Get keyboard layout using X11

getxkblayout.c

// compile with `gcc -I/usr/include getxkblayout.c -lX11 -lxkbfile`
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <string.h>

#include <X11/XKBlib.h>
#include <X11/extensions/XKBrules.h>

int main(int argc, char **argv) {
  Display *dpy = XOpenDisplay(NULL);

  if (dpy == NULL) {
    fprintf(stderr, "Cannot open display\n");
    exit(1);
  }

  XkbStateRec state;
  XkbGetState(dpy, XkbUseCoreKbd, &state);

  XkbDescPtr desc = XkbGetKeyboard(dpy, XkbAllComponentsMask, XkbUseCoreKbd);
  char *group = XGetAtomName(dpy, desc->names->groups[state.group]);
  printf("Full name: %s\n", group);

  XkbRF_VarDefsRec vd;
  XkbRF_GetNamesProp(dpy, NULL, &vd);

  char *tok = strtok(vd.layout, ",");

  for (int i = 0; i < state.group; i++) {
    tok = strtok(NULL, ",");
    if (tok == NULL) {
      return 1;
    }
  }

  printf("Layout name: %s\n", tok);

  return 0;
}

Thanks for sharing it to stackoverflow.

You are missing XFree(group); and XCloseDisplay(dpy); at the end, just before return 0;.

it works well (returns Russian and US layouts in XFCE). works great.

Fails here with a segfault on XWayland on this line:

char *group = XGetAtomName(dpy, desc->names->groups[state.group]);

Which is caused by "desc" in the line before containing (null).

Here is a slightly cleaned-up version that at least does not segfault, although it fails to return the data.

// compile with `gcc -I/usr/include getxkblayout.c -lX11 -lxkbfile`
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <string.h>

#include <X11/XKBlib.h>
#include <X11/extensions/XKBrules.h>

int main(int argc, char **argv) {
  Display *dpy = XOpenDisplay(NULL);

  if (dpy == NULL) {
    fprintf(stderr, "Cannot open display\n");
    exit(1);
  }

  XkbStateRec state;
  XkbGetState(dpy, XkbUseCoreKbd, &state);

  XkbDescPtr desc = XkbGetKeyboard(dpy, XkbAllComponentsMask, XkbUseCoreKbd);
  if (desc == NULL) {
    fprintf(stderr, "Failed to get keyboard\n");
    exit(1);
  }
  char *group = XGetAtomName(dpy, desc->names->groups[state.group]);
  printf("Full name: %s\n", group);

  XkbRF_VarDefsRec vd;
  XkbRF_GetNamesProp(dpy, NULL, &vd);

  char *tok = strtok(vd.layout, ",");

  for (int i = 0; i < state.group; i++) {
    tok = strtok(NULL, ",");
    if (tok == NULL) {
      return 1;
    }
  }

  printf("Layout name: %s\n", tok);

  XFree(group);
  XCloseDisplay(dpy);

  return 0;
}

Hi! I have packaged slightly modified version of this gist: https://github.com/brs-brs/getxkblayout

Looks like it works on terminal, but not the status bar like dwmblocks