How to trigger [on/off] Mouse [numpad] keyboard navigation?

[Miki800]

found that this question was already asked somewhere on 2007:
http://linux.derkeiler.com/Mailing-L.../msg00078.html

I am not sure if that mailing list had any direct affiliation with kde or kubuntu, probably not..
but he is stating the same issue

It would be more useful if one could toggle it on and off with a keystroke
(rather than having to go to the KDE peripherals->mouse setup).

right now if I have no other choice, this is how I will implement this by myself (brute force)

1. make a vm
2. go to kde->System-Settings->Input-Devices->Mouse->Mouse-Navigation->{TOGGLE ON} ["Move pointer with keyboard (using the num pad"]
3. make a snapshot
3. {TOGGLE OFF} the same setting
4. make another snapshot
5. compare snapshots [2.] and [4.] and find the difference.
6. write a python script to toggle on/off that difference that I found in [5.]
7. bind that python script to a key stroke.
8. bash head against nearest wall
9. ignore steps [1-7] and wait for an answer here, also repeat [8.]


or I could just get a quick answer here

[HalationEffect]

In KDE's System Settings, go to Input Devices -> Keyboard -> Advanced tab -> expand category Miscellaneous Compatibility Options... and right at the end of the list, you should see Toggle PointerKeys with Shift + NumLock.

Tick the box, then Apply.

If you really have your heart set on enabling the Shift + NumLock shortcut via CLI, then this should do the trick:

setxkbmap -option keypad:pointerkeys

[Miki800]

wow.. kde developers.. way to put an option kinda-far-away from where it is suppose to be located...

thank you

[Snowhog]

wow.. kde developers.. way to put an option kinda-far-away from where it is suppose to be located...

thank you

At least with KDE, the options are still available to the end-user, even if buried a bit!

[HalationEffect]

Yeah, I've had my issues with poor discoverability of some KDE features myself, of which this isn't even the worst offender.

I still prefer it to the GNOME way, of arbitrarily just not exposing settings to the user at all because 'philosophy'.

PS. Please mark the thread as solved, using the Thread Tools link near the top of the page.

[Miki800]

Honesty thank you for making me feel not alone in this matter

can you give me an example of how gnome hides configuration?

[HalationEffect]

Honesty thank you for making me feel not alone in this matter

can you give me an example of how gnome hides configuration?

It's been a long time since I used GNOME, but a great example that I read about not so long ago was concerning power management configuration. In this case, they didn't just hide a configuration option, they outright removed it.

Let's say you use your laptop on the train commuting into work, and you want to set the power management to *not* dim your screen when on battery power because otherwise it wouldn't be bright enough to read in a well-lit train carriage. Well, the GNOME devs decided (in their infinite wisdom) that such a scenario doesn't ever occur, and removed the option. If you have a laptop running the latest GNOME and it's on battery power, the screen *will* be dimmed. Even if you'd prefer it to be on full brightness.

When users complained and filed a bug to ask for the return of the removed functionality, GNOME devs were rude and dismissive, and closed the bug as "WONTFIX".

https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=485846

http://igurublog.wordpress.com/2012/...ing-in-threes/

[kubicle]

That's GNOME for you (and Unity is pretty much more of the same).

For me, all advanced xkb configuration being in the same place is logical, but there rarely is a "perfect" solution for displaying/placing config options.

[Miki800]

That's GNOME for you (and Unity is pretty much more of the same).

For me, all advanced xkb configuration being in the same place is logical, but there rarely is a "perfect" solution for displaying/placing config options.

All I'm saying, is that if there is a setting to enable/disable mouse navigation using the keyboard
and there is a different setting to assign to that enable/disable triggering a key-press combination
then they should be in the same place, and that would actually be perfect imo.

I mean, why is this called in one place Point Keys and in another Numpad Mouse Navigation?
What makes this key combination something categorized specifically under "Miscellaneous compatibility options" and not at the same place Numpad Mouse Navigation definition is located?

[HalationEffect]

All I'm saying, is that if there is a setting to enable/disable mouse navigation using the keyboard
and there is a different setting to assign to that enable/disable triggering a key-press combination
then they should be in the same place, and that would actually be perfect imo.

I mean, why is this called in one place Point Keys and in another Numpad Mouse Navigation?
What makes this key combination something categorized specifically under "Miscellaneous compatibility options" and not at the same place Numpad Mouse Navigation definition is located?

I can kinda see why they are in separate places. One setting is to toggle an alternate method of moving the mouse cursor around the screen, and so falls under mouse configuration. The other setting toggles a keyboard shortcut (which can then be used to toggle the first setting), and so falls under keyboard configuration. I agree that calling the same setting by two different names is confusing though.

Personally, I think the best way to do it would be to have an additional checkbox in the mouse settings section that was labelled something like "Enable Shift + NumLock toggling of Numpad Mouse Navigation".