Custom xorg.conf keyboard layout not working

kikinovak · 06-06-2015, 05:49 AM

Hi,

I just installed Slackware 14.1 32-bit for a client, and I have a strange problem. The X server works well, I installed GDM and switched to runlevel 4.

In France, folks usually use an AZERTY keyboard layout. To do this, I copy the 90-keyboard-layout.conf configuration file stub over from /usr/share/X11/xorg.conf.d and put it in /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d. Then I edit it like this:

Code:

Section "InputClass"
  Identifier "keyboard-all"
  MatchIsKeyboard "on"
  MatchDevicePath "/dev/input/event*"
  Driver "evdev"
  Option "XkbLayout" "fr"
  #Option "XkbVariant" ""
  Option "XkbOptions" "terminate:ctrl_alt_bksp"
EndSection

So the next time the X.org server starts, all graphical applications use the french AZERTY layout.

Only this time it doesn't seem to work. My graphical session stubbornly uses the american QWERTY layout. I double-checked and triple-checked everything, and I'm puzzled.

Any idea what's wrong here?

Note: of course the client can define a custom keyboard layout from within his Xfce session. Unfortunately that won't affect GDM, which still uses QWERTY. The clean solution here is to define the custom keyboard layout in X.org's configuration.

commandlinegamer · 06-06-2015, 06:28 AM

Just tried it here (changed "gb" to fr") and works fine though it's KDM, not GDM. Maybe the latter has a configuration file which needs to be edited.

kikinovak · 06-06-2015, 06:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by commandlinegamer

Just tried it here (changed "gb" to fr") and works fine though it's KDM, not GDM. Maybe the latter has a configuration file which needs to be edited.

No, not really. What puzzles me more: I must have done at least a couple hundred of similar installations, and this is the first time this sort of problem appears.

ferrari · 06-06-2015, 07:00 AM

I'm not a Slackware user, but I wonder if GDM is using /etc/X11/gdm/locale.alias perhaps?

sneetsher · 06-11-2015, 05:30 AM

2-3 yrs ago, gnome changed the way it manages the layouts. The layout configuration support multiple input methods (not just xkb) and it is stored in dconf/gsettings database.

1. Create a a dconf override file

/usr/share/glib-2.0/schemas/90_default-layout.gschema.override

[org.gnome.desktop.input-sources]
sources=[('xkb', 'fr')]
xkb-options=['terminate:ctrl_alt_bksp']

2. Re-compile dconf schemas

glib-compile-schemas /usr/share/glib-2.0/schemas

3. Reset user settings:

gsettings reset org.gnome.desktop.input-sources sources
gsettings reset org.gnome.desktop.input-sources xkb-options

If you don't want this setting to be changed per user bases, create a lock file in /etc/dconf/db/*.d/locks

solarfields · 06-13-2015, 04:31 AM

it is possible that XFCE itself is somehow messing it up? If you go to System > Layout, is the "Use system defaults" checked or unchecked?

kikinovak · 06-13-2015, 06:38 AM

OK, I double-checked again, and I'm still puzzled.

It's not Xfce's fault, the client double-checked Xfce's custom keyboard layout settings.

And it's not GDM's fault either, since I tried removing GDM. After a reboot, XDM displayed with the same problem, US QWERTY keyboard.

Now I'm clueless.

phenixia2003 · 06-13-2015, 09:01 AM

Hello,

The configuration below allows to toggle between layouts "FR" and "US" with the combination alt+shift. Furthermore, the scroll-lock led indicates which layout is used: Off=FR, ON=US.

I guess this could help you to verify that the system uses (or not) the configuration in xorg.conf.d

Code:

Section "InputClass"
        Identifier "keyboard-all"
        MatchIsKeyboard "on"
        MatchDevicePath "/dev/input/event*"
        Driver "evdev"
        Option "XkbLayout" "fr,us"
        #Option "XkbVariant" ""
        Option "XkbOptions" "terminate:ctrl_alt_bksp,grp:alt_shift_toggle,grp_led:scroll"
EndSection

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SeB