Using the extra buttons on a Microsoft Optical Trackball

HappyTux · 02-04-2006, 05:48 PM

If you want to use the two extra buttons on your Microsoft Optical Trackball then this is how you do it. To configure it on a Debian system you need to use the following settings in your configuration files for Xorg 6.9 and imwheel 1.0.0pre12-5 installed.

In your /etc/X11/xorg.conf file you need these in your mouse section.

Code:

Section "InputDevice"
        Identifier  "Mouse0"
        Driver      "mouse"
        Option      "CorePointer"
        Option      "Protocol" "ExplorerPS/2"
        Option      "Device" "/dev/input/mice"
        Option      "Buttons"  "9"
        Option      "ZAxisMapping" "6 7"
        Option      "Emulate3Buttons"  "False"
EndSection

With the important parts to look to change/add being the protocol, buttons and zaxismapping.

To configure imwheel to work you need these in the /etc/X11/imwheel/startup.conf file to have it started with the correct parameters.

Code:

# Configuration file for setting imwheel startup parameters.

# Set this to "1" to make imwheel start along with your X session.
IMWHEEL_START=1

# Specify the command line parameters to pass to imwheel.
# Simply uncomment the bottom line, and if necessary replace
# the default options with your own. A button spec of 0089
# will grab the thumb buttons of most mice. 000089 should work
# for mice with a scroll wheel with two axes.
IMWHEEL_PARAMS="-fb "67""

To map the buttons correctly for use with the mouse you need to copy the file /usr/share/doc/imwheel/examples/61imwheel_load-xmodmap to /etc/X11/Xsession.d/61imwheel_load-xmodmap then create/modify the file ~/.Xmodmap to have this in it.

Code:

!! Added by me for extra mouse buttons

pointer = 1 2 3 8 9 4 5 6 7 10 11 12 13

Restart the X server and it should now work with the extra buttons to have imwheel use the extra buttons you need to create an ~/.imwheelrc file here is a brief example to use the buttons as the forward and back buttons in Konqueror.

Code:

"^konqueror$"
None, Up, Alt_L|Left
None, Down, Alt_L|Right

Here is a link to the Gentoo wiki page that gave me the magic pointer line to get everything working properly which in turn leads to quite an extensive thread in their forums with some of the posts detailing many various settings that can be used in the .imwheelrc.

HappyTux · 09-06-2006, 08:09 PM

Thought I would add since upgrading to Xorg 7.0 I needed to change the /etc/X11/imwheel/startup.conf to.

Code:

# Configuration file for setting imwheel startup parameters.

# Set this to "1" to make imwheel start along with your X session.
IMWHEEL_START=1

# Specify the command line parameters to pass to imwheel.
# Simply uncomment the bottom line, and if necessary replace
# the default options with your own. A button spec of 0089
# will grab the thumb buttons of most mice. 000089 should work
# for mice with a scroll wheel with two axes.
IMWHEEL_PARAMS="-fb "89""

And no version of imwheel past 1.0.0pre12-5 will work the changelog says they made enhancements for the button mice it just broke it as far as I can tell. In the .Xmodmap I now need this line.

Code:

!! Added by me for extra mouse buttons

pointer = 1 2 3 8 9 4 5 6 7 10 11

And in the .imwheelrc you can use this for it to apply to every application that will use the forward/back buttons.

Code:

".*"
None, Up, Alt_L|Left
None, Down, Alt_L|Right

"(null)"
None, Up, Alt_L|Left
None, Down, Alt_L|Right

Heidi Nelle · 11-07-2006, 08:00 AM

I use Ubuntu, and so I can't figure out how to edit the file. It says I don't have write access, and I don't know how to log in as the root user to edit it. Can someone please help me?

HappyTux · 11-07-2006, 08:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Heidi Nelle

I use Ubuntu, and so I can't figure out how to edit the file. It says I don't have write access, and I don't know how to log in as the root user to edit it. Can someone please help me?

With Ubuntu you need to put sudo in front of any command that you want/need to be executed as root, there is no need to login as root in it.

Heidi Nelle · 11-07-2006, 10:50 AM

Okay, now that I figured out how to edit the files, I can't find the /etc/X11/imwheel folder. Do I just make one up?

HappyTux · 11-07-2006, 11:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Heidi Nelle

I use the text editor to attempt to edit the file. What do I do for that?

Well if using vi for example sudo vi file.txt this would edit the file as root.

spargonaut · 01-24-2007, 02:18 AM

hey folk, i dont know how to format all this purty like, so your just gonna have to deal
/sidenote

i just recently did an install and a dist-upgrade and ran into some problems getting my trackball to work with the above instructions. I did however get stuff to work after some meddling around. I thought it would be nice to share what all i did. As of this writing, the sidebuttons work for fwd and back in iceweasel, and the scrollwheel works to scroll, but still not exactly sure what it does when i press the scroll wheel in. Now, onto what i did to get the thing to work.

first some nitty grittys.
----------------------------------------------------------
hardware i'm using:
microsoft trackball optical 1.0 PS2/USB Compatible
( or so it says on the bottom of the device )
its a USB device, but i'm using the green USB -> ps2 adapter,
wth am i gonna use mouse ps2 port for?
----------------------------------------------------------
software I'm using
dist: debian - etch // apt repositories are set to testing in sources.list
kernel: 2.6.18-3-486
DE: KDE 3.5 // not sure if thats relevant, but i'm including it anyway
Xorg: 7.1.1
----------------------------------------------------------

ok, so after some reading and some playing around, i determined that i didn't need imwheel, so i removed it using apt-get. i still haven't purged it, but the thing aint running. I hope nothing else is using its files. I have the file .Xmodmap titled as .Xmodmap.bak in my home directory to disable it, so apparently, its not doing anything. I'm about to delete it, just haven't done it yet. if it screws something up, i'll come back and tell you. seeing as how imwheel isn't installed and isn't running, i'd be willing to bet that the .imwheelrc file isn't doing anything either. thats gettin' deleted also here in a second. Apparently, the only file i needed to modify was the one found at /etc/X11/xorg.conf

and i made the following section in that file look like this:

Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "Configured Mouse"
Driver "mouse"
Option "CorePointer"
Option "Protocol" "ExplorerPS/2"
Option "Device" "/dev/input/mice"
Option "Buttons" "7"
Option "ZAxisMapping" "4 5"
Option "ButtonMapping" "1 2 3 6 7 10 11"
Option "Emulate3Buttons" "false"
EndSection

like i said, i figured all this out by just playing around with stuff.
mainly the resources i used were:
- this thread
- the command: xev
( run it from a terminal, then roll your mouse over the popup window and watch what happens )
- the gentoo wiki from the first post ( dude, total thanks! )
- and this wiki, particularly the part about the Microsoft Intellimouse Optical
this link here --> http://gentoo-wiki.com/HOWTO_Advance...t_Intellimouse

now go forth and surf!

also, i still can't figure out just exactly what event it is that happens when the scroll wheel is depressed. if someone knows how to map it, or a knows a link to someplace with instructions, please share!

war1025 · 01-26-2007, 06:05 PM

personally, I used the following method, and I thought it was far easier and more straight forward.

http://wiki.serios.net/wiki/Mouse_side_buttons

it uses software to register mouse clicks as strokes on a virtual keyboard program, you simply set back and forward to alt-left and alt-right. It works like a charm and seems far less confusing than imwheel.

But thats just me.

inspiron_Droid · 01-26-2007, 10:20 PM

Hedidi Nelle.

You need to isssu this command in a terminal window.

sudo gedit /etc/X11/xorg.conf

sudo gedit /etc/X11/imwheel/startup.conf

when it asks you for your password you enter your regular login password.

harvest316 · 12-01-2007, 10:40 PM

Thank you spargonaut.

I also dont see a need for imwheel. Clicking the scroll wheel is a "middle click" in old language. I use it to middle-click on a firefox tab to close it, thats about it. You might get close window if you click on an application in deskbar, ymmv.

donmainier · 04-10-2012, 03:42 PM

This also works for xorg 1:7.5+8+squeeze1. Thanks for your expert help!!