Re: [gentoo-user] Re: help with xorg-server-1.9.4 and no hal; broken mouse/keyboard/X

[Mick]

On Sunday 20 February 2011 00:25:24 Valmor de Almeida wrote:
> On 02/19/2011 06:59 PM, Mick wrote:
> [snip]
>
> > On two laptops of mine evdev causes untold confusion with the touchpad
> > and second language selection for the keyboard.  I *have* to use the
> > synaptics and keyboard input drivers.  I'm also using mouse (because it
> > doesn't hurt I guess).
> >
> > I tried of course to remove them all and leave evdev initially, but it
> > all went horribly wrong.  Perhaps evdev will catch up eventually, I just
> > hope synaptics and keyboard don't default into being deprecated before
> > then.

I think I should at least partly retract some of the above statement - with 
x11-base/xorg-server-1.9.4 I have managed to unmerge x11-drivers/xf86-input-
keyboard and x11-drivers/xf86-input-mouse and evdev seems to still pick up my 
mouse and keyboard.

I had to comment out the following three entries first in my xorg.conf:
#########################################
Section "ServerLayout"
        Identifier     "X.org Configured"
        Screen      0  "Screen0" 0 0
#       InputDevice    "Mouse0" "CorePointer"
#       InputDevice    "Keyboard0" "CoreKeyboard"
#       Option "AllowEmptyInput" "off"
EndSection
#########################################

and also added appropriate Section "InputClass" parts for mouse and keyboard 
in my /etc/X11/xorg.conf, but commented out similar parts in 
/usr/share/X11/xorg.conf.d/10-evdev.conf.

> I am using evdev and synaptics only on a thinkpad t201. Without an
> xorg.conf, all works including when I connect an usb mouse. However I am
> trying to configure the touchpad, trackpoint and extended buttons to
> work as left-hand; that is I would like to have the 3 buttons reversed.
>
> I have not been lucky so far. In fact I've read on the web about some
> new (relative to xorg 1.7) syntax for the xorg.conf file. Does anyone
> know about a site with humanly friendly information on how to write a
> modern xorg.conf file?

Have you had a look at:

http://www.gentoo.org/proj/en/desktop/x/x11/xorg-server-1.8-upgrade-guide.xml

Also, have a read of the InputClass section in man xorg.conf and the files in 
/usr/share/X11/xorg.conf.d/.


> In addition to the devices I mentioned above I am
> also trying to setup an external monitor as a hotplug virtual screen.
>
> For instance, things like this do not work:
>
>
> Section "InputClass"
>         Identifier "TouchPad"

Change this line to:

        Identifier "touchpad catchall"

Or, you can also try:

        Identifier "synaptics touchpad catchall"

>         MatchIsTouchpad "on"
>         Driver "synaptics"
>         #Option "SHMConfig" "on"
>         Option "VertTwoFingerScroll" "on"
> EndSection
>
> In the past I used
>
> Option "ButtonMapping" "3 2 1"

Do you want this to work for your touchpad with the synaptics driver, or do 
you want this to work with any physical buttons on the laptop, or even an 
external (e.g. USB) mouse?

If the former, then have a look at the NOTES at the end of the man synaptics 
page, where it mentions button mapping.

For non tap buttons you can try setting this option in an InputClass section 
in your xorg.conf for an InputClass device mouse:

Section "InputClass"
        Identifier  "mouse catchall"
        Driver      "evdev"
        MatchIsPointer "on"
        MatchDevicePath "/dev/input/event*"
        Option      "Protocol" "auto"
        Option "ButtonMapping" "3 2 1"
EndSection

> which apparently does not work here. Last but not least, how do I get
> the good old  ctrl-alt-backspace  keybinding to kill X?

You'll need to define this in the InputClass that deals with the keyboard:

Section "InputClass"
       Identifier  "keyboard catchall"
       Driver      "evdev"
       MatchIsKeyboard "on"
       MatchDevicePath "/dev/input/event*"
       Option "XkbLayout" "gb"
       Option "XkbOptions" "terminate:ctrl_alt_bksp"
EndSection

HTH.
-- 
Regards,
Mick