XFCE4: Hotkey for "Maximize Window" ignored, Application Hotkeys delayed

[koegs]

I just did a fresh install of Xubuntu 12.04 AMD64 with the Alternate
CD and Disk Encryption on my Thinkpad x220.

Two problems:

1. The hotkey for maximizing windows (ALT+F7) is ignored.
After changing it to Super+UP it is working till a reboot, then it is
ignored again.

2. Application Hotkeys like Super+W oder Super+T take a long time
until they are recognized after the startup.
I can start Firefox via menu but the hotkey is not working

No LSB modules are available.
Distributor ID: Ubuntu
Description: Ubuntu 12.04 LTS
Release: 12.04
Codename: precise

>> apt-cache policy xubuntu-desktop
xubuntu-desktop:
  Installiert: 2.152
  Kandidat: 2.152
  Versionstabelle:
 *** 2.152 0
        500 http://de.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ precise/universe amd64 Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status

[Squalou-jenkins (squalou-jenkins)]

I'm using Archlinux, which provides version 4.6.2 of Xfwm4,
so I apologize if this is no more relevant.

What happens : I bind the keyboard shortcut "super m" to the maximize function.
It works juste fine.

If I reboot (or leave the session), next time the shortcut won't work.

In the configuration panel, the shortcut appears as if correctly set, but it is not working.

Other shortcut work fine.
I tried another key cmbination : same problem.
I tried the "super m" for another shortcut : it works.

So it narrows the issue to the "maximizeé thing.

Thank you,

regards

[Olivier Fourdan (fourdan)]

Humm, works just fine here.

"Super" is a bit special with some keyboard mappings and is reported as both a modifier and a regular key, I guess this is the source of your problem.

I don't think it's a bug in xfwm4 (as I said, works just fine here, Fedora 13)

[Squalou-jenkins (squalou-jenkins)]

(In reply to comment #1)
> Humm, works just fine here.
>
> "Super" is a bit special with some keyboard mappings and is reported as both a
> modifier and a regular key, I guess this is the source of your problem.
>
> I don't think it's a bug in xfwm4 (as I said, works just fine here, Fedora 13)

Strange.
I've got the "super" key mapped to other shortcut, (super v for vertical maximize e.g. ) : it works fine.
If I use this working hortcut for maximise : this one does not work.

That's why I'd say it points to "maximize" issue.

Next time I login, I'll try Alt instead of Super, I'm pretty sure I already did that but I prefer try again.

[Squalou-jenkins (squalou-jenkins)]

I just tried with "Alt M" shortcut : same result.
After reboot, the shortcut doesn't work anymore, even if it appears as associated in the conf panel.

This confirms that - at least in my case, who knows why - the "maximize" thing get disassociated after reboot, or is not correctl associated at start.

[Olivier Fourdan (fourdan)]

Yet there is nothing particular to the maximize shortcut, it's just one of the shortcuts like the others.

What gives "xfconf-query -c xfce4-keyboard-shortcuts -lv" beffore and after the reboot?

There is also a known issue with shortcuts being lost (see bug 5537).

[Squalou-jenkins (squalou-jenkins)]

Created attachment 3331
xfconf-query -c xfce4-keyboard-shortcuts -lv

[Squalou-jenkins (squalou-jenkins)]

The command gives the exact same result before and after reboot.
(I used diff to be sure)

The "interesting" line might be :
/xfwm4/custom/<Super>m maximize_window_key

Fun thing : I also have this line
/xfwm4/default/<Alt>F10 maximize_window_key

But Alt F10 does not work either.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

[koegs (koegs)]

Any chance that this will be fixed?

Tried the same with clean install of Xubuntu 12.04 x86 and x64.

1. Fresh installation
2. Start Terminal
3. Press ALT+F5 or ALT+F6 -> Horizontal or Vertical Maximize Works
4. Press ALT+F7 -> Maximize does not work
5. Set SuperL+UP as Maximize in Settings -> Does work
6. Reboot
7. SuperL+UP (or ALT+F7) does not work

Same thing in Xubuntu 12.10 Alpha 3

[Pasi Lallinaho (knome)]

Disk encryption isn't the culprit here, I have this on non-encrypted systems.

[koegs (koegs)]

Still the same issue with Xubuntu 12.10 AMD64

Fresh installation with encrypted home directory.

Setting Tile-Left and Tile-Right to Super+Left and Super+Right does work, but settings Maximize to Super+Up does not work after reboot...

[koegs (koegs)]

Finally found the problem...

In the file .config/xfce4/xfconf/xfce-perchannel-xml/xfce4-keyboard-shortcuts.xml the old line for ALT+F10 for maximize_window_key never gets deleted:

<property name="&lt;ALT&gt;F10" type="string" value="maximize_window_key"/>

[Stephen Warren (srwarren)]

Strange. I believe the file /etc/xdg/xfce4/xfconf/xfce-perchannel-xml/xfce4-keyboard-shortcuts.xml is the default content for .config/xfce4/xfconf/xfce-perchannel-xml/xfce4-keyboard-shortcuts.xml, and should be copied to it when "Reset to defaults" is executed in the XFCE settings application.

However, /etc/xdg/xfce4/xfconf/xfce-perchannel-xml/xfce4-keyboard-shortcuts.xml does NOT contain entries for both ALT-F7 and ALT-F10 being set to maximize_window_key (it just has an entry for ALT-F10), yet "Reset to defaults" DOES recreate this issue in the user's .config/xfce4/xfconf/xfce-perchannel-xml/xfce4-keyboard-shortcuts.xml. It seems like something in the application code rather than the default settings file is causing this problem.

[Stephen Warren (srwarren)]

This is reported in the XFCE bug-tracker as at least:

https://bugzilla.xfce.org/show_bug.cgi?id=4875
https://bugzilla.xfce.org/show_bug.cgi?id=7070

The first of those is marked a duplicate of:
https://bugzilla.xfce.org/show_bug.cgi?id=4695

although I'm not entirely convinced that it really is a dup.

[Stephen Warren (srwarren)]

Bug 4875 reports basically the exact same issue. It is marked as a duplicated of bug 4695. Should this bug be marked as a duplicate too?

However, bug 4695 is more about the handling of multiple entries in the keyboard shortcut config files with the same logical function not being ideal. This bug and I think 4875 are more about the fact that xfce is creating a keyboard shortcut file with duplicate entries in the first place. Hence, I'm not sure if the duplicate marking is entirely correct.

For additional details, please see:
https://bugs.launchpad.net/xfce4-settings/+bug/992579

There I observe that xfce itself is creating this issue (it creates a config file with both ALT-F7 and ALT-F10 pointing at maximize_window_key; no user editing of the config file or use of xfconf is needed to cause this issue). Quoting from that bug:

Strange. I believe the file /etc/xdg/xfce4/xfconf/xfce-perchannel-xml/xfce4-keyboard-shortcuts.xml is the default content for .config/xfce4/xfconf/xfce-perchannel-xml/xfce4-keyboard-shortcuts.xml, and should be copied to it when "Reset to defaults" is executed in the XFCE settings application.

However, /etc/xdg/xfce4/xfconf/xfce-perchannel-xml/xfce4-keyboard-shortcuts.xml does NOT contain entries for both ALT-F7 and ALT-F10 being set to maximize_window_key (it just has an entry for ALT-F10), yet "Reset to defaults" DOES recreate this issue in the user's .config/xfce4/xfconf/xfce-perchannel-xml/xfce4-keyboard-shortcuts.xml. It seems like something in the application code rather than the default settings file is causing this problem.

[Geoffm-b (geoffm-b)]

*** Bug 10537 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***

[Geoffm-b (geoffm-b)]

Same problem here, running Xubuntu 13.10.
It's been reported for almost a year, hopefully we can have some follow up?
We have to open the settings to remap the shortcut every time we reboot.
Surely there aren't only 3 people in the world who remap this shortcut?

[Connor Garvey (mrsqueezles)]

This is still happening in 13.10. Thanks to Markus' comment, I edited .config/xfce4/xfconf/xfce-perchannel-xml/xfce4-keyboard-shortcuts.xml and removed the old entry.

[mungus (mungus)]

In Mint Qiana I solved it via commenting out or deleting the following line at /usr/share/mint-configuration-xfce/xfce4/xfconf/xfce-perchannel-xml/xfce4-keyboard-shortcuts.xml

<property name="&lt;Alt&gt;F10" type="string" value="maximize_window_key"/>

Otherwise I would have to redo this keyboard setting every time I reboot. This is the only thing I had to change. XFCE is the desktop environment that god's use! Rock on, dirty mice!

[Stephen Michael Kellat (skellat)]

Mint is not Ubuntu. Mint Xfce is not Xubuntu. The report relates to Xubuntu 12.04 so please stick to the correct version of the actual distribution being discussed.

[Favyen Bastani (fbastani)]

While the first issue (with maximizing windows) appears to have been resolved, I am still getting the same issue as the second (application hotkeys not working). After logging in to Xubuntu session, usually application hotkeys do not work until ten to twenty seconds have elapsed; sometimes, they never work even after several minutes and logging out and back in is needed to fix.

Once application hotkeys do start working in a session (if ever), all previously pressed hotkeys suddenly take effect (so if you press ctrl+alt+t and have that configured to open terminal several times before it starts working, since no terminals are opening, then suddenly there may be lots of terminals open after it works); furthermore, it continues to work for the remainder of the session.

I am using lvm disk encryption, on Xubuntu 14.04 AMD64.

[Thaddaeus Tintenfisch (thad-fisch-deactivatedaccount)]

Favyen, bug 1239014 addresses the second issue.

[Simon Steinbeiß (ochosi)]

*** Bug 10952 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***

[Simon Steinbeiß (ochosi)]

*** Bug 10959 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***