Hotkey Hell Has M'Hollerin'

[Tom_ZeCat]

Many of you know I've been having a beast of a time with my Lenovo Z570 laptop since reinstalling Kubuntu. Info on all the problems can be found here: https://www.kubuntuforums.net/showth...028#post370028

In an attempt to get to stability, I've completely wiped its drive with Gparted live and have installed Kubuntu 14.04 LTS from scratch. This time I didn't fool around with a dual boot. For any Windows programs I'll use VirtualBox or WINE. At this point I've only done a basic set up, putting in the settings I want, and I've installed a few applications. Now I already have problems, specifically with hotkeys. I had saved the info on how to put in a hotkey to run an app:

System Settings ==> Shortcuts and Gestures ==> Custom Shortcuts

Click on "preset actions"

Right click on "New" ==> Global Shortcut ==> Command/URL

It's always worked before, and it worked this time at first. I set up Meta+E to run Dolphin, Meta+W to run LO Writer, Meta+G to run Gedit, and some others. However, one day all of a sudden it quit working. I therefore went in and deleted all the hotkeys and attempted to set them back up. No luck. When I go to put the hotkey in, Meta+whatever, I get gibberish. Here's a screen shot:


windows print screen

In the image, I'm trying to get Meta+G for Gedit, but I get the gobbledygook that you see. I've deleted and have tried again to no avail. I tried resetting to defaults and then trying again, but I get the same gunk. Anyone know what's going on?

If you've followed the other thread, you know that on this Lenovo, numerous things kept going wrong. I suspect a hardware problem. In the previous install, the printer install kept going bad and coming back, LO Writer's default.ott template kept refusing to load; then it would come back. I've had a huge problem with bugginess with this laptop. Kubuntu hasn't been this buggy previously. I'm about ready to just give up on this thing and buy another laptop from a pawn shop, NOT a Lenovo. In the previous thread, we talked about how Lenovo has a strange UEFI system that tries to force you to only install its original OS, Windows 7 Home Premium. I suspect that system may be giving me grief or that the hard drive may be going bad, though tests did not show any problems.

Anyone see this hotkey problem show up before? Know what to do about it?

All this down time is giving me grief. I'm about ready to just shop the pawn shops for a laptop that uses the same kind of memory, so that I can harvest the memory from this thing and move on.

[SecretCode]

Could it be a font issue ... and actually getting set correctly ... ?

Save one of these gobbledygooks and have a look at ~/.kde/share/config/kglobalshortcutsrc for the relevant entry

[Tom_ZeCat]

Could it be a font issue ... and actually getting set correctly ... ?

Save one of these gobbledygooks and have a look at ~/.kde/share/config/kglobalshortcutsrc for the relevant entry

Here's what I've found in that link:

[khotkeys]
_k_friendly_name=khotkeys
{38d8638f-f9cd-4790-b2f9-0a2af2223c6c}=Meta+K,none,Kate
{83a02bbf-1d5c-409e-8d34-aaaac8ca6127}=Print,none,PrintScreen
{a553a468-7adf-4130-b718-2a8fb14736df}=Ctrl+Alt+I,none,Activate KSIRC Window
{d03619b6-9b3c-48cc-9d9c-a2aadb485550}=Search,none,Search
{e889e58b-2ee1-4d24-b986-c4d543277237}=ោ,none,Gedit
{ed9a6da2-37dd-4fe2-8189-dff7b7ab5ff4}=ោ,none,LO Writer

That's the shortened version that includes Gedit and LO Writer, which I've attempted to program in. I did not put in Kate. What you see was already in there (and the Meta+K hotkey for it does not work).

That was the shortened version. Here's the full file in case you need to see it:

[$Version]
update_info=plasma-to-plasmadesktop-shortcuts.upd:4.3plasma-desktop-shortcuts,ksmserver_shortcuts.upd:kde4.10,ksmserver_shortcuts.upd:kde4.10-remove-group-kscreenlocker,kscreenlocker_locksession-shortcut.upd:4.9-locksession-shortcut,konsole_remove_background_mode.upd:2.11.0-remove-background-mode

[KDE Keyboard Layout Switcher]
Switch to Next Keyboard Layout=Ctrl+Alt+K,Ctrl+Alt+K,Switch to Next Keyboard Layout
_k_friendly_name=KDE Keyboard Layout Switcher

[kactivitymanagerd]
_k_friendly_name=KDE Activity Manager
switch-to-activity-b2a4920b-0bae-4b34-80dd-5e0e47f10f86=none,none,Switch to activity "New Activity"
switch-to-activity-b7ee9c94-850c-4c88-a4f7-44fee3ef1bea=none,none,Switch to activity "Desktop"

[kcm_touchpad]
Disable Touchpad=none,none,Disable Touchpad
Enable Touchpad=none,none,Enable Touchpad
Toggle Touchpad=none,none,Toggle Touchpad
_k_friendly_name=Touchpad KCM

[kded]
Decrease Keyboard Brightness=Keyboard Brightness Down,Keyboard Brightness Down,Decrease Keyboard Brightness
Decrease Screen Brightness=Monitor Brightness Down,Monitor Brightness Down,Decrease Screen Brightness
Hibernate=Hibernate,Hibernate,Hibernate
Increase Keyboard Brightness=Keyboard Brightness Up,Keyboard Brightness Up,Increase Keyboard Brightness
Increase Screen Brightness=Monitor Brightness Up,Monitor Brightness Up,Increase Screen Brightness
PowerOff=Power Off,Power Off,
Sleep=Sleep,Sleep,Sleep
Toggle Keyboard Backlight=Keyboard Light On/Off,Keyboard Light On/Off,Toggle Keyboard Backlight
_k_friendly_name=KDE Daemon
display=Display,Display,Switch Display

[khotkeys]
_k_friendly_name=khotkeys
{38d8638f-f9cd-4790-b2f9-0a2af2223c6c}=Meta+K,none,Kate
{83a02bbf-1d5c-409e-8d34-aaaac8ca6127}=Print,none,PrintScreen
{a553a468-7adf-4130-b718-2a8fb14736df}=Ctrl+Alt+I,none,Activate KSIRC Window
{d03619b6-9b3c-48cc-9d9c-a2aadb485550}=Search,none,Search
{e889e58b-2ee1-4d24-b986-c4d543277237}=ោ,none,Gedit
{ed9a6da2-37dd-4fe2-8189-dff7b7ab5ff4}=ោ,none,LO Writer

[klipper]
_k_friendly_name=Klipper
clear-history=none,none,Clear Clipboard History
clipboard_action=Ctrl+Alt+X,Ctrl+Alt+X,Enable Clipboard Actions
cycleNextAction=none,none,Next History Item
cyclePrevAction=none,none,Previous History Item
edit_clipboard=none,none,Edit Contents...
repeat_action=Ctrl+Alt+R,Ctrl+Alt+R,Manually Invoke Action on Current Clipboard
show-barcode=none,none,Show Barcode...
show-on-mouse-pos=none,none,Open Klipper at Mouse Position

[kmix]
_k_friendly_name=KMix
decrease_volume=Volume Down,Volume Down,Decrease Volume
increase_volume=Volume Up,Volume Up,Increase Volume
mute=Volume Mute,Volume Mute,Mute

[krunner]
PowerDevil=none,none,Run Command (runner "PowerDevil" only)
Run Command=Alt+F2,Alt+F2,Run Command
Run Command on clipboard contents=Alt+Shift+F2,Alt+Shift+F2,Run Command on clipboard contents
Show System Activity=Ctrl+Esc,Ctrl+Esc,Show System Activity
Switch User=Ctrl+Alt+Ins,Ctrl+Alt+Ins,Switch User
_k_friendly_name=Run Command Interface
baloosearch=none,none,Run Command (runner "Desktop Search" only)
bookmarks=none,none,Run Command (runner "Bookmarks" only)
desktopsessions=none,none,Run Command (runner "Desktop Sessions" only)
locations=none,none,Run Command (runner "Locations" only)
nepomuksearch=none,none,Run Command (runner "Nepomuk Desktop Search" only)
org.kde.activities=none,none,Run Command (runner "Activities" only)
org.kde.windowedwidgets=none,none,Run Command (runner "Windowed widgets" only)
recentdocuments=none,none,Run Command (runner "Recent Documents" only)
services=none,none,Run Command (runner "Applications" only)
shell=none,none,Run Command (runner "Command Line" only)
solid=none,none,Run Command (runner "Devices" only)
webshortcuts=none,none,Run Command (runner "Web Shortcuts" only)
windows=none,none,Run Command (runner "Windows" only)

[ksmserver]
Halt Without Confirmation=Ctrl+Alt+Shift+PgDown,Ctrl+Alt+Shift+PgDown,Halt Without Confirmation
Lock Session=Ctrl+Alt+L,Ctrl+Alt+L,Lock Session
Log Out=Ctrl+Alt+Del,Ctrl+Alt+Del,Log Out
Log Out Without Confirmation=Ctrl+Alt+Shift+Del,Ctrl+Alt+Shift+Del,Log Out Without Confirmation
Reboot Without Confirmation=Ctrl+Alt+Shift+PgUp,Ctrl+Alt+Shift+PgUp,Reboot Without Confirmation
_k_friendly_name=The KDE Session Manager

[kwin]
Activate Window Demanding Attention=Ctrl+Alt+A,Ctrl+Alt+A,Activate Window Demanding Attention
Decrease Opacity=none,none,Decrease Opacity of Active Window by 5 %
Expose=Ctrl+F9,Ctrl+F9,Toggle Present Windows (Current desktop)
ExposeAll=Ctrl+F10,Ctrl+F10,Toggle Present Windows (All desktops)
ExposeClass=Ctrl+F7,Ctrl+F7,Toggle Present Windows (Window class)
Increase Opacity=none,none,Increase Opacity of Active Window by 5 %
Invert Screen Colors=none,none,Invert Screen Colors
Kill Window=Ctrl+Alt+Esc,Ctrl+Alt+Esc,Kill Window
MoveMouseToCenter=Meta+F6,Meta+F6,Move Mouse to Center
MoveMouseToFocus=Meta+F5,Meta+F5,Move Mouse to Focus
MoveZoomDown=Meta+Down,Meta+Down,Move Zoomed Area Downwards
MoveZoomLeft=Meta+Left,Meta+Left,Move Zoomed Area to Left
MoveZoomRight=Meta+Right,Meta+Right,Move Zoomed Area to Right
MoveZoomUp=Meta+Up,Meta+Up,Move Zoomed Area Upwards
Remove Window From Group=none,none,Remove Window From Group
Setup Window Shortcut=none,none,Setup Window Shortcut
Show Desktop=Meta+D,none,Show Desktop
ShowDesktopGrid=Ctrl+F8,Ctrl+F8,Show Desktop Grid
Suspend Compositing=Alt+Shift+F12,Alt+Shift+F12,Suspend Compositing
Switch One Desktop Down=none,none,
Switch One Desktop Up=none,none,
Switch One Desktop to the Left=none,none,
Switch One Desktop to the Right=none,none,
Switch Window Down=Meta+Alt+Down,Meta+Alt+Down,Switch to Window Below
Switch Window Left=Meta+Alt+Left,Meta+Alt+Left,Switch to Window to the Left
Switch Window Right=Meta+Alt+Right,Meta+Alt+Right,Switch to Window to the Right
Switch Window Up=Meta+Alt+Up,Meta+Alt+Up,Switch to Window Above
Switch to Desktop 1=Ctrl+F1,Ctrl+F1,Switch to Desktop 1
Switch to Desktop 10=none,none,Switch to Desktop 10
Switch to Desktop 11=none,none,Switch to Desktop 11
Switch to Desktop 12=none,none,Switch to Desktop 12
Switch to Desktop 13=none,none,Switch to Desktop 13
Switch to Desktop 14=none,none,Switch to Desktop 14
Switch to Desktop 15=none,none,Switch to Desktop 15
Switch to Desktop 16=none,none,Switch to Desktop 16
Switch to Desktop 17=none,none,Switch to Desktop 17
Switch to Desktop 18=none,none,Switch to Desktop 18
Switch to Desktop 19=none,none,Switch to Desktop 19
Switch to Desktop 2=Ctrl+F2,Ctrl+F2,Switch to Desktop 2
Switch to Desktop 20=none,none,Switch to Desktop 20
Switch to Desktop 3=Ctrl+F3,Ctrl+F3,Switch to Desktop 3
Switch to Desktop 4=Ctrl+F4,Ctrl+F4,Switch to Desktop 4
Switch to Desktop 5=none,none,Switch to Desktop 5
Switch to Desktop 6=none,none,Switch to Desktop 6
Switch to Desktop 7=none,none,Switch to Desktop 7
Switch to Desktop 8=none,none,Switch to Desktop 8
Switch to Desktop 9=none,none,Switch to Desktop 9
Switch to Next Desktop=none,none,
Switch to Next Screen=none,none,Switch to Next Screen
Switch to Previous Desktop=none,none,
Switch to Previous Screen=none,none,Switch to Previous Screen
Switch to Screen 0=none,none,Switch to Screen 0
Switch to Screen 1=none,none,Switch to Screen 1
Switch to Screen 2=none,none,Switch to Screen 2
Switch to Screen 3=none,none,Switch to Screen 3
Switch to Screen 4=none,none,Switch to Screen 4
Switch to Screen 5=none,none,Switch to Screen 5
Switch to Screen 6=none,none,Switch to Screen 6
Switch to Screen 7=none,none,Switch to Screen 7
Toggle Window Raise/Lower=none,none,Toggle Window Raise/Lower
Walk Through Desktop List=none,none,Walk Through Desktop List
Walk Through Desktop List (Reverse)=none,none,Walk Through Desktop List (Reverse)
Walk Through Desktops=none,none,Walk Through Desktops
Walk Through Desktops (Reverse)=none,none,Walk Through Desktops (Reverse)
Walk Through Window Tabs=none,none,Walk Through Window Tabs
Walk Through Window Tabs (Reverse)=none,none,Walk Through Window Tabs (Reverse)
Walk Through Windows=Alt+Tab,Alt+Tab,Walk Through Windows
Walk Through Windows (Reverse)=Alt+Shift+Backtab,Alt+Shift+Backtab,Walk Through Windows (Reverse)
Walk Through Windows Alternative=none,none,Walk Through Windows Alternative
Walk Through Windows Alternative (Reverse)=none,none,Walk Through Windows Alternative (Reverse)
Walk Through Windows of Current Application=Alt+`,Alt+`,Walk Through Windows of Current Application
Walk Through Windows of Current Application (Reverse)=Alt+~,Alt+~,Walk Through Windows of Current Application (Reverse)
Walk Through Windows of Current Application Alternative=none,none,Walk Through Windows of Current Application Alternative
Walk Through Windows of Current Application Alternative (Reverse)=none,none,Walk Through Windows of Current Application Alternative (Reverse)
Window Above Other Windows=none,none,Keep Window Above Others
Window Below Other Windows=none,none,Keep Window Below Others
Window Close=Alt+F4,Alt+F4,Close Window
Window Fullscreen=none,none,Make Window Fullscreen
Window Grow Horizontal=none,none,Pack Grow Window Horizontally
Window Grow Vertical=none,none,Pack Grow Window Vertically
Window Lower=none,none,Lower Window
Window Maximize=none,none,Maximize Window
Window Maximize Horizontal=none,none,Maximize Window Horizontally
Window Maximize Vertical=none,none,Maximize Window Vertically
Window Minimize=none,none,Minimize Window
Window Move=none,none,Move Window
Window No Border=none,none,Hide Window Border
Window On All Desktops=none,none,Keep Window on All Desktops
Window One Desktop Down=none,none,Window One Desktop Down
Window One Desktop Up=none,none,Window One Desktop Up
Window One Desktop to the Left=none,none,Window One Desktop to the Left
Window One Desktop to the Right=none,none,Window One Desktop to the Right
Window Operations Menu=Alt+F3,Alt+F3,Window Operations Menu
Window Pack Down=none,none,Pack Window Down
Window Pack Left=none,none,Pack Window to the Left
Window Pack Right=none,none,Pack Window to the Right
Window Pack Up=none,none,Pack Window Up
Window Quick Tile Bottom Left=none,none,Quick Tile Window to the Bottom Left
Window Quick Tile Bottom Right=none,none,Quick Tile Window to the Bottom Right
Window Quick Tile Left=none,none,Quick Tile Window to the Left
Window Quick Tile Right=none,none,Quick Tile Window to the Right
Window Quick Tile Top Left=none,none,Quick Tile Window to the Top Left
Window Quick Tile Top Right=none,none,Quick Tile Window to the Top Right
Window Raise=none,none,Raise Window
Window Resize=none,none,Resize Window
Window Shade=none,none,Shade Window
Window Shrink Horizontal=none,none,Pack Shrink Window Horizontally
Window Shrink Vertical=none,none,Pack Shrink Window Vertically
Window to Desktop 1=none,none,Window to Desktop 1
Window to Desktop 10=none,none,Window to Desktop 10
Window to Desktop 11=none,none,Window to Desktop 11
Window to Desktop 12=none,none,Window to Desktop 12
Window to Desktop 13=none,none,Window to Desktop 13
Window to Desktop 14=none,none,Window to Desktop 14
Window to Desktop 15=none,none,Window to Desktop 15
Window to Desktop 16=none,none,Window to Desktop 16
Window to Desktop 17=none,none,Window to Desktop 17
Window to Desktop 18=none,none,Window to Desktop 18
Window to Desktop 19=none,none,Window to Desktop 19
Window to Desktop 2=none,none,Window to Desktop 2
Window to Desktop 20=none,none,Window to Desktop 20
Window to Desktop 3=none,none,Window to Desktop 3
Window to Desktop 4=none,none,Window to Desktop 4
Window to Desktop 5=none,none,Window to Desktop 5
Window to Desktop 6=none,none,Window to Desktop 6
Window to Desktop 7=none,none,Window to Desktop 7
Window to Desktop 8=none,none,Window to Desktop 8
Window to Desktop 9=none,none,Window to Desktop 9
Window to Next Desktop=none,none,Window to Next Desktop
Window to Next Screen=none,none,Window to Next Screen
Window to Previous Desktop=none,none,Window to Previous Desktop
Window to Previous Screen=none,none,Window to Previous Screen
Window to Screen 0=none,none,Window to Screen 0
Window to Screen 1=none,none,Window to Screen 1
Window to Screen 2=none,none,Window to Screen 2
Window to Screen 3=none,none,Window to Screen 3
Window to Screen 4=none,none,Window to Screen 4
Window to Screen 5=none,none,Window to Screen 5
Window to Screen 6=none,none,Window to Screen 6
Window to Screen 7=none,none,Window to Screen 7
_k_friendly_name=KWin
view_actual_size=Meta+0,Meta+0,Actual Size
view_zoom_in=Meta+=,Meta+=,Zoom In
view_zoom_out=Meta+-,Meta+-,Zoom Out

[plasma-desktop]
Next Activity=Meta+Tab,Meta+Tab,Next Activity
Previous Activity=Meta+Shift+Tab,Meta+Shift+Tab,Previous Activity
Show Dashboard=Ctrl+F12,Ctrl+F12,Show Dashboard
Stop Activity=Meta+S,Meta+S,Stop Current Activity
SystemTray-Klipper-6=Ctrl+Alt+V,Ctrl+Alt+V,
_k_friendly_name=Plasma Desktop Shell
activate widget 1=Battery,Battery,Activate Battery Monitor Widget
activate widget 2=Alt+F1,Alt+F1,Activate Application Launcher Widget
activate widget 4=Wireless,Wireless,Activate Network Management Widget
manage activities=Meta+Q,Meta+Q,Activities...

[wacomtablet]
Map to fullscreen=Meta+Ctrl+F,Meta+Ctrl+F,Map to all fullscreen
Map to screen 1=Meta+Ctrl+1,Meta+Ctrl+1,Map to screen 1
Map to screen 2=Meta+Ctrl+2,Meta+Ctrl+2,Map to screen 2
Toggle screen map selection=Meta+Ctrl+M,Meta+Ctrl+M,Toggle between all screens
Toggle stylus mode=Meta+Ctrl+S,Meta+Ctrl+S,Toggle the Stylus Tool Relative/Absolute
Toggle touch tool=Meta+Ctrl+T,Meta+Ctrl+T,Enable/Disable the Touch Tool
_k_friendly_name=Graphic Tablet Configuration daemon

[SecretCode]

Hmm. Actual gobbledygook being saved.

You could check your language and keyboard settings - locale at the command line, Locale and Input Devices > Keyboard in system settings.

Or you could do yet another reinstall ..

[Tom_ZeCat]

I've figured out the problem. This all started happening after I enabled accented characters for French. I went into:

System Settings ===> Input Devices ===> Keyboard ===> Advanced ===> Miscellaneous compatibility options ==> Enable extra typographic characters

… and voilà! I could type Meta+[apostrophe] and then an e and get “è”. Plus several other combos worked for other accented French vowels. However, it was after that when I started getting gobbledygook when I tried to use the Meta keys for hotkeys to start apps.

I went in and disabled the French characters and now I'm able to make hotkeys just as before. So now I need to see if it's possible to set those accented vowels to some key other than Meta. Alternatively, I could use Meta for French and use other hotkeys.

Mystery solved. I'm not going to have to reinstall. I'll just have to make some choices.

Edit: I'm able to stick with my Meta+W, Meta+G, Meta+K hotkeys and still have French accented vowels. Under: System Settings ===> Input Devices ===> Keyboard ===> Advanced ===> Position of Compose Key, I was able to choose Right Alt (which I never use) to trigger the French vowel accents instead of Meta. I'm in good shape now. No reinstall is needed.

[SteveRiley]

disabled the French

A worthy step for resolving issues of almost any kind.

[SecretCode]

You had to go there, Steve.

[Teunis]

Hmm, I've always set the hotkeys through the K(icker) menu, edit applications.
And I always use the US-International keyboard what enables many accents and non ascii characters.
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