[SOLVED] Caps Lock Indicator

dgoddard · 03-14-2017, 10:17 PM

I am running Linux Mint 18 Mate 64 bit on an older Gateway model #PEW 91 (originally sold as a Windows 7 machine) And the machine lacks any indication of the status of the Caps Lock key This is a real pain when entering a password and accidently hit the caps lock key.

I have examined the keyboard, surrounding areas and screen frame and there are no unidentified lights to be found and all that are present seem to function properly.

Is their any fix for this? The wifi speaker volume and battery all have status icons on the panel at the bottom right of the screen but I am not aware if a caps lock icon is available to put there. That would suffice, but I would prefer a light

frankbell · 03-14-2017, 10:24 PM

Did the caps lock indicator work with whatever was on the computer before? I ask because the caps lock indicators worked with Mint on my computers.

As regards an on-screen caps lock indicator, this thread from the Mint forums might help: https://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?t=165687

dgoddard · 03-15-2017, 07:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FrankBell

Did the caps lock indicator work with whatever was on the computer before? I ask because the caps lock indicators worked with Mint on my computers.

The computer lacks any hardware caps lock so far as I can determine and as my custom is I obliterated the Microsoft Windows 7 abomination at my earliest opportunity in order to get linux up and running. So if there was any on screen caps lock I don't know.

rtmistler · 03-15-2017, 08:29 AM

Yes, a new keyboard.

dgoddard · 03-15-2017, 09:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rtmistler

Yes, a new keyboard.

Not particularly practical on a laptop, Kind of ruins portability

BW-userx · 03-15-2017, 09:06 AM

there is software one can use to give user indication of caps on or off, but for login to show it on the screen I do not know.

So then I'd suggest one could go back to the days of the lightless keyboard and do what are ancestors did. Give it the ole 50/50 try. If you know you typed it in correctly and it does not go just hit the caps lock key and try again.

I googled what model you put in here and got this KB for 3$ us

http://www.laptoppartsexpert.com/i-6...-keyboard.html

and it looks to have a caps lock on it.

dgoddard · 03-15-2017, 09:48 AM

It looks like I am going to have to ask for a bit more specificity here. The above suggestions have lead me to what appear to be various solutions at various sources, however I am seeing that they all seem to start with instructions to download the necessary file, but none of them tell me to where I should download the file onto my computer, i.e. to what directory am I to download them before proceeding with the installation??? (Obviously I am much more comfortable with self installing packages but when there is just a "download" button on the site that I am supposed to click" unless there is a dialog box that gives me control, I have no idea where the file is going to end up on my computer or what difference it will make.)

For what it is worth, according to Synaptic Package Manager seems to be telling me that the packages of applets already installed on my computer are known as:

icedtea-plugin
icedtea-8-plugin
mate-control-center
mate-control-center-com
libmate-window-settings1
mate-applets-common
mate-applets
libmate-pane-applet-4-1

Now if the necessary applet is somewhere in all that I have no way of knowing at the present time.

I am running Linux mint with Mate as already mentioned and some of the stuff being suggested is for cinnamon, this gives me considerable pause because if I try to install something that does not work, I do not have the faintest idea how to reverse the process to get rid of what I had done, and the thought of wiping out everything and reinstalling Mint all over again plus salvaging all my data files and then restoring them would involve hours of work, so avoiding screw ups is of paramount importance.
I am not totally unfamiliar with operating in terminal mode but at my level of experience I could prove to be quite dangerous in terms of damage I might wreak

BW-userx · 03-15-2017, 09:58 AM

if you are downloading files from a web browser 99.9999999% of the time it goes to your Downloads directory unless told otherwise.

though now I am confused. What are you trying to install and for what? Is this not I need something to tell me if my caps are locked on or off?

nevertheless, to find these -

icedtea-plugin
icedtea-8-plugin
mate-control-center
mate-control-center-com
libmate-window-settings1
mate-applets-common
mate-applets
libmate-pane-applet-4-1

-- try using - find - or - locate - or - whereis - one or all may find them all.

Code:

userx@slackwhere⚡️~⚡️$ whereis nm-applet
nm-applet: /usr/bin/nm-applet /usr/man/man1/nm-applet.1.gz
userx@slackwhere⚡️~⚡️$

SOLVED! Notification on the screen when Caps Lock is active

replica9000 · 03-15-2017, 04:15 PM

My Thinkpad oddly has indicator lights for Mute, Function (reverse) key, and power, but not capslock. So I use an app (shows caps, scroll, and numlock)

keylock indicator
https://launchpad.net/~tsbarnes/+arc...icator-keylock

X-LFS-2010 · 03-16-2017, 08:43 PM

xc/programs/xkbutils/xkbvleds

xkbvleds is a program for that purpose (it has no manpage, see http://www.xfree86.org), to show keyboard leds in GUI for just that situation

however: you may not be running an X11 compatible X windows and the program might not be built or working

the key term above may help you find a "app that replaces it" though

Soadyheid · 03-19-2017, 12:06 PM

I use a system monitor application called GKrellm which has add-on modules including one which shows Numlock, Capslock and Scroll lock. I've got GKrellm docked at the right hand side of the monitor. Main use of GKrellm is for monitoring cpu cores/threads, temperatures, disk and network activities. You can add additional modules to, er..., add extra functionality.

My

Play Bonny!

BW-userx · 03-19-2017, 01:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Soadyheid

I use a system monitor application called GKrellm which has add-on modules including one which shows Numlock, Capslock and Scroll lock. I've got GKrellm docked at the right hand side of the monitor. Main use of GKrellm is for monitoring cpu cores/threads, temperatures, disk and network activities. You can add additional modules to, er..., add extra functionality.

My

Play Bonny!

now that you bring it up
Gkrellm 64 bit plugins and all skins

sight 2

Gkrellm 64 bit plugins and themes

RockDoctor · 03-20-2017, 04:04 PM

I don't know if it's available in Linux Mint, but Ubuntu offers Mate-Tweak which offers a keyboard LED status indicator for the Mate panel. I use it on all my laptops running Ubuntu Mate.

Install Mate-Tweak
Open Control Center
Select mate-tweak
Select Panel
Check the box for Enable Keyboard LED

dugan · 03-20-2017, 04:09 PM

There are a lot of applets, panels, and status bars that can run programs at intervals (say, every second) and display their output in the UI. I use one with this script:

https://gist.github.com/duganchen/52...8f09a655f15b1f

Code:

#!/usr/bin/env zsh
# Keyboard LED indicator for embedding into things like tint2, xmobar and dzen2.
# The order is Caps Lock, Num Lock, Scroll Lock
xset q | grep Caps | tr -s ' ' | cut -d ' ' -f 5,9,13 | sed 's/on/▣/g' | sed 's/off/▢/g'

dgoddard · 03-21-2017, 09:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RockDoctor

I don't know if it's available in Linux Mint, but Ubuntu offers Mate-Tweak which offers a keyboard LED status indicator for the Mate panel. I use it on all my laptops running Ubuntu Mate.

Install Mate-Tweak
Open Control Center
Select mate-tweak
Select Panel
Check the box for Enable Keyboard LED

------------------------------------------------------------
Rock Doctor:

I performed the steps
Install Mate-Tweak got it from (Synaptic Package Manager)
Open Control Center
Select mate-tweak
Select Panel
BUT
I was hesitant to check the box for "Enable keyboard LED"
My problem is that nowhere on the keyboard or around it is there any LED that is not already identified nor are there any LED's embedded in any of the keys.
As I said in my original post, I am looking for something that would put a "status icon: on the panel at the bottom of the screen. the panel I am referring to is part of the screen and has such tiny icons as: menu
file system desk top
Terminal
browser
e-mail client
Battery status
Volume control
wifi signal strength
plus any application icons that happen to be favorite applications
plus currently running applications

The check box you cite appears to be a command to turn on an existing LED and on this computer no such LED appears to exist. I suppose that the "Mate tweak" might have the ability to create such an on screen icon, but in the absence of an explicit statement that it will do that, I am loath to try to activate a feature that is designated for equipment that I do not have (i.e. keyboard led's)

All that being said, having taken no further steps I discovered that there are now 3 addiional icons on the panel A capital A which shows the caps lock status, the numeral 9 which shows the num lok status and another one that I can barely make out which I assume would be the scroll lock status except that my keyboard does not have a scroll lock key anyway. So other than having a usless icon that does nothing and a num lock key indicator (for a mode I never use anyway) I do finally have a caps lock key indicator
It would appear the fix was achieved by simply installing Mate Tweak and nothing more.
------------------------------------------------------
So problem solved--- sort of. (For those unfamiliar with English Nautical terminology. The French word for "day" is "jour" so when a ships rigging was damaged, as in a storm" an immediate temporary fix would be arranged for just a day or so until a proper fix could be established. The French word was used as in a fix for just one day, (une jour) and that word was corrupted to "Jury rigged"