Binding a key to start a program

joeyjwc · 07-06-2004, 09:28 AM

Hi there. I'd like to bind a command to a key on an EagleTouch USB keyboard. It's a strange company and I can't find information on it's hot keys. There's a sleep button on it. What do I need to know in order to get this key to invoke a command in the console (i.e. cmatrix -a -l -s -u 3) so I can run a screensaver when I'm not using the computer. Is it also possible to have the computer automatically invoke the command after a certain period of time? Thanks for your help.

MikeZila · 07-06-2004, 10:09 AM

Are you using a desktop environment? Like KDE or Gnome? If you are, both offer ways for you to bind keys to events. KDE lets you do it with the "Menu Editor" under "System" in the K menu.

joeyjwc · 07-06-2004, 10:12 AM

Oh, sorry, I forgot to specify. I'm not using X at all. I'm just in a Linux console.

MikeZila · 07-06-2004, 10:36 AM

Ouch. I don't think you can do that just from a console. You could make a script, put whatever you wanted done into it, name it one letter and put it in a PATH folder. Then you'de have it two key-presses away, I don't know of anyway to bind hotkeys from just plain Linux. Best of luck, though.

joeyjwc · 07-06-2004, 06:51 PM

Thank you for your help. I did what you suggested and it works fine.

MikeZila · 07-07-2004, 11:23 AM

You're very welcome. Anytime.

daperi · 07-31-2004, 06:21 PM

i got here from google searching for a way to bind a key to a command in the console

in x i use xbindkeys and exactly the same i want to have in the console

e.g. ctrl-alt-ins should reboot the system (i use ctrlaltdel to halt it) and other key-combinations should run things not directly in the actually running shell (daemon-like keybinding)

does nobody know something like this? do we need to write it? :-) (not that i have time myself ;-) )