KDE - Start Button
 

Does anyone know of a way to map the KDE start menu to the so called windows start button ( so I can scratch the MS symbol off and write a K on it :) )

Sadly I cant see it as an option in KDE Control Centre -> Accessibility ->Keyboard Shortcuts, but atm it pops up the KMenu anyway, just as a floating window :)

Not on my system unfortunately :-)

Hmm, wonder why that is? I picked a UK keyboard layout, maybe that's it?
I think you can manually mess with X's keybindings, but I dunno about telling KDE what to do. Probably been addressed on their site or other forums already by now. Tried google? :)

I tried going to look & feel > Keyboard bindings as the KDE FAQ recommended.

There you can select a function and associate a key with it, but when I press the start button it displays meta+ and waits for the next key depression, like it wants a 2 key assosiation (e.g start-a rather than just start).

yeah, that's the way it works.

you can also access it by right clicking on the kicker and selecting menu editor. Then it will list all of your apps and you can click on one and then there will be a shortcut key tab near the bottom right that will say "none" in it. To change that, you just click on "none" and then use whatever key combination you want. As far as I know it has to be a combination. So if you can't use "start", try "start-K".
I know that isn't as convenient, but it is better than nothing.

That's pretty cool. If only there was a way to bind the audio control keys on my multimedia keyboard to xmms :D

there is, if you are using a logitech keyboard there is an itouch plugin for xmms. It really kicks ass. I have mine set up so that the go button launches up a terminal and home runs mozilla, etc...
Search for it. I think it is also on freshrpms.net.

In a console as root:
kmenuedit
there you can associate any key with action.

I use LinEAK for the extra buttons on my IBM Easy Access keyboard.
I use the multimedia buttons to open and close my optical drives and the 'internet' buttons to open frequently used programs.

I tried the kmenuedit tip, but it openned up an editor for what's *in* the menu, not how to bind a key to it.

Did I miss something?

I'm sorry I did have a look around but can not find the command to get the Kdemenu popping up. If i would have found it we could have been able to bind it to the key for sure. ( the only trick you can do is to assing it to the left mouse button )
Do both "windows-keys" not work ? On my keyboard ( Logitech ) the left one does and the right one does not.

My system is the same, the right MS button doesn't work - though I can't say I'll really miss it :-)

Hey, thanks for the tips guys, I'll check them out when I get a moment. Right now I gotta go to work. <sigh>

Hey Neuro, what's up? You started the thread. . . So your left ms button does work ? What are you complaining about then :confused: :confused: :confused: :confused:

Bruno

My left MS button *will* map to something but only when used in conjunction with another key (e.g. MS + A).

My right MS button doesn't even register a keystroke.

That's what I meant.

Ok, first type xev in a console
now press the key and write down the key- code that comes up,
there is a line simular to:

state 0x10, keycode 120 ( keysym etc. etc.

Ok suppose the keycode is 120

now make a file in KDE autostart ( or other window manager ) called "mmkeys "

#!/bin/bash
xmodmap -e 'keycode120=F13'
(more keys if you want, F14 F15 etc.)
#end script

Logout, login to restart KDE

Now you can assign the key to an action in kmenuedit, I know the "start-button" does not show there but if you manage to find the command you can fill in the path there.

Bruno

The problem is that I wanted the start button to map directly to the K-menu. I mean, with the config tool I can bind it to a key COMBO - but not *just* the MS key.

Second point - the right MS key doesn't register as a keystroke when I press it (in the k menu tool). That doesn't bother me as I don't use it - but somebody else mentioned that their system didn't register depressions of the right key and I thought I'd mention mine didn't either.

Huh? Where do I put this file, I mean, in which directory? I don't know anything about auto-executed scripts...

It works great after I enter

xmodmap -e 'keycode120=F13'

in bash, even as a single key, but I still can't figure out where to put this to be automated. A search for *utostart* gave me these directories:

/etc/skel/.kde/Autostart
/home/my_user_name/.kde/Autostart
/root/.kde/Autostart
/usr/share/autostart

and none of them seems to be the right one :(

Save that bash script text into a file in your /home/my_user_name/.kde/Autostart

I already tried that, then I put the file also in those other directories I listed in previous post, still no success.

Oh, I didn't mention before, I think it has to be with a space between "keycode" and "120" or whatever number (for my Cherry G83 that's 115 for left win key and 116 for right win key):

xmodmap -e 'keycode 120=F13'
and not
xmodmap -e 'keycode120=F13'

Anyway, in /home/my_user_name/.kde/Autostart I tried also without space.

Well, at least this win key thing is not very crucial ...

I can't even get that far :-)
I did the xev test and got the switch-number 115.
I enter ...

xmodmap -e 'keycode 115=F13'

and get the error message...

xmodmap: unknown command on line commandline:0

Maybe you just don't have it in your path. Search for xmodmap and then enter the full path, like

/urs/local/bin/xmodmap -e 'keycode 115=F13'

You should put a line like
keycode 120=F13
in a file called ".Xmodmap" in your home direcotry.
Then restart X and the keymap will be available to you.

For example, the .Xmodmap for my logitech wireless

HTH

Ian

Thanks, I put this:
keycode 115 = F13
!
keycode 116 = F14
!
keycode 117 = F15
!


and it works!