Package: kdebase-bin Version: 4:3.2.2-1 Severity: normal Tags: l10n, upstream
I'm posting this here as per the debian-kde FAQ, following my upstream bug report, available at http://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=84606 I hope it's worthy for some other Debian user that wants a workaround to this problem. I am using several layouts on my computer, and manage the switching only via the KDE layer - because I really like the sticky switching and the flag it provides. Because I am used to mapping the rwin key to cause the group toggle from the way it is set up on the Linux console (where I switch using the console-cyrillic Debian package), I wanted to set up the same thing over in KDE. In my XF86config, I *do not* do any fancy layout mgmt: Section "InputDevice" Identifier "Generic Keyboard" Driver "keyboard" Option "CoreKeyboard" Option "XkbRules" "xfree86" Option "XkbModel" "pc104" Option "XkbLayout" "us" EndSection The natural way (using the path of the least resistance through the KDE GUI) didn't work, but I nevertheless achieved the desired result using an ugly hack. Detailed description of both follows. In layouts, select several layouts (> 1). (I tested with 2-5 different layouts out of the set of US, US intl w/dead keys, Hebrew, Russian, Spanish, French, Italian and German.) I also enabled the sticky switching. These things are common to both the working and the non-working solution. Now the intuitive thing that doesn't work: on the xkb options tab, select "enable xkb options", "reset old options", then, in the "group switching" subtree, select "Right Win-key changes group". Apply the things, and try the Right Win-key. It doesn't work, but this is probably just an instance of http://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=59442 So kill KDE and restart, and verify the options are there in the kxkb. Right Windows key still doesn't do it. Ouch. Now the ugly workaround comes. Disable back the "group switching" subtree selection, and in the "Third level choosers" subtree set the Right Win-key to choose the third level. Now, apply the changes. Go to the keyboard shortcuts via your control panel (`kcmshell keys' from the command line). There, in the Global Shortcuts tab, add to the "Keyboard/Switch to next keyboard layout" shortcut a custom shortcut - and press the rwin key recording it. You should see ISO_Level3_Shift now as the alternative combination. Apply the changes. That's not all. Unfortunately, until you log out and log back in (maybe it's possible to just restart smth inside KDE, but I didn't investigate this), at least on my machine, with the default modifiers scheme, pressing rwin raises the application menu. When you log back in, you finally get what you wanted - right win changes the group, you can verify it with the flag icon in the tray, and it actually changes the keyboard layout. Without the level3 thing, this won't work because then rwin will just stay a modifier key, and currently the shortcut recording doesn't allow for modifiers-only shortcuts. Overall, the internationalization UI is very counterintuitive right now. It's a pity that there is no way to learn about the group switching shortcut from within kxkb, and vice versa, about kxkb when configuring the keyboard shortcuts. Here, however, I am unable to provide constructive critics because I'm pretty dumb in the UI design. The bug is consistent, and doesn't depend on which language and primary locale (I didn't try UTF-8-based locales, though) the local user uses. -- System Information: Debian Release: testing/unstable APT prefers testing APT policy: (500, 'testing') Architecture: i386 (i686) Kernel: Linux 2.4.25-1-686 Locale: LANG=ru_RU.KOI8-R, LC_CTYPE=ru_RU.KOI8-R Versions of packages kdebase-bin depends on: ii kdelibs4 4:3.2.2-2 KDE core libraries ii libart-2.0-2 2.3.16-5 Library of functions for 2D graphi ii libc6 2.3.2.ds1-13 GNU C Library: Shared libraries an ii libfam0c102 2.7.0-5 client library to control the FAM ii libgcc1 1:3.3.4-1 GCC support library ii libice6 4.3.0.dfsg.1-4 Inter-Client Exchange library ii libpam-runtime 0.76-21 Runtime support for the PAM librar ii libpam0g 0.76-21 Pluggable Authentication Modules l ii libpng12-0 1.2.5.0-6 PNG library - runtime ii libqt3c102-mt 3:3.2.3-2 Qt GUI Library (Threaded runtime v ii libsm6 4.3.0.dfsg.1-4 X Window System Session Management ii libstdc++5 1:3.3.4-1 The GNU Standard C++ Library v3 ii libx11-6 4.3.0.dfsg.1-4 X Window System protocol client li ii libxext6 4.3.0.dfsg.1-4 X Window System miscellaneous exte ii libxrender1 0.8.3-7 X Rendering Extension client libra ii libxtst6 4.3.0.dfsg.1-4 X Window System event recording an ii xlibs 4.3.0.dfsg.1-4 X Window System client libraries m ii zlib1g 1:1.2.1.1-3 compression library - runtime -- no debconf information