Dead keys don't work (both under X and console)

blno · 2012-01-05 15:53:56

Hello everyone,

I've done a fresh install of Arch 64 with XFCE.
The same hardware worked fine previously with Gnome 3 (I just added a separated boot partition this time). It also works fine on Windows.

My problem is that no dead key works. For example, the ^ key is supposed to put an accent on the next letter, but it just writes ^ directly. Same for all other dead keys like ¨~ˇ and whatever.
I've got this problem in the console as well as under Xorg.

I've tried using a different locale (en_GB and fr_FR) without success.
I've tried with 2 keyboards (my laptop one and a usb one).

Thanks in advance.

EDIT: I use a different keyboard layout under console and X (because my bépo layout isn't included in the console). I've tried using the same layout in both (the standard fr layout) and it doesn't change the problem.

Last edited by blno (2012-01-05 16:06:43)

siriusb · 2012-01-05 17:48:57

I think in the settings for gnome-shell you specified a layout. You have to do the same now. I think the easiest way to use evdev. I appended the following to /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/10-evdev.conf:

#  keyboard layout
Section "InputClass"
    Identifier         "Keyboard Defaults"
    MatchIsKeyboard	   "yes"
    MatchProduct       "keyboard"
    Option  "XkbLayout"  "hu, us"
    Option  "XkbVariant"  "102_qwertz_dot_dead,"
    Option  "XkbOptions" "terminate:ctrl_alt_bksp, grp:shifts_toggle"
EndSection

You can find your XkbLayout and XkbVariant here: /usr/share/X11/xkb/rules/evdev.lst .

blno · 2012-01-05 18:01:33

Here's the relevant section of my file 10-evdev.conf:

Section "InputClass"
        Identifier "evdev keyboard catchall"
        MatchIsKeyboard "on"
        MatchDevicePath "/dev/input/event*"
        Driver "evdev"
        Option "XkbLayout" "fr"
        Option "XkbVariant" "bepo"
EndSection

Is that incorrect?

I don't think it comes from there because I don't have dead keys in the console either.

Last edited by blno (2012-01-05 18:02:36)

siriusb · 2012-01-05 18:58:17

If this is the keyboard layout you want, it's fine. In this case you should check whether XFCE provides any means to set up the keyboard, because xorg setting is overriden.

For console you may want to check out rc.conf.

blno · 2012-01-05 22:33:06

XFCE is configured to use the "system default" layout, which is bépo. It works fine.

I don't think it has much to do with the layout. Even the standard azerty layout used in the console before launching X have the dead keys problem.

Last edited by blno (2012-01-05 22:33:15)

siriusb · 2012-01-06 17:15:44

OK, I don't want to convince you.
In my opinion if a keyboard doesn't behave as it should, one has incorrect settings or a bug. Or linux can't handle such problems.
Well, I'd certainly try another XkbVariant. Of course it's possible that I'm completely mistaken.

blno · 2012-01-06 17:17:18

I've tried by removing the XkbVariant line, to use the normal fr keyboard. It correctly changes the layout under X, but the dead keys still don't work.

AndyRTR · 2012-01-06 17:48:09

Are you running testing repo? I'm also faced with this on two of my systems with de-nodeadkeys layout. One system not running testing and the only one using gdm works well.

blno · 2012-01-06 17:51:24

No, I don't use any testing repo.

It's true that my previous system used gdm, this one doesn't use a dm (I use startx). Also, I never had to type accents under the console before, so it's possible that it worked only passed gdm and I didn't see it.

But that would be a more common problem I guess, if it affected all installs without a dm.

Last edited by blno (2012-01-06 17:51:53)

siriusb · 2012-01-06 18:53:42

i did some searching. A possibile solution (as workaround) can be ibus.
Sorry, but I have no more idea.

blno · 2012-01-06 20:02:27

It looks like ibus is to enter non-latin characters specifically, not really what my problem is.

Thanks for your time, I'm going to continue to investigate.

blno · 2012-01-06 22:12:50

Ok, some progress after multiple tests.

I replaced my console font in rc.conf by "LatArCyrHeb-16", and left the console map undefined.
Now it works fine in the console.

It's still the same under X, I'm going to do some testing.

EDIT: Ok, I don't get it for X. In the console, it looks like it didn't work because the font didn't allow it. What might do that for X?

Last edited by blno (2012-01-06 22:31:26)

blno · 2012-01-06 22:41:30

I think it's related to this other problem I had.

Basically the console font was bad at installation. Now it's fixed but it looks like it disabled my dead keys somehow.

Now, I think that even if it's fixed in the console, X still have this limitation somewhere.

EDIT: I see that I can actually type an accented character with its key directly, but when I try to do it with the corresponding dead key it doesn't work.

Last edited by blno (2012-01-06 23:00:30)

blno · 2012-01-07 19:18:57

So, nobody knows if X could have "integrated" this limitation from the console font?

If I don't find, I'll just reinstall the whole thing. It's not classy but it might work.

jtkmt · 2012-01-08 03:48:18

/usr/share/kbd/keymaps/i386/azerty/{fr-pc,fr-latin1,azerty}.map.gz

keycode   3 = eacute           two              at
keycode  26 = dead_circumflex  dead_diaeresis   bracketleft

whereas /usr/share/kbd/keymaps/i386/azerty/fr.map.gz

keycode   3 = braceleft        two              asciitilde
keycode  26 = asciicircum      less

As for console, when I loadkeys'ed the formers, deadkeys worked.
Does your bepo keymap have the same lines?
Try other azerty keymaps, and copy and customize what worked for you.
fr.map.gz is wrong and should be fixed.

For X, I experience the similar thing. Deadkeys doesn't work in terminal but works in gtk apps.
(I have LOCALE="en_US.UTF-8" in rc.conf and LANG=en_US.UTF-8.)

Do this in terminal. xx is the keycode of dead ^ on your keyboard which you can get with xev command.

xmodmap -e "keycode xx = dead_circumflex"

and try to type ê or whatever. If the deadkey works at least in gtk apps, it means that making
your own .Xmodmap can solve the problem to some extent.

Last edited by jtkmt (2012-01-08 05:13:27)

blno · 2012-01-08 14:31:54

Thanks, I've switched to fr-latin9 after seeing that fr was broken indeed.

Using xev, I see that on my current layout the ^ key is associated with "dead_circumflex", so that's correct, and it still doesn't work.

jtkmt · 2012-01-12 03:02:26

With fr-latin9, did deadkeys begin to work on console?

What happens when you try the following command?
This may have a chance to override the xfce setting.

$ setxkbmap fr bepo

Also what with other keymaps with deadkeys?

$ setxkbmap de

(German has deadkeys at $ and % on bepo.)

P.S. I found a bepo for console, JFYI.
bépo dans la console

Last edited by jtkmt (2012-01-12 03:27:12)

blno · 2012-01-12 13:39:21

Thanks for the ideas. I haven't had much time to mess with my install these last days.
I think the dead keys started to work in console not when I changed to fr-latin9 but when I fixed the console font.

Anyway, I've tried these commands, and it doesn't work. It properly sets the layout, but the dead keys don't work.

lman · 2012-01-31 19:16:50

Hi,

Is this solved somehow? because I have the same issue.

blno · 2012-01-31 19:38:52

No, still not. I actually haven't looked at it since then, I don't really have time to play with Linux these days.

lman · 2012-01-31 20:05:51

OK, I just figured it out... somehow it was strange, that it always wrote a ? instead of č etc.
So i checked the locale. Turned out I only had posix locale set.
This is how to fix it:

1. # edit locale.conf, uncomment en_US.UTF-8 line or any other line
2. # locale-gen
3. # edit /etc/rc.conf, and set locale to the one you use, and is available
4. optionally you can set in /etc/environment: LANG=your_locale <- gnome uses this

Before this it only worked in gnome apps. I think it's because gnome uses the lang variable, which was empty. All the other were set to POSIX, which is bad
Check your locale, if you have the same issue, too (just type locale in terminal)

Last edited by lman (2012-01-31 20:06:06)

blno · 2012-01-31 20:13:55

Thanks, but it's not the same problem then.

My install is messed up anyway now, I'm going to reinstall Arch when I get the time (and when I settle for a DE/WM).

Arch Linux

#1 2012-01-05 15:53:56

Dead keys don't work (both under X and console)

#2 2012-01-05 17:48:57

Re: Dead keys don't work (both under X and console)

#3 2012-01-05 18:01:33

Re: Dead keys don't work (both under X and console)

#4 2012-01-05 18:58:17

Re: Dead keys don't work (both under X and console)

#5 2012-01-05 22:33:06

Re: Dead keys don't work (both under X and console)

#6 2012-01-06 17:15:44

Re: Dead keys don't work (both under X and console)

#7 2012-01-06 17:17:18

Re: Dead keys don't work (both under X and console)

#8 2012-01-06 17:48:09

Re: Dead keys don't work (both under X and console)

#9 2012-01-06 17:51:24

Re: Dead keys don't work (both under X and console)

#10 2012-01-06 18:53:42

Re: Dead keys don't work (both under X and console)

#11 2012-01-06 20:02:27

Re: Dead keys don't work (both under X and console)

#12 2012-01-06 22:12:50

Re: Dead keys don't work (both under X and console)

#13 2012-01-06 22:41:30

Re: Dead keys don't work (both under X and console)

#14 2012-01-07 19:18:57

Re: Dead keys don't work (both under X and console)

#15 2012-01-08 03:48:18

Re: Dead keys don't work (both under X and console)

#16 2012-01-08 14:31:54

Re: Dead keys don't work (both under X and console)

#17 2012-01-12 03:02:26

Re: Dead keys don't work (both under X and console)

#18 2012-01-12 13:39:21

Re: Dead keys don't work (both under X and console)

#19 2012-01-31 19:16:50

Re: Dead keys don't work (both under X and console)

#20 2012-01-31 19:38:52

Re: Dead keys don't work (both under X and console)

#21 2012-01-31 20:05:51

Re: Dead keys don't work (both under X and console)

#22 2012-01-31 20:13:55

Re: Dead keys don't work (both under X and console)

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