You are not logged in.

#1 2017-01-25 23:15:19

plp
Member
Registered: 2013-01-24
Posts: 45

libinput 1.6.0 makes tap-to-click unreliable

Hi everyone,

After upgrading libinput 1.6.0, tab-to-click no longer works reliably. Specifically, I may need to tap 2, 3, or even 4 times before a click is registered (though some times it works on the first attempt). Reverting back to 1.5.4 solves the issue.

So, I looked at Git to try and figure out what happened. It looks like a developer conducted a study and discovered that users' fingers are quicker and steadier than previously thought. So, he went ahead and submitted a couple of patches that reduce the time and movement thresholds for tapping. This was probably a wise thing to do, as it improves reaction time and makes accidental clicking less likely. However (unless I'm mistaken) it has also broken my touchpad.

Has anyone else had similar problems with 1.6.0?

I'm using a Dell Inspiron 15 7000 series.

Last edited by plp (2017-01-25 23:20:17)

Offline

#2 2017-01-25 23:31:47

jasonwryan
Anarchist
From: .nz
Registered: 2009-05-09
Posts: 30,424
Website

Re: libinput 1.6.0 makes tap-to-click unreliable

Yep. I have downgraded until I can look into it more.


Arch + dwm   •   Mercurial repos  •   Surfraw

Registered Linux User #482438

Offline

#3 2017-01-26 08:39:00

plp
Member
Registered: 2013-01-24
Posts: 45

Re: libinput 1.6.0 makes tap-to-click unreliable

I managed to fix the problem in 1.6.0 by making a PKGBUILD that reverses the effects of the two patches:

# $Id: PKGBUILD 287240 2017-01-23 18:46:28Z andyrtr $
# Maintainer: Pantelis Panayiotou <p.panayiotou@gmail.com>

pkgname_orig=libinput
pkgname=libinput-hith
pkgver=1.6.0
pkgrel=1
pkgdesc="Input device management and event handling library -- compiled with high tap threshold values"
arch=(i686 x86_64)
url="https://www.freedesktop.org/wiki/Software/libinput/"
license=(custom:X11)
depends=('mtdev' 'systemd' 'libevdev' 'libwacom')
# currently no doc files to install
makedepends=('doxygen' 'graphviz' 'gtk3')
#checkdepends=('check' 'libunwind')
provides=('libinput=1.6.0')
conflicts=('libinput')
source=(https://freedesktop.org/software/$pkgname_orig/$pkgname_orig-$pkgver.tar.xz)
sha256sums=('b7534f518d735c643aedca2fb4694683dfddc8d0600cfb628c87a18e65255832')

prepare() {
  sed -ie 's/#define DEFAULT_TAP_INITIAL_TIMEOUT_PERIOD ms2us(100)/#define DEFAULT_TAP_INITIAL_TIMEOUT_PERIOD ms2us(180)/g' $pkgname_orig-$pkgver/src/evdev-mt-touchpad-tap.c 
  sed -ie 's/#define DEFAULT_TAP_MOVE_THRESHOLD TP_MM_TO_DPI_NORMALIZED(1.3)/#define DEFAULT_TAP_MOVE_THRESHOLD TP_MM_TO_DPI_NORMALIZED(3)/g' $pkgname_orig-$pkgver/src/evdev-mt-touchpad-tap.c
}

build() {
  cd $pkgname_orig-$pkgver
  ./configure --prefix=/usr --disable-static
  make
}

check() {
  cd $pkgname_orig-$pkgver
# disabled for now:
# https://github.com/libcheck/check/issues/18
#  make check
}

package() {
  cd $pkgname_orig-$pkgver
  make DESTDIR="$pkgdir" install
  install -Dm644 COPYING "${pkgdir}/usr/share/licenses/${pkgname_orig}/COPYING"
  # install doc - no Makefile target
  install -v -dm755 ${pkgdir}/usr/share/doc/libinput
  cp -rv doc/html/* ${pkgdir}/usr/share/doc/libinput
}

If anyone else would like to try it, I put it on AUR.

Offline

#4 2017-01-27 04:14:42

jorges
Member
Registered: 2011-04-07
Posts: 29

Re: libinput 1.6.0 makes tap-to-click unreliable

plp wrote:

I managed to fix the problem in 1.6.0 by making a PKGBUILD that reverses the effects of the two patches:

If anyone else would like to try it, I put it on AUR.

I just tried your package and I can confirm it fixes the issue here. Thanks

Offline

#5 2017-01-27 05:14:36

glenb77
Member
Registered: 2014-10-02
Posts: 68

Re: libinput 1.6.0 makes tap-to-click unreliable

i can confirm same behavior on dell 3147 and the package above has fixed it. thanks much. it was very annoying and i had downgraded the libinput before seeing this post

Offline

#6 2017-01-28 05:23:11

Mythreya
Member
Registered: 2014-12-24
Posts: 10

Re: libinput 1.6.0 makes tap-to-click unreliable

I don't know if it was the intent of the dev or not but reducing the tapping time threshold pretty much makes palm rejection perfect (my palm can't tap that fast). So I think it's better to get used to tapping faster rather than undoing those changes.

Offline

#7 2017-01-28 07:46:52

ztp
Member
Registered: 2014-02-13
Posts: 6

Re: libinput 1.6.0 makes tap-to-click unreliable

I had not noticed a difference myself. I don't know if that's a hardware difference or a human difference in how we click. It seems to me that if 95% of touches are less than the 100 ms timeout they set then for some people this is going to be an annoying setting. Do you have issues on other trackpads? You might consider making a ticket on the upstream bug tracker. The blog post even suggests that they may increase the timeout if they get enough negative feedback on the setting, but also indicates that some of these issues may be related to the touchpad drivers that are only becoming apparent after this change. That may be a good avenue to follow up as well.

Offline

#8 2017-01-28 08:16:50

adesh
Member
Registered: 2016-10-05
Posts: 167

Re: libinput 1.6.0 makes tap-to-click unreliable

Same problem here. Taps are totally unreliable, started using the buttons.

Mythreya wrote:

I don't know if it was the intent of the dev or not but reducing the tapping time threshold pretty much makes palm rejection perfect (my palm can't tap that fast). So I think it's better to get used to tapping faster rather than undoing those changes.

Intention may be good but the outcome is rather poor. If people are having issues with their touchpads then it really raises some serious doubts about the study (or the execution on dev's part). And being Archers, we've got the best fingers here smile

If this thing is affecting jsonwryan then there is something really wrong with it big_smile

Offline

#9 2017-01-28 08:24:59

ztp
Member
Registered: 2014-02-13
Posts: 6

Re: libinput 1.6.0 makes tap-to-click unreliable

Here's an active upstream bug report on this issue: https://bugs.freedesktop.org/show_bug.cgi?id=99447

Offline

#10 2017-01-28 09:37:45

SeeLook
Member
Registered: 2012-07-01
Posts: 19

Re: libinput 1.6.0 makes tap-to-click unreliable

I had the same troubles on ElanTech touchpad and for me, using that 1.6 version from AUR was not sufficient,
because also cursor moving velocity was degraded in that new 1.6 libinput. It was heavy to bear.
I downgraded to 1.5 and all is normal now

Offline

#11 2017-02-03 13:25:37

solstice
Member
Registered: 2006-10-27
Posts: 235
Website

Re: libinput 1.6.0 makes tap-to-click unreliable

@plp: thanks for the package; That fixes my problem here. I thought of somethig else was broken...

Offline

#12 2017-02-04 20:56:24

coconutoil
Member
Registered: 2016-03-11
Posts: 10

Re: libinput 1.6.0 makes tap-to-click unreliable

1.6.1 appears to revert the change:
https://cgit.freedesktop.org/wayland/li … 67a9947173

Offline

#13 2017-02-04 21:15:27

ewaller
Administrator
From: Pasadena, CA
Registered: 2009-07-13
Posts: 19,739

Re: libinput 1.6.0 makes tap-to-click unreliable

Doesn't seem that way to me sad

Edit: OTOH, after dumbshit rebooted it does appear to be fixed  big_smile

Last edited by ewaller (2017-02-04 21:30:29)


Nothing is too wonderful to be true, if it be consistent with the laws of nature -- Michael Faraday
Sometimes it is the people no one can imagine anything of who do the things no one can imagine. -- Alan Turing
---
How to Ask Questions the Smart Way

Offline

#14 2017-02-05 17:25:06

davenorth
Member
Registered: 2010-10-25
Posts: 16

Re: libinput 1.6.0 makes tap-to-click unreliable

I just tried changing to libinput with a synaptics touchpad on a Samsung 900x1b and tapping is extremely unreliable in 1.5.4, 1.6.0 and 1.6.1 -- basicallly unusable. Why do I get to be so special?

Also, everything works fine if I reinstall xf86-input-synaptics. xinput list-props shows a 180ms timeout (with the synaptics driver).

I've spent a few hours testing just about every variable I can think of or find, and the bottom line is the touchpad is a mess using libinput. Single, double and triple-finger clicks are erratic. Drag, however, works fine and movement is subpar but acceptable.

Everything works great with the synaptics driver on i686 (32-bit) but now the synaptics driver freaks out 64-bit on shutdown, spewing an error for perhaps 5-10 seconds. Incidentally this is using openbox as the wm. At this point I'd rate libinput as "unusuable" and am retrograding to debian jessie for daily use but will be testing libinput weekly to see if it ever catches up with normal functionality.

Glad to test anything of anyone is (a) paying attention or (b) cares.

Last edited by davenorth (2017-02-17 17:54:15)

Offline

#15 2017-02-27 01:53:30

davenorth
Member
Registered: 2010-10-25
Posts: 16

Re: libinput 1.6.0 makes tap-to-click unreliable

Situation improving with mainline kernel -- almost caught up with the synaptics driver now (though with less configurability). Still kind of messy on the LTS, with lots of missed double-taps and some singles.

Offline

Board footer

Powered by FluxBB