Bug 184940

Summary:	Input Actions page gives no indication of how to use it
Product:	[Unmaintained] khotkeys	Reporter:	David Jarvie <djarvie>
Component:	general	Assignee:	Michael Jansen <kde>
Status:	RESOLVED DUPLICATE
Severity:	normal	CC:	kde-2011.08, lueck, zahl
Priority:	NOR	Keywords:	usability
Version:	unspecified
Target Milestone:	---
Platform:	Compiled Sources
OS:	Linux
Latest Commit:		Version Fixed In:
Sentry Crash Report:

Description David Jarvie 2009-02-19 14:16:31 UTC

Version:            (using KDE 4.2.0)
Compiler:          gcc 4.3.2 
OS:                Linux
Installed from:    Compiled From Sources

The Input Actions page to configure khotkeys suffers from a serious usability problem in that there is no indication as to how to use it to do anything other than change the two default entries presented. The first time I looked at it, I decided it wasn't possible to configure new shortcuts, and I know somebody else (also computer literate) who also couldn't figure it out. Finally somebody on a Debian user list said how to configure a new action, and lo and behold it really is possible!

I think a simple Add or New button is all that's needed, but it's very important. Just don't rely on people realising that a right click in a dead area is how to do things.

Comment 1 Burkhard Lück 2009-03-16 13:17:37 UTC

systemsettings --version
Qt: 4.5.0
KDE: 4.2.66 (KDE 4.2.66 (KDE 4.3 >= 20090310))
System Settings: 4.2.66 (KDE 4.2.66 (KDE 4.3 >= 20090310))

trunk has an Edit drop down box with the actions from the context menu, so this issue seems to be solved?

Comment 2 David Jarvie 2009-03-17 07:38:19 UTC

Yes, this has improved things. But it still isn't particularly obvious exactly how to go about creating a new global shortcut until you try it out - it would be better if there was a pre-created empty (and perhaps renamable) group entitled something like "User Defined". That way it would be far more obvious that you could first select that group, and then use the Edit button.

The first time I attempted to create a shortcut using the new layout, I tried to decide which group to select for creating a new shortcut, but it wasn't too obvious (I thought that I'd have to pick one of the groups). I plumped for Preset Actions in the end, and then used Edit -> New - and much to my surprise a new group was automatically created. Better to have the first group for user definitions ready-made to avoid the user having to try to work out which group to select.

Another related comment I have is that I can't see any obvious reason for 'Input Actions' and 'Keyboard and Mouse' to be separate items in System Settings - they both handle global shortcuts (among other things). That makes it all the more confusing as to how to go about setting up a new global shortcut.

Comment 3 Thomas Lübking 2015-10-17 22:55:58 UTC

*** Bug 197885 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***

Comment 4 Thomas Lübking 2015-10-17 23:02:38 UTC

The shortcut kcms are meanwhile grouped under "shortcuts" in system settings (and that didn't belong into khotkeys bugs anyway)

*** This bug has been marked as a duplicate of bug 124011 ***