Keyboard layout switching combination ineffective after reboot

[Mahmoud ElGammal]

In Hardy, the keyboard shortcut for keyboard layout switching becomes ineffective after reboot. Steps:

1) Install Hardy.
2) Add a new keyboard layout (I added Arabic).
3) Select the keyboard shortcut for switching between layouts (I use Alt+Shift).

At this point everything works fine, but once I reboot the keyboard shortcut doesn't do anything, although the added layouts are still there.

For me, this fixes the problem (until the next reboot):

1) System -> Preferences -> Keyboard.
2) Layouts -> Click "Layout Options...".
3) Deselect then reselect the already selected combination under "Layout switching".

[Jacobian (mortensen-security)]

Yes, I can confirm that this happens for me as well using Ubuntu 8.04 (Hardy Heron). The behavior is exactly as described above.

[Jacobian (mortensen-security)]

Here is a related bug report with more information:
https://bugs.launchpad.net/xorg-server/+bug/251443

According to one of the comments, this has been fixed in Ubuntu 8.10, which will be released on October 30, 2008:
https://bugs.launchpad.net/xorg-server/+bug/251443/comments/10

[Jacobian (mortensen-security)]

Okay, this is my last comment :)

If your problem is that a keyboard layout switching shortcut like "Shift+Shift" doesn't survive a reboot when autologin is enabled, then you can fix it like this:

Go to System->Prefences->Sessions. You'll see a "Sessions Preferences" dialog with your startup programs. Click on "Add" to add a new startup program. Create a new startup entry like this:
Name: Apply Keyboard Settings
Command: setxkbmap

This will allow your keyboard shortcuts to take effect upon rebooting. I've confirmed that this works for me, using Ubuntu 8.04, with my keyboard switching shortcut "Shift+Shift."

After add this startup program, my keyboard shortcut now survives rebooting.

This bug report might be a duplicate of this bug report with 34 other duplicates:
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/xorg/+bug/196277

However, I'm not sure if the original poster was using autologin.