#Scroll lock key on laptop windows#

The way XKB defines LEDs, you can only bind them to the state of real modifiers. There are a very limited number of real modifiers, and most of them are in use we can't add more without breaking compatibility with X11. XKB has a concept of 'virtual modifiers' (of which scroll lock is one), and 'real modifiers' (of which it isn't). I think the core of the problem though is around modifier vs. Sorry it's been a while I've been working on other things, and this has been slightly odd to me. Thanks for the patience from every backlight keyboard owners! :-) Therefore, I didn't find anyway so far to have the backlight of my keyboard working. Since I reinstalled my machine with ubuntu 17.10 (that is on wayland as you know as well), this command has no effect of course. It was a bit annoying to type the command every time I rebooted, or to setup the system not to have to type this command anymore, but I dealt with it. To be more clear, from the moment I executed this command, if I pressed on the key, the led was switched, and the backlight as well. On X, as I said, the command xmodmap -e 'add mod3 = Scroll_Lock' permited to have the scroll lock key working like a charm. I knew it was a known issue because as I mentioned to you, lot of backlight keyboard owners wonder why this key is disabled. No led was switched, the backlight wasn't switched either. Meaning, a stroke on it had no effect what so ever. Therefore, the key was like it didn't exist. The scroll lock key was simply ignored because it wasn't mapped by the system. If the OS ignores this key for some reason, the backlight and even the little led will never switch.īefore, I was on ubuntu 16.04 (that was on X as I suppose you know). The only way to permit this is to give to the OS the control on the effect of the key scroll lock. I believe that it is done this way so that the OS, when it hibernates, can send the signal to the keyboard that it must switch off. Separate keyboards usually use the scroll lock key to switch their backlight. Right now, I'm talking about a separate keyboard, not about the keyboard of a laptop that has its own special key to light the backlight.

As a developer I know that sometimes, we have to make some choices or to give an appropriate priority on incidents/bugs.

Since I'm killing my eyes to work from home during my evenings, I'm wondering this question as well.ĭaniel, I understand your concern, don't worry.

#Scroll lock key on laptop windows#

To conclude, as a matter of a fact, all users with a backlight keyboard are wondering the same kind of question: 'why this key that works on every systems is ignored on linux by default? and why wayland that is now the default ubuntu windows manager simply decided that this key shouldn't even exist?'. The fact a key of the keyboard is purely ignored by the system can't decently be justified to a basic end user by saying that it is a feature. As a developer, we laugh a ourselves saying 'it's not a bug, it's a feature'. Even if the technical explanation or strategic choice makes sense. But as a matter of a fact, from a pure end user point of view, a key that exists and works on every non apple machine (95%) and that just doesn't work on another system is clearly a bug. Really.Īnyway, I have no doubt that there is an explanation. All my apologies if it wasn't taken this way.

On X, it was possible to reactivate the key with the following command: xmodmap -e 'add mod3 = Scroll_Lock'Ībout the PS, the last comment was second degree.