The following type of function key binding in .emacs has always worked on other computers:
(global-set-key [f3] 'goto-line)
The only one that works on Dell XPS13(Linux 15.10) is F7, which has no sound or brightness icon on it. I want simply to unblock the keys at system boot so that emacs can define them. Help appreciated.

Hi,

I'll be frank with you, I don't use Emacs (so I'm not an expert) but I saw there were no replies to your thread, so I decided to, at least, try to help a little.

Is there an fn button you need to hold in order for the function keys to work? On some laptops I noticed that the fn keys need to be held and on some other machines I saw that the fn button was just a toggle button.

Anyway, if the problem is not hardware, then maybe you could try to rebind the keys. I thought maybe you could try an alternative syntax in the init file, or maybe your home init file is being overruled by some file under the /usr... tree.

Check these out:
https://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/m...tion-Keys.html
https://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/m...Init-Rebinding
https://www.emacswiki.org/emacs/DedicatedKeys

All the best.

Argorn, my .emacs file is correctly done, because F7, the only one with no symbol stamped on it, works as my key bindings used to do. It is the others which ignore my emacs bindings and bring up little brightness panes, etc. Something in the software, I believe, sets tho other function keys and locks them so that they cannot be changed. I do not know where else to look.

I understand what you mean.

May I, humbly, ask you something dafydil? When you want the F3 key for example, do you press F3 directly or fn+F3 ?