touchpad right+click not working

[Patrick Kilgore]

- Freshly installed 18.04 (from 16.04, in which everything was working great). This behavior is consistent across several tested applications (firefox, ubuntu desktop, terminal).

What I expected to happen:
 1. I right click the touchpad, see appropriate response from relevant application under mouse.

What actually happened:
 1. The right click is registered as a primary click, so there was not an appropriate response.

Notes:
 1. The two-finger-tap works fine, and generates the appropriate right+click response from all tested apps.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 18.04
Package: xserver-xorg-input-synaptics 1.9.0-1ubuntu1
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 4.15.0-20.21-generic 4.15.17
Uname: Linux 4.15.0-20-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 2.20.9-0ubuntu7
Architecture: amd64
BootLog: Error: [Errno 13] Permission denied: '/var/log/boot.log'
CurrentDesktop: ubuntu:GNOME
Date: Fri Apr 27 09:02:56 2018
DistUpgraded: Fresh install
DistroCodename: bionic
DistroVariant: ubuntu
InstallationDate: Installed on 2018-04-27 (0 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 18.04 LTS "Bionic Beaver" - Release amd64 (20180426)
MachineType: Dell Inc. Precision 5520
ProcEnviron:
 PATH=(custom, no user)
 XDG_RUNTIME_DIR=<set>
 LANG=en_US.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-4.15.0-20-generic root=UUID=8c6fa604-8659-4664-ab49-b2428cf656fd ro quiet splash vt.handoff=1
SourcePackage: xserver-xorg-input-synaptics
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)
dmi.bios.date: 01/25/2018
dmi.bios.vendor: Dell Inc.
dmi.bios.version: 1.7.1
dmi.board.name: 0R6JFH
dmi.board.vendor: Dell Inc.
dmi.board.version: A00
dmi.chassis.type: 10
dmi.chassis.vendor: Dell Inc.
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnDellInc.:bvr1.7.1:bd01/25/2018:svnDellInc.:pnPrecision5520:pvr:rvnDellInc.:rn0R6JFH:rvrA00:cvnDellInc.:ct10:cvr:
dmi.product.family: Precision
dmi.product.name: Precision 5520
dmi.sys.vendor: Dell Inc.
version.compiz: compiz N/A
version.libdrm2: libdrm2 2.4.91-2
version.libgl1-mesa-dri: libgl1-mesa-dri 18.0.0~rc5-1ubuntu1
version.libgl1-mesa-glx: libgl1-mesa-glx 18.0.0~rc5-1ubuntu1
version.xserver-xorg-core: xserver-xorg-core 2:1.19.6-1ubuntu4
version.xserver-xorg-input-evdev: xserver-xorg-input-evdev N/A
version.xserver-xorg-video-ati: xserver-xorg-video-ati 1:18.0.1-1
version.xserver-xorg-video-intel: xserver-xorg-video-intel 2:2.99.917+git20171229-1
version.xserver-xorg-video-nouveau: xserver-xorg-video-nouveau 1:1.0.15-2

[Patrick Kilgore (patrick-kilgore)]

Additional logs enclosed in coming posts (multi-attachments still not supported!?).

The `evtest` events are me alternating between right (first) then left clicks on the touchpad.

In the `xev` events log, I hit the "r" key to identify when I am about to rt+click and "l" as an identifier of when I am about to left+click.

Let me know if I can send along anything else...

[Patrick Kilgore (patrick-kilgore)]

After some additional troubleshooting, I've decided this is reported to the wrong package. Switching that.

The fix for me here was to set:

    $ gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.peripherals.touchpad click-method areas

It appears that libinput defaulted my computer on reinstall of Ubuntu to the Apple/Mac style 1-2-3 finger alt-clicking. I think that is a great default *for Apple computers*, but a poor one for devices like this Dell where the traditional behavior is that of a 'clickpad', i.e., where you right+click by physically clicking on the bottom right of the touchpad.

My suggested fix would be to detect the appropriate vendor and change click-method accordingly (Dell/Lenovo/Other->"areas"; Apple->"fingers").

Otherwise, we need to train users what to do, because this is *entirely unexpected* behavior from anyone who doesn't use a Mac computer.

[Daniel van Vugt (vanvugt)]

The GUI way of applying that is:

gnome-tweaks > Keyboard & Mouse > Touchpad > Mouse Click Emulation = Area

But that is certainly not adequately discoverable. You have to install 'gnome-tweaks' too.

I think the right solution is to get the above setting moved into gnome-control-center where people can find it. I think someone might have logged that feature request already but I can't find it right now.

P.S. I disagree with your suggested fix. Most Dell/Lenovos use clickpads these days, just like Apple.