky stuff. It could be that you've done something to the x11/xkb files that changed their privileges (be wary of that!); if so, you could try reinstalling the xkb package from repository.

If this doesn't work for you, you could try a local install instead with the -i <dir> option (and use the -d <dir> option with the setxkb script if you want to source that in your ~/.bashrc or similar).

Yeah, but the sudo should take care of that. Not sure actually, I think I made that script so that it calls sudo itself where necessary, in which case with the proper permissions you could run it without sudo in front; but then it'd still ask for your password.

Oh. Here's what you did:
1) Tried to sudo (super user) run the script; but you didn't have sudo installed. Try the command 'apt-get install sudo' and add yourself as a sudo user if you want to try again – see http://www.debianhelp.co.uk/sudo.htm
2) Tried chmod to set privileges for the script, but included the switches '-ox' which are used when running the script. The chmod command doesn't use those switches, so it failed.
3) Changed to root. This is what I suggested you should not do for installing. But it may be okay. What you did after was okay at any rate, since you only changed some privileges.
4) Made another attempt at chmod with the script's switches
4) Finally changed privileges correctly with chmod (as root)

So what you may have achieved so far, is to set the privileges for the script as suggested by stevep99. What you have not yet done, is actually run the script again like you did in your first post!

Also note that even if you do get the mod installed you'll have to activate the layout and model at startup, which is easily done by sourcing the setxkb script in your ~/.bashrc file for instance. Or set the layout in the system keyboard settings GUI once it's installed (but you can't do the model there I think; I don't know the KDE settings GUI though).

So, it must've been about the permissions for the scripts after unzipping then. Maybe you unzipped them as root. Because now you've got the rights to run the install script (because of that chmod you did in your previous post) – but you still lack the permissions for the setxkb script that activates layouts! Maybe you should try a spot of chmod magic on that script too, if you want to use it. Don't worry, you seem to have done your install and the only thing that didn't take was the layout activation at the end.

All that script does though, is run setxkbmap with default settings or ones given by the option strings. There's a shorthand notation that can be handy for manual use; see the script's comments if you want. But you could use setxkbmap directly or set your keyboard in other ways instead.

Italian Colemak[eD] should now be available in your keyboard settings GUI after a restart. If you use the setxkbmap command, you're after "-l it(cmk_ed_us)" as your layout, for the "US" variant.

AngleWide is more tricky, if keyboard models aren't selectable in your settings GUI. You'll need to set the "pc105awide-sl" model in your /etc/default/keyboard file and if that's not enough I'd run the setxkb script or the setxkbmap command at each logon (as mentioned, by calling them from your .bashrc file).

That's what I do these days, as sometimes the system settings give me a hard time. I just run setxkb at logon and everything's in place without any fudging.

Oops! But you're getting close now. :-)

You've got that new hobby of mine, the DH ergo mod. Sorry, I must've forgotten to switch that off. In the xkb files you downloaded, edit xkb/symbols/colemak and find these lines:

// NOTE: These are the lighter Curl-Dbg/Hk Colemak ergo mods, keeping V and M in place.
    include "colemak(cmk-dbg_ed)"
    include "colemak(cmk-hk_ed)"

The include lines need to be commented out with // like the first line is. Then reinstall with the install script.

It's a good mod, but you don't want it (yet) I guess. ;-)

Yes, everything on the right hand is shifted one key to the right. You said you wanted AngleWide; that's the Wide part. The old YHBN keys are now []_\ (which Colemak[eD]-It(US) remaps to the Italian special keys). Did you want only Angle? If so, use the "angle-lg" keyboard model instead.

If you really want "keep local symbols" instead of "unified symbols" (it's not as good!), use the 'it(cmk_ed_ks)' layout instead of 'it(cmk_ed_us)'.

You have to read a little on your own too. In the Locale topic you see which is which layout. In the Big Bag topic you see how to activate the layout. Please read all that.

Okay, you're using the Colemak[eD] Unified Symbols (US) layout then, from PKL. I remember making it for you, we just got ourselves a little confused here.

You don't want a Wide keyboard but I think you do want the Angle mod? In that case, use XKBMODEL = "pc105angle-lg"

You want xkblayout "it" like you used, but also xkbvariant "cmk_ed_us". If you want to use Extend, you'll also need some xkboptions for that ("misc:extend,lv5:caps_switch_lock").

So, your Debian doesn't seem to have the GUI "normal layout chooser" I'm referring to then? Then that last part won't help us at all so ignore that please. Or rather, it didn't pick up on your installed layouts? Well, nevermind. (Actually, the XFCE chooser has the possibility to select model if I remember correctly, so that's better than the Unity and GNOME ones at the moment!)

If you commented out the 2 Curl lines in the downloaded folder, and then installed with the install script again then I wonder that it didn't help. There may be xkb server files that need to be deleted after a change, but the install script should take care of those.

Yes, I know that it isn't easy to be a mere mortal user in a brave Linux world. I'm often there myself, searching the net for clues and fiddling around, partly annoyed and partly amused (because I'm perverse and love pain I guess). Sorry if something is still unclear – and thank you for telling me so I can try to make it clearer!

Hang in there, I'm sure it'll be working soon! :-)

1. get the Caps Lock to work, (fixed via "System settings > Keyboard settings")

2. get the 'right-click menu' key between AltGr and Right Ctrl, to work (same as above)

3. order the 'b g d k h' keys (commented 2 'Curl-Dbg/Hk' lines in file /usr/share/X11/xkb/symbols/colemak)

Unable as I was to set the desired functionality of caps lock key via CLI, I resorted to the GUI provided by Debian's KDE. The "Advanced" tab lists all sorts of specifics; among them I ticked the 'Caps Lock toggles normal capitalization of alphabetic characters' and un-ticked 'Caps Lock chooses 5th level when pressed together with another 5th-level-chooser' and 'Enable level 5 Extend mappings (home position arrows etc)'. Upon reboot Caps lock was working as expected. The Menu key is also in the list and it is presently set as Compose key.

Prior to that I had tried different options from Terminal but clearly the cmds weren't getting through:

guest@aliquis:~/dreymar_x-mod$ sudo ./setxkb.sh -o 'lv5:caps_switch_lock(none)'
guest@aliquis:~/dreymar_x-mod$ sudo ./setxkb.sh -o 'lv5:capslock(none)'
guest@aliquis:~/dreymar_x-mod$ sudo ./setxkb.sh -o 'lv5:caps_switch_lock(none)' -s '5n it us'

The Terminal responded along these lines:

@@@ DreymaR's setxkbmap script (by GadOE, 2015-01) @@@

¤ Changed dir to '/usr/share/X11/xkb'
¤ Looking for and removing any old .xkm server files
No protocol specified
Cannot open display ":0"
¤ Running setxkbmap:

Setting verbose level to 9
No protocol specified
Cannot open display ":0"

¤ Changed dir to '/home/guest/dreymar_x-mod'

@@@ setxkb.sh finished! @@@

From the 'man ./setxkb.sh' I think I should have passed a 'misc:…' option but then again, what exactly should I have written to enable Caps lock as capitalization key?

X11 and xkb are finicky stuff, for sure :-(  I had to chroot into my system 4 times (!) last night - yes I'm dumb... I had changed some layouts in xkb, and then could no longer log into the system because the keyboard did nothing......

- first try: inspect the xbk-files, no mistakes to be seen ?  Hmm... perhaps it's something in my .bashrc ? I have some aliases to point to layouts....  OK, let's put the old bashrc back (from /etc/skel )  --> fail
- 2nd try: hmmm...let's bypass the Slim Login screen, maybe that helps?  --> fail
- 3rd try: grrrr..... I delete the complete layout that I worked on --> fail
- 4th try: OK, OK, I just delete a whole bunch of layouts, only keep some standard ones. I'm done with this --> success

The thing is, even if I don't use a specific layout, let's say Capewell, if I mess up that xkb layout, my keyboard won't work. I guess all layouts are loaded into RAM when the X-server starts at boot, so one tiny mistake will block keyboard use..... (or something like that). If this is true, I'd better put all layouts that I don't use in some archive, so that only the layouts I use are loaded into RAM....

Am I on the right track here?

Just out of curiosity DreymaR, what should I have typed in CLI to allow Caps Lock to toggle capital letters?

@pieter, I don't how to help you in that, sorry! Maybe you should open a new thread and describe the details of your problem?

OK, Linux help to the resuce..   ;-)  Although DreymaR already did the hard stuff :-)

Maybe your user account has different configurations as the root user. Like, different keyboard settings. In that case, if you run a command using sudo you will run it as root BUT with the current user's config settings. If you run as su you will run as root and with root's settings.

Originally (and right so), sudo needs your user password whereas su needs root's password. However, in Ubuntu and it's forks, su is disabled. If you need a proper su, you must first enable it. Google is your friend.

If you want to use su (in other words: run as root) AND be able to use your users' settings (which are usually settings in the graphical environment, read X settings), a solution is the command sux  I see you (Porgy) are running Debian. sux used to be in Debian, but I understand that it is no longer maintained....so it's only in the older repos (Squeez I guess). Anyway, add the squeez repo to your sources list and install sux from there. If you need it.

About the capslock: you mean cli in a virtual terminal I suppose? Such as LXTerminal or Konsole? In that case your X Server is still active, including all xkb stuff.  If you are talking about a console without X, for instance when you are troubleshooting, you killed X and are now in an X-less terminal, then xkb-files won't do a thing. I must still solve this puzzle for myself too, I think you must use loadkeys to remap your keyboard.

Or.... even easier.... heh heh.....a hardware solution. hasu's brilliant hardware usb-usb keyboard converter. The firmware is of course fully user programmable. Stick this in your computer, connect a standard (qwerty)  USB-keyboard to it, and you will type in the layout that you hacve programmed on the converter...... No messing with xkb files (Linux), autohotkey scripts (Windows), Ukelele (OSX), just plug & type :-) 

https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=72052.0