[SOLVED] EurKEY layout not working with AltGr key

5uperMario · 2018-08-05 10:55:53

Hey guys!

I just installed Arch for the first time a week ago and really like it, but I'm already stuck with a problem.

I'd like to have the EurKEY layout installed.
I used

 $ setxkbmap -layout eu

to install the layout as it is part of xkeyboard-config. This works fine as the output of "setxkbmap -query" is

rules:      evdev
model:      pc105
layout:     eu
options:    grp:caps_toggle,grp_led:scroll,grp:caps_toggle,grp_led:scroll

The problem now is that I can't use my modifier key to write e.g. German letters like ä, ö and ü.
Instead of working like AltGr, the key works like the left Alt key to access menu bar items (e.g. AltGr + F opens the File tab in Firefox).

Does anybody know what could be the cause of this behaviour?

Last edited by 5uperMario (2018-08-07 13:43:53)

robg · 2018-08-05 11:55:44

Hello 5uperMario and welcome to the forums,

Note that you can try to isolate the cause by trying to

a) type umlauts in different applications (e.g. does it work in a terminal emulator? in a QT application?)
b) check whether it works with a different keyboard layout (see for example en-bg and the second answer here

Report back with the results to the above experiments and we can have a more refined guess as to where the issue lies.

seth · 2018-08-05 12:42:28

Also check the "xev" output, the keycode for AltGr and the state for eg. AltGr+f

5uperMario · 2018-08-05 15:53:29

Thank you for your answers, the both of you!

I rebooted my machine and I got the US layout again. When I set the EurKEY layout it magically worked!
Still wondering what caused the problem though.

Is it okay to mark this post as [SOLVED]? I'm asking because the root of the original problem wasn't really found...

Cheers
5uperMario

progandy · 2018-08-05 19:24:55

I guess you could mark it with [Resolved]

5uperMario · 2018-08-07 06:38:15

Sorry I have to reopen this post. Somehow I'm at the same spot again.

robg wrote:

Hello 5uperMario and welcome to the forums,
Note that you can try to isolate the cause by trying to
a) type umlauts in different applications (e.g. does it work in a terminal emulator? in a QT application?)
b) check whether it works with a different keyboard layout (see for example en-bg and the second answer here
Report back with the results to the above experiments and we can have a more refined guess as to where the issue lies.

To answer your questions:

a) It behaves like the left alt button in every application.
b) Well that's not what I want in the end. I only want the eu layout. And the composer key solution is also not what I want. I want to use AltGr + o for ö, AltGr + u for ü and AltGr + a for ä (and yes, I copy-pasted these chars from somewhere).

xev output for AltGr:

KeyPress event, serial 37, synthetic NO, window 0x2000001,
    root 0x39c, subw 0x0, time 10212346, (163,-18), root:(201,84),
    state 0x0, keycode 108 (keysym 0xffea, Alt_R), same_screen YES,
    XLookupString gives 0 bytes: 
    XmbLookupString gives 0 bytes: 
    XFilterEvent returns: False

xev output for AltGr+f:

KeyPress event, serial 37, synthetic NO, window 0x2000001,
    root 0x39c, subw 0x0, time 10403978, (163,-21), root:(201,81),
    state 0x8, keycode 41 (keysym 0x66, f), same_screen YES,
    XLookupString gives 1 bytes: (66) "f"
    XmbLookupString gives 1 bytes: (66) "f"
    XFilterEvent returns: False

And to give you more information --> content of /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/00-keyboard.conf:

Section "InputClass"
        Identifier "system-keyboard"
        MatchIsKeyboard "on"
        Option "XkbLayout" "eu"
EndSection

Furthermore I set up the locale like in the wiki with the us UTF8 layout.

Still my AltGr key can do all the Left Alt operations

seth · 2018-08-07 07:25:21

Alt_R is not AltGr, latter is ISO_Level3_Shift - what means either the "level3(ralt_switch)" include of the eu layout fails or something™ butchers the layout afterwards. The doubled layout options could be an indicator for the latter as well.

Try to load the layout again (at runtime) and elaborate on your session/desktop environment and esp. if you're somehow invoking xmodmap.

robg · 2018-08-07 08:52:07

5uperMario wrote:

b) Well that's not what I want in the end. I only want the eu layout. And the composer key solution is also not what I want. I want to use AltGr + o for ö, AltGr + u for ü and AltGr + a for ä (and yes, I copy-pasted these chars from somewhere).

What I meant is to give b) a try to rule out issues with the EurKEY layout (as mentioned above by seth). I didn't mean that you should do this as a permanent workaround.

5uperMario · 2018-08-07 08:55:12

robg wrote:

5uperMario wrote:
b) Well that's not what I want in the end. I only want the eu layout. And the composer key solution is also not what I want. I want to use AltGr + o for ö, AltGr + u for ü and AltGr + a for ä (and yes, I copy-pasted these chars from somewhere).
What I meant is to give b) a try to rule out issues with the EurKEY layout (as mentioned above by seth). I didn't mean that you should do this as a permanent workaround.

I tried the composer key solution and it works. But it's too annoying to type AltGr -> (Shift) -> o -> " -> ö just for one typing ö as you can probably well understand.

robg · 2018-08-07 09:06:55

Well, this almost surely isolates your issue to some problem with the EurKEY layout. Unfortunately, I don't have any specific knowledge to handle such issues, but seth might be able to put this information to some use.

seth · 2018-08-07 11:24:44

"setxkbmap eu" works as expected here, so either the layout file has been tampered with or the layout is altered after the initial setting.
Whatever it is, you simply have no "AltGr", so you of course do not reach the 3rd level shift.

5uperMario · 2018-08-07 13:43:22

I found a solution: I simply deleted my /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/00-keyboard.conf and rebooted. Everything works fine now.

I'll mark this thread as [SOLVED] but still have a little question as an Arch newbie: Because I have to type in "setxkbmap -layout eu " every time I log in, which file location would be the most suitable to add this command to?

seth · 2018-08-07 14:00:24

That's not a "solution".

What happens is that something™ comes along and screws your layout.
That something™ is either you DM or your DE and you need to stop it from doing that.
In any case you need to figure what something™ is, even if you just wanted to set the layout afterwards (and please be aware that a delayed keyboard layout switch is not necessarily caught by all clients what can be a problem reg. the allocation of global shortcuts by your shortcut or windows manager)

So step one is to figure what screws your layout.
Try logging into some sort of failsafe session (only an xterm) - if the problem exists there as well, it's in your DM (use xinit/startx to verify that assuption), otherwise in your DE.

5uperMario · 2018-08-08 17:02:11

So somehow GNOME didn't have any EurKEY Layout in the settings but I read that it should by default. So I set the custom value of the input sources in dconf-editor org.gnome.desktop.input-sources.sources to

[('xkb', 'eu')]

and now it showed up in the settings. Then I rebooted and now everything works fine. Thanks for the help!

Arch Linux

#1 2018-08-05 10:55:53

[SOLVED] EurKEY layout not working with AltGr key

#2 2018-08-05 11:55:44

Re: [SOLVED] EurKEY layout not working with AltGr key

#3 2018-08-05 12:42:28

Re: [SOLVED] EurKEY layout not working with AltGr key

#4 2018-08-05 15:53:29

Re: [SOLVED] EurKEY layout not working with AltGr key

#5 2018-08-05 19:24:55

Re: [SOLVED] EurKEY layout not working with AltGr key

#6 2018-08-07 06:38:15

Re: [SOLVED] EurKEY layout not working with AltGr key

#7 2018-08-07 07:25:21

Re: [SOLVED] EurKEY layout not working with AltGr key

#8 2018-08-07 08:52:07

Re: [SOLVED] EurKEY layout not working with AltGr key

#9 2018-08-07 08:55:12

Re: [SOLVED] EurKEY layout not working with AltGr key

#10 2018-08-07 09:06:55

Re: [SOLVED] EurKEY layout not working with AltGr key

#11 2018-08-07 11:24:44

Re: [SOLVED] EurKEY layout not working with AltGr key

#12 2018-08-07 13:43:22

Re: [SOLVED] EurKEY layout not working with AltGr key

#13 2018-08-07 14:00:24

Re: [SOLVED] EurKEY layout not working with AltGr key

#14 2018-08-08 17:02:11

Re: [SOLVED] EurKEY layout not working with AltGr key

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