HUD shows up when switching keyboard layouts with alt-shift

[Oren_B]

The default shortcut for most scripts to switch between keyboard layouts is Alt+Shift, or another key combination that includes Alt.

HUD uses the Alt key to pop up.

When trying to switch keyboard layouts, the HUD comes up. The HUD gains key input, and the keyboard layout does not change. A user needs to press Alt+Shift again to actually switch layouts, then press Esc to close the HUD.
In terms of usability, it is extremely annoying and unusable.

While Alt + <anykey> can be filtered and does not activate the HUD, Alt + <modifier key> (such as Shift) is not filtered and activates the HUD.

The default shortcut to switch keyboard layouts for Greek, Arabic and Russian (and possibly other scripts), involves the Alt key.

Because Windows have the default shortcut Alt+Shift, the majority of scripts accept as a default the Alt+Shift shortcut.

Therefore, this is a big issue that must be solved before 12.04.

[Olli Ries (ories)]

Marking it low as it the HUD mapping can be changed in ccsm - something for Gord to look at though as it might affect other common ALT-... combinations (ALT-TAB works fine here).

[Oren_B (oren.barnea)]

Yes, alt-tab works fine, as does alt-F2. I noticed that alt-d (used to focus the location bar in Firefox and Chromium) also makes HUD show up. Seems like alt-tab and alt-F2 got some special attention :)

[Filippos Kolyvas (fkol-k4)]

I also run into this issue (HUD showing when trying to switch keyboard layouts with alt+shift) and tried as a countermeasure to change the HUD enabling key combination using ccsm.
Sadly none of the key bindings i tried (alt+space, ctrl+space, ctrl+shift+space, Lshift+Rshift, ctrl+alt+space, alt+Home, ctrl+Home, Fn+alt, fn+altgr, ctrl+ctrl are some of my tries) succeeded at that purpose. HUD is only enabled using the default (alt) enabling key.
As you can understand, this is making writing bilingual texts (something i have to do very often) very difficult, so i am forced to totally disable this otherwise very nice feature of Unity.
Please reconsider the priority of this bug, or otherwise please advise me on where (i mean which application) to file a bug report about not having the ability to change the HUD mapping.

[N1ck 7h0m4d4k15 (nicktux)]

Affects me too . Atl it's a very basic* key to "lock" that way with HUD. Compizconfig settings manager has the option to change this but not working properly.

basic = used for more than one combination . Not only for keyboard layout.

[Dimitrios Ntoulas (ntoulasd)]

There is a major problem with foreign keyboards layout as we use the alt+shift combination to change keyboard layout and in each change HUD appears.

[lepidas blades rompolos (lepidas)]

affects me too

[Simos Xenitellis  (simosx)]

This is a big issue and must be resolved before 12.04.
The usability is really bad when a user has a Alt+something shortcut to switch layouts.

Apparently, the Lens should not come up if a modifier is pressed along with Alt.

Currently it is OK when you press Alt + key. Alt + Modifier is not OK.

[Simos Xenitellis  (simosx)]

While Alt-Tab is filtered, Alt+PrtScr is also affected as does Alt+Shift.

Alt+PrtScr takes a screenshot of the active windows. With Lens, Alt+PrtScr does not work.

[Oren_B (oren.barnea)]

I upgraded to Unity 5.6.0 and this bug seems to be fixed. Thanks devs!