Bug 338459

Summary: Can't set Alt + Acute (^) to tab between windows of one application
Product: [Plasma] kwin Reporter: nullweegee+kde
Component: generalAssignee: KWin default assignee <kwin-bugs-null>
Status: RESOLVED NOT A BUG    
Severity: normal    
Priority: NOR    
Version First Reported In: 5.0.0   
Target Milestone: ---   
Platform: Arch Linux   
OS: Linux   
Latest Commit: Version Fixed In:
Sentry Crash Report:
Attachments: xev output log
Output of setxkbmap -print

Description nullweegee+kde 2014-08-21 22:57:23 UTC
(I couldn't find the KWin settings in the component list, so I put it in general instead, sorry about that)

I wanted to change the window tabbing settings to work like they do in GNOME: Alt+Tab to switch between applications and Alt+^ (or whatever one's key above Tab is) to switch between different windows of one application.

However I can't set this key in the system settings application, for some reason the key just doesn't get recognised. I tried switching my keyboard layout to the dead acute variant, but it still didn't work.
Comment 1 Thomas Lübking 2014-08-22 12:25:58 UTC
> However I can't set this key in the system settings application, for some reason the key just doesn't get recognised.

For clarification: you cannot apply this shortcut at all (to any action of any component - when you press it, the button doesn't catch it at all) or you can apply it, but it doesn't trigger the desired action?

In the first case, please post the output of "setxkbmap -print"
You can also run "xev -event keyboard" and check what is generated for pressing "^" w/ and w/o the "Alt" modifier.
Comment 2 Christoph Feck 2014-09-13 19:30:56 UTC
If you can provide the information requested in comment #1, please add it.
Comment 3 nullweegee+kde 2014-09-27 10:50:34 UTC
Created attachment 88858 [details]
xev output log

Xev output log after
- Pressing and releasing the ^ key
- Pressing and holding Alt, then pressing and releasing the ^ key and releasing Alt
Comment 4 nullweegee+kde 2014-09-27 10:51:23 UTC
Created attachment 88859 [details]
Output of setxkbmap -print
Comment 5 nullweegee+kde 2014-09-27 10:51:47 UTC
(In reply to Christoph Feck from comment #2)
> If you can provide the information requested in comment #1, please add it.
Sorry for not providing additional information in a timely manner, but here we go:

(In reply to Thomas Lübking from comment #1)
> > However I can't set this key in the system settings application, for some reason the key just doesn't get recognised.
> 
> For clarification: you cannot apply this shortcut at all (to any action of
> any component - when you press it, the button doesn't catch it at all) or
> you can apply it, but it doesn't trigger the desired action?
Exactly - no matter where I try to set the ^ key, it never gets recognised. It's basically like I wouldn't press a key at all because the input prompt doesn't display anything when I want to use it for a shortcut, no matter where.

> In the first case, please post the output of "setxkbmap -print"
> You can also run "xev -event keyboard" and check what is generated for
> pressing "^" w/ and w/o the "Alt" modifier.
I've added the outputs in the attachments.
Comment 6 Thomas Lübking 2014-09-27 14:12:50 UTC
Most likely because the circumflex is a dead key - it does nothing until composed with another key.

Try
   setxkbmap -variant deadgraveacute

ensure that
   setxkbmap -print
prints sth. like
xkb_symbols   { include "pc+de(deadgraveacute)+inet(evdev)+compose(caps)+terminate(ctrl_alt_bksp)"      };

and try again.

"Bug" is (likely) in Qt in this case and less an "bug" but an "abstraction issue" (Qt does afair not generate events for modifiers or dead keys at all)
Comment 7 nullweegee+kde 2014-09-27 15:56:53 UTC
Afetr using the setxkbmap command you provided I can use ^ as a normal key for every keybind I want, so it kind of fixed the issue. The problem still persists when not using a different keymap variant though, but if you say that this is a Qt bug then it doesn't belong here.

Thank you anyway :)
Comment 8 Thomas Lübking 2014-09-27 17:09:33 UTC
Resolving invalid since I'm not even sure whether Qt would consider this a bug (the ^ key doesn't really cause "^" but just helps to type eg. "ô" in this configuration - being German myself, i rank "^" far more valuable than an easy circumflex and use the useless caps-lock as compose key instead)

You can configure this
a) by an xorg.conf.d snippet
b) via an auto-executed setxkbmap call (~/.kde/env/script.sh)
c) run "kcmshell4 keyboard", 2nd tab