Bug 89453

Summary: No simple way to enable right Alt key ("Alt Gr") as 3rd level chooser when using multiple keyboard layouts (e.g. to input '@' on German keyboards)
Product: [Unmaintained] kcontrol Reporter: Frank Luithle <sigi>
Component: kcmkeyboardAssignee: Patrick Dowler <dowler>
Status: RESOLVED DUPLICATE    
Severity: normal CC: arysin
Priority: NOR    
Version: unspecified   
Target Milestone: ---   
Platform: Debian testing   
OS: Linux   
Latest Commit: Version Fixed In:
Sentry Crash Report:

Description Frank Luithle 2004-09-14 00:33:38 UTC 
Version:            (using KDE KDE 3.2.3)
Installed from:    Debian testing/unstable Packages
OS:                Linux

The right alt key stops working as "third level choosers" when multiple layouts are activated in the control center.  This key (labeled "Alt Gr" on German keyboards) is used to input characters as "@" and "\" on a German keyboard.

This works fine (it is the default behaviour for German keyboards) as long as only the German layout is used (ie. the keymap selector in the systray is turned off).

When using the keymap switching facility, the right alt key loses this functionality.  One can pick "Right Control" as third level chooser by picking the appropriate option in the "Xkb Options" tab, but this is neither intuitive nor satisfactory, as there is no option to use Right Alt.

The appropriate Xkb option would be "lv3:ralt_switch".  This works on my system when given on the command line, but of course the setting is lost again after switching back and forth once between two layouts.

1) Right Alt should have the correct default behaviour.

2) More "Xkb Options" should be offered to leverage all the possible settings offered by current XKB maps (including the abovementioned lv3:ralt_switch).

3) There should also be the possibility to arbitrarily edit the generated setxkbmap command.
Comment 1 Cyp 2009-10-21 11:12:00 UTC 
If available keyboard layouts are set to dk,us,se (in that order), then Alt Gr doesn't work for me in Konsole or Seamonkey, although it works in some kde programs.

If available keyboard layouts are set to dk,se,us (in that order), then Alt Gr works fine for me, also in Konsole and Seamonkey.

So somehow it makes a difference whether us is the second or third layout...
I found the workaround mentioned at http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=69393.
Comment 2 Andriy Rysin 2010-05-19 13:59:32 UTC 

*** This bug has been marked as a duplicate of bug 202647 ***