Re: xkb options

[cga2000 <cga2000@optonline.net>]

On Tue, Apr 17, 2007 at 11:55:33PM EDT, Celejar wrote:
> On Tue, 17 Apr 2007 19:34:08 -0400
> cga2000 <cga2000@optonline.net> wrote:
> 
> > On Tue, Apr 17, 2007 at 03:36:13PM EDT, Celejar wrote:
> > > Hi,
> > > I'm setting up Xorg to switch between keyboard layouts using keyboard
> > > combinations like 'ctrl_shift'. 'grp:win_switch' works correctly, as
> > > does 'grp:ctrl_shift_toggle'. One thing I can't get to work is
> > > 'grp:win_shift_toggle' or 'grp:win_ctrl_toggle'. In other words,
> > > AFAICT the win key is recognized by itself, but combos involving it and
> > > another modifier aren't, even though combos such as 'ctrl_shift' work
> > > fine. Any ideas? Am I missing something? In 'xev', 'shift' and 'ctrl'
> > > show up as "Shift_L" and "Control_L" (for the left ones), and 'win'
> > > shows up as "Super_L" (unless I set 'grp:win_switch', in which case it
> > > shows up as "Mode_switch". Any help will be appreciated, as well as a
> > > pointer to good docs on this stuff.
> > 
> > Unfortunately, I can't answer the above.. but since I'm genuinely
> > interested in everything keyboard-related I do hope somebody else will.
> > 
> > I would like to understand why you want to use _two_ modifiers
> > concurrently.  Doesn't X support five modifiers?  If I'm correct .. on a
> > standard keyboard, this adds up to something like 400 separate actions
> > or thereabout.. To me this sounds like plenty .. I mean _400_ keyboard
> > actions to memorize .. to the point where you can use them automatically
> > without thinking .. implying that if you have to think .. ponder their
> > mnemonic value .. or worse look them up on a cheat sheet ..  it kind of
> > defeats the purpose of keyboard shortcuts, no..?
> > 
> > What I'm driving at .. is that synchronizing modifier+<key> is already a
> > considerably more difficult task than just hitting <key>. As a result, I
> > have banned modifier1+modifier2+<key> from my personal landscape.  
> > 
> > Thanks,
> > cga
> 
> Well, to be perfectly honest, the various guides to keyboard switching (e.g. this one [1]), had mentioned 'grp:win_shift_toggle', which I couldn't get to work, and I then became frustrated trying to understand why. Since I understand very little about Xkb options, I have no idea whether all 400 single modifier combinations (I assume you mean 5 modifiers multiplied by about 80 keys) are allowed in this context; they may very well be.

Celejar .. do you realize the above is just _one_ single line ..

And now I have to figure out why my mutt setup didn't reformat it to 72
columns as it should .. per all my tweaking ..

:-(

As to your initial question I still have nothing to offer. 

If you need to switch keyboard layout wouldn't it make better sense to
have a single keyboard action mapped to "select next keyboard layout" ..
I mean it's not something you do hundreds of time an hour, is it?

So if you use the "windows key" modifier for something like "terminal
config changes" .. wouldn't it be adequate to hit <winkey>+<L>  to
switch to the next keyboard layout..?

I do understand the above may not be your primary concern .. as well as
your frustration and the desire to figure out why it's not working the
way it's advertised, though.  I'm curious as well.

I have only one Windows key on this laptop and I have remapped to CTRL
so I can reach it comfortably with my left thumb. 

Please let us know when you find something.

Thanks,
cga