Bug 511248 - Drawing tablet orientation setting not obeyed for stylus; default orientation inverted
Summary: Drawing tablet orientation setting not obeyed for stylus; default orientation...
Status: REPORTED
Alias: None
Product: kwin
Classification: Plasma
Component: input (other bugs)
Version First Reported In: 6.3.4
Platform: Kubuntu Linux
: NOR normal
Target Milestone: ---
Assignee: KWin default assignee
URL:
Keywords:
Depends on:
Blocks:
 
Reported: 2025-10-28 01:25 UTC by Andy
Modified: 2025-10-29 20:44 UTC (History)
3 users (show)

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Version Fixed/Implemented In:
Sentry Crash Report:


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Description Andy 2025-10-28 01:25:32 UTC
***
If you're not sure this is actually a bug, instead post about it at https://discuss.kde.org

If you're reporting a crash, attach a backtrace with debug symbols; see https://community.kde.org/Guidelines_and_HOWTOs/Debugging/How_to_create_useful_crash_reports

Please remove this comment after reading and before submitting - thanks!
***

SUMMARY
Upon rotating the laptop's display, or even putting the laptop to sleep or restarting it, stylus input will always appear inverted, requiring myself to go into the drawing tablet settings and set the orientation to Inverted Landscape. Sometimes this issue occurs even when the setting is in inverted landscape, requiring me to switch the setting to default and then to inverted landscape.

STEPS TO REPRODUCE

Able to reproduce this on both a touchscreen laptop, and a portable display plugged into a Framework 16 laptop. 

0. Plug in a portable display with stylus support, if laptop doesn't have such already. In this case I'm using my FW 16.
1. From startup, log in and I observe the mouse positioned inverted relative to the stylus
2. Go into plasma settings -> drawing tablet, observe that the Orientation setting is set to Default. Change it to inverted landscape, apply, and observe correct mouse positioning
3. Restart the laptop and log back in, and observe the inverted mouse positioning and the setting set back to Default once again.

Additionally, this behavior is observed on a laptop which can rotate its display:
1. Set the orientation setting to inverted landscape while the laptop is in its default orientation. Observe correct stylus positioning.
2. Rotate the laptop, in my case to the portrait orientation. Observed incorrect stylus positioning.
3. Rotate the laptop back to the default orientation. Observed the incorrect stylus positioning being maintained.

OBSERVED RESULT
After a restart, or a screen orientation change, the orientation for the stylus/drawing tablet reverts to the default setting, which produces an inverted position.

EXPECTED RESULT
The default orientation should not be inverted, if possible; upon restarting, logging out/in, or removing and re-adding the device, the orientation setting should be preserved from the last set value, per display.

I would recommend separating the orientation into an inverted/not inverted setting, and a portrait/landscape setting, so that devices that support rotating the display will maintain invertedness independent of portrait or landscape.

SOFTWARE/OS VERSIONS
(available in the Info Center app, or by running `kinfo` in a terminal window)
Linux/KDE Plasma: Kubuntu KDE plasma
KDE Plasma Version: 6.3.4
KDE Frameworks Version: 6.12.0
Qt Version: 6.8.3

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Both the portable display and laptop are manufactured by Asus; the display functionality uses standard Windows drivers for Windows.

Touchscreen is not affected, behaves without issue.
Comment 1 Andy 2025-10-28 01:27:37 UTC
(In reply to Andy from comment #0)
> ***
> If you're not sure this is actually a bug, instead post about it at
> https://discuss.kde.org
> 
> If you're reporting a crash, attach a backtrace with debug symbols; see
> https://community.kde.org/Guidelines_and_HOWTOs/Debugging/
> How_to_create_useful_crash_reports
> 
> Please remove this comment after reading and before submitting - thanks!
> ***
> 
> SUMMARY
> Upon rotating the laptop's display, or even putting the laptop to sleep or
> restarting it, stylus input will always appear inverted, requiring myself to
> go into the drawing tablet settings and set the orientation to Inverted
> Landscape. Sometimes this issue occurs even when the setting is in inverted
> landscape, requiring me to switch the setting to default and then to
> inverted landscape.
> 
> STEPS TO REPRODUCE
> 
> Able to reproduce this on both a touchscreen laptop, and a portable display
> plugged into a Framework 16 laptop. 
> 
> 0. Plug in a portable display with stylus support, if laptop doesn't have
> such already. In this case I'm using my FW 16.
> 1. From startup, log in and I observe the mouse positioned inverted relative
> to the stylus
> 2. Go into plasma settings -> drawing tablet, observe that the Orientation
> setting is set to Default. Change it to inverted landscape, apply, and
> observe correct mouse positioning
> 3. Restart the laptop and log back in, and observe the inverted mouse
> positioning and the setting set back to Default once again.
> 
> Additionally, this behavior is observed on a laptop which can rotate its
> display:
> 1. Set the orientation setting to inverted landscape while the laptop is in
> its default orientation. Observe correct stylus positioning.
> 2. Rotate the laptop, in my case to the portrait orientation. Observed
> incorrect stylus positioning.
> 3. Rotate the laptop back to the default orientation. Observed the incorrect
> stylus positioning being maintained.
> 
> OBSERVED RESULT
> After a restart, or a screen orientation change, the orientation for the
> stylus/drawing tablet reverts to the default setting, which produces an
> inverted position.
> 
> EXPECTED RESULT
> The default orientation should not be inverted, if possible; upon
> restarting, logging out/in, or removing and re-adding the device, the
> orientation setting should be preserved from the last set value, per display.
> 
> I would recommend separating the orientation into an inverted/not inverted
> setting, and a portrait/landscape setting, so that devices that support
> rotating the display will maintain invertedness independent of portrait or
> landscape.
> 
> SOFTWARE/OS VERSIONS
> (available in the Info Center app, or by running `kinfo` in a terminal
> window)
> Linux/KDE Plasma: Kubuntu KDE plasma
> KDE Plasma Version: 6.3.4
> KDE Frameworks Version: 6.12.0
> Qt Version: 6.8.3
> 
> ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
> Both the portable display and laptop are manufactured by Asus; the display
> functionality uses standard Windows drivers for Windows.
> 
> Touchscreen is not affected, behaves without issue.

When I say "Sometimes this issue occurs even when the setting is in inverted landscape, requiring me to switch the setting to default and then to inverted landscape." this might be an inconsistency with the settings UI and the actual setting- after triggering the bug, if the settings window is still open it would show Inverted Landscape, but upon closing and reopening it it would show Default.