Bug 16041

Summary:	wider use of shift level3 key
Product:	xorg	Reporter:	Maciej Pilichowski <bluedzins>
Component:	Input/Keyboard	Assignee:	Xorg Project Team <xorg-team>
Status:	RESOLVED DUPLICATE	QA Contact:	Xorg Project Team <xorg-team>
Severity:	enhancement
Priority:	medium
Version:	7.2 (2007.02)
Hardware:	Other
OS:	All
Whiteboard:
i915 platform:		i915 features:

Description Maciej Pilichowski 2008-05-20 13:43:34 UTC

Original report is here:
https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=124493

The problem is -- I use alt key to input various characters, like
ęóąłśöä— – × € Ł ° ‰ § „ “”‘…’ ≤≥ Ť ť

this is extremely handy because I can get the needed character right away.

On the other hand this alt key is in a way wasted -- I don't use such combinations like alt+f1, alt+left, alt+tab to get characters because it is rather meaningless for me what I should get.

So it is perfect to make those keyboard shortcuts -- code folding/unfolding, window switching, calling various functions, and so on. But... I cannot do this because once this key (alt) is set as shift level3 it cannot be used as modifier.

For laptop user it is a huge drawback because there are not too many keys on the keyboard and I would like to use all the keys to maximum (I have RSI so it is important to me using extended key/mouse combinations).

The wish is: use shift level 3 key as shift level 3 key for _defined_ characters but for the rest as normal key.

Comment 1 Peter Hutterer 2008-05-20 16:36:19 UTC


*** This bug has been marked as a duplicate of bug 865 ***

Comment 2 Maciej Pilichowski 2008-05-21 01:44:24 UTC

IMHO it is not a duplicate because:

* the other report is about layout switching -- I don't do any layout switching, I have only single layout

* the other report deals with pressing/releasing issue -- I have no problem with that

* the problem is that you can assign shift key to keyboard shortcuts like shift+F1 but you cannot assign alt key (shift level3) to such combinations -- in other words, such key can generate only characters (specified in layout) but beside that it is a dead key; and the other report say no word about shift level 3 key

Comment 3 Peter Hutterer 2008-05-21 04:35:57 UTC

> --- Comment #2 from Maciej Pilichowski <macias@mat.uni.torun.pl>  2008-05-21 01:44:24 PST ---
> IMHO it is not a duplicate because:
> 
> * the other report is about layout switching -- I don't do any layout
> switching, I have only single layout
> 
> * the other report deals with pressing/releasing issue -- I have no problem
> with that
> 
> * the problem is that you can assign shift key to keyboard shortcuts like
> shift+F1 but you cannot assign alt key (shift level3) to such combinations --
> in other words, such key can generate only characters (specified in layout) but
> beside that it is a dead key; and the other report say no word about shift
> level 3 key

it is very similar in nature, unless I misunderstood.
for example you say that "The wish is: use shift level 3 key as shift level 3
key for _defined_ characters but for the rest as normal key." This requires
the server to wait with the shift until the next character is pressed before
it can decide what to do. Similarly, in the other bug this requires waiting
for the release event.

Layout switching or other actions are handled quite similar from what I've
seen so far.

Comment 4 Maciej Pilichowski 2008-05-21 07:22:44 UTC

Peter, thank you for the answer -- you are correct with explanation. I don't the internals, so I believe you :-)

For me the solution would be also such mapping (example):
alt+c -> ć (character)
alt+f -> F13 ("virtual" key)

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