OS X Terminal: Meta key + alt functionality at the same time

Question

Is there a way to use an alt / option key as a meta key but still be able to use it to make some characters which need it?

For example, in my l

Answer 1

The following solution works, is UNOBTRUSIVE and you don't need iTerm2 or Aquamacs or whatever.

Step 1

Keep "Use option as meta key" turned ON in the Terminal.app Settings.

Step 2

Edit ~/.inputrc (make it if it doesn't exist already), add the following line:

"\e3": '#'

This will remap ⌥ alt + 3 so that you produce a # character as expected in the terminal, instead of it annoyingly coming back with the prompt (arg: 3).

Step 3

Edit ~/.emacs, add the following line:

(global-set-key (kbd "M-3") "#")

This will remap ⌥ alt + 3 so that you produce a # character as expected inside emacs, instead of it annoyingly doing nothing.

---

Caveat 1, This is just 1 re-map. So ⌥ alt + ? (other keys) won't be remapped, e.g. you may wish to remap ⌥ alt + n to produce the tilde key ~. Simply follow the same steps outlined above obviously switching 3 with whichever key you need going forward.

Caveat 2, When you ssh into another box, you will face the same difficulties, but all you have to do there is edit the ~/.inputrc and ~/.emacs files on that box.

Caveat 3, I'm British, on a British MacBook. So I can't vouch for foreign MacBooks.

Answer 2

The above answers mention ways to enter non-ascii input, but that's not really the problem here. The C-x 8 method lets you enter a bunch of non-ascii, but the problem is that you need the option key on mac just to enter the (ascii) character `|' (vertical bar)!

So how do you then enter stuff like M-| (region to shell command) when running emacs in ssh under Terminal.app? No way for it but to use the escape key, since | is option-7 and Terminal.app for some stupid reason won't let you use Cmc as meta :-(

(If anyone knows of a hack (SIMBL perhaps?) that actually does let Terminal.app use Cmd as meta, I'd be very grateful...)

Answer 3

Two work-arounds I use:

• I use xterm running under X11.app. X11.app uses the command key as meta.
• When running emacs in Terminal.app, I just use the rfc1345 input-method, which allows me to enter all kinds of crazy non-ascii characters without needing an option key.

Answer 4

I assigned escape to the caps lock key and it works quite good. You can configure it easily in the mac system preferences > keyboard > modifier keys.

https://apple.stackexchange.com/a/282092/236382

Answer 5

I would like to mod this question up or something because i also use a Swedish keyboard where i must press alt+7 or alt+shift+7 to make | and \ respectively.

I also use Irssi in Terminal.app and these don't mix well.

I'm a long time vim user though so emacs is not an issue to me.

Isn't there some way to remap CMD to be Meta in Terminal.app?

So far i've been surviving by simply typing /wg N in Irssi because having those characters in my Terminal is much more important than IRC.

A solution would be worth gold to me though! :)

Answer 6

Special keyboard layout with option deadkey

My solution to this problem is a special keyboard layout I have written, U.S. custom. It provides an option deadkey that produces option combos without having to use the physical ⌥ Option modifier key. For instance, the character ⟨ç⟩ is produced as follows on a normal U.S. keyboard layout:

• Hit ⌥ Option+c.

The U.S. custom keyboard layout adds a second way of producing ⟨ç⟩:

• Hit ⇧ Shift+§ (the option deadkey), then release it, then hit c.

This works even in Terminal.app when Use option as meta key has been checked.

Note that the U.S. custom keyboard layout does two additional things:

1. It converts plain § into a ⎄ Compose key (so you could also produce ⟨ç⟩ by hitting §, then ,, then c).
2. It replaces the CapsLock mapping by a (significantly extended) U.S. Extended keyboard layout.

Remap option deadkey to right option modifier key

If you have a physical ANSI keyboard, then you lack the § key. In that case, I recommend assigning the § key to some other key, for instance to the right ⌥ Option modifier key. Install KeyRemap4MacBook, open ~/Library/Application\ Support/KeyRemap4MacBook/private.xml and paste the following code:

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<root>
<item>
  <name>Send ISO Section for right Option</name>
  <identifier>private.send_iso_section_for_right_option</identifier>
  <autogen>--KeyToKey-- KeyCode::OPTION_R, KeyCode::UK_SECTION</autogen>
</item>
<item>
  <name>Send Shift+ISO Section for Shift+right Option (keep normal right Option without Shift)</name>
  <identifier>private.send_shift_iso_section_for_shift_right_option</identifier>
  <autogen>--KeyToKey-- KeyCode::OPTION_R, ModifierFlag::SHIFT_R, KeyCode::UK_SECTION, ModifierFlag::SHIFT_L</autogen>
  <autogen>--KeyToKey-- KeyCode::OPTION_R, ModifierFlag::SHIFT_L, KeyCode::UK_SECTION, ModifierFlag::SHIFT_L</autogen>
</item>
</root>

Then, open the KeyRemap4MacBook preference pane, hit ReloadXML and then select “Send ISO Section for right option”. Now, your ⌥ Right Option key is remapped to §, so while the U.S. custom keyboard layout is active, hitting ⇧ Shift+⌥ Right Option will give you the option deadkey state (hitting ⌥ Right Option without additional modifiers will give you a deadkey state equivalent to the option modifier.

If want to keep ⌥ Right Option when ⇧ Shift is not pressed (instead of the ⎄ Compose key), then select “Send Shift+ISO Section for Shift+right Option (keep normal right Option without Shift)” in the KeyRemap4MacBook preference pane (instead of “Send ISO Section for right Option”). Like that, only ⇧ Shift+⌥ Right Option will produce the option deadkey, while plain ⌥ Right Option will continue to work as an option modifier. You can even continue using ⌥ Right Option+⇧ Shift modifier combos (for instance ⌥ Right Option+⇧ Shift+c→⟨Ç⟩) as long as you don’t hit ⇧ Shift first.