How to make the touchpad turn off automatically when typing

[Husse]

I've been looking for a solution for this off and on for a long time - and now I found it
There's a handy little CLI tool called syndaemon that does this for you

Code: Select all

syndaemon -d

Shuts off the touchpad when you type and enables it two seconds after the last keystroke
If you add -t you only disable tapping and scrolling, not mouse movement (Just for your info - mostly it's the movement you want to disable)
If you add -i 1 it's enabled after one second
To make syndaemon start automatically add the command to the "Startup Applications" (for Gnome)
Open the menu and type star and you see it
Click the add button and enter syndaemon -d and give it a name (Notouch perhaps?)
In KDE 4 (Gloria) it is Applications > System > System settings > the Advanced tab > Autostart
Click Add program and enter syndaemon -d
To make sure that it works you should enable SHMConfig
In all editions except main and KDE you have to install SHMConfig
For Gnome

Code: Select all

gksudo gedit /etc/hal/fdi/policy/shmconfig.fdi

For KDE

Code: Select all

kdesudo kate /etc/hal/fdi/policy/shmconfig.fdi

This brings up an empty file
Add the following to that file

Code: Select all

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<deviceinfo version="0.2">
  <device>
    <match key="input.x11_driver" string="synaptics">
      <merge key="input.x11_options.SHMConfig" type="string">True</merge>
    </match>
  </device>
</deviceinfo>

Save, close the file and reboot and you should be done
Note - for versions earlier than Felicia (Mint 6) this is added to xorg.conf
In
Section "InputDevice"
you add
Option "SHMConfig" "true"

Reference

[emorrp1]

Thanks, this'll be so useful whenever I can't take my wireless keyboard with me, I always accidentally changed focus because of this.

[RichardH]

Thanks, Husse!

For Xfce4
substitute mousepad for gedit in Gnome,
all the rest is the same.


This is a great little tool for the AA1.
The little touch pad is very sensitive when typing in unusual positions.
I usually connect a mouse but it's a pain also.

Now I don't scroll the screen by accident while typing.
I feel the need to tell people about this.
This is one of those papercut sort of annoyances.

Well done.

[hack]

Thank you, this works flawelessly. It's annoying when you are writting and the cursor changes the focus.

Regards

[Copa360]

I guess I'm lucky in the fact that my Compaq laptop has a physical switch to turn the touchpad on and off. I hardly ever use it anyway.

[ameseisch]

nice walk trough for this - thanks!

I wonder if you would know of a way to create a keyboard shortcut that would enable/disable the touchpad. Ideally there would be some sort of indicator (maybe in the gnome panel notification area?) to give you a visual clue that you have the touch pad disabled

[Husse]

I think you can add a custom keyboard shortcut and use it to execute
syndaemon -d
It may be possible to fix a notification but that's over my head now
You could probably fix something that reads HAL and makes a message
NOTE
This will be obsolete with Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic as there will be no HAL but rather DeviceKit and udev
Have to figure out a new guide then

[Schiphol]

Mmh. I've followed this tutorial, but I'm still getting "Unable to find a synaptics device." when I try to execute syndamon.

Any ideas what may be wrong? I'm using a Philips Freevents with Linux Mint 7.

Thanks
Manolo

[Schiphol]

Just thought I'd bump. Thanks

[emorrp1]

Schiphol, run the following command:

Code: Select all

dpkg -l | grep xserver-xorg-input-synaptics

If this command just returns you to the terminal prompt, you don't have the synaptics driver and likely do not have a synaptics touchpad. If the command gives similar to this, then you do have the synaptics driver, which means you're likely to have a synaptics touchpad:

Code: Select all

ii  xserver-xorg-input-synaptics               0.99.3-2ubuntu4                                Synaptics TouchPad driver for X.Org/XFree86

[Schiphol]

Thanks! The output of

Code: Select all

 dpkg -l | grep xserver-xorg-input-synaptics

is, indeed,

Code: Select all

ii  xserver-xorg-input-synaptics                        1.1.2-1ubuntu1~wgrant1                         Synaptics TouchPad driver for X.Org server


But, nevertheless, the howto will not work in my computer. Any ideas as to what might be going wrong? If you need any further info, please let me know.

Manolo

[emorrp1]

Well, according to that, you're not running a current Mint release, you've enabled the karmic repos, so I guess that's just one of the drawbacks of trying beta software. Either try it directly from current Mint, or try and find the solution yourself, I have no idea what's going on.

[Schiphol]

Thanks again. No, I'm running a current Mint release and have not enabled KK repositories. Is there any way to know from which repository is a particular file version coming?
Anyway, I have forced the jaunty version of xserver-xorg-input-synaptics and the problem remains:

Code: Select all

syndaemon

gives

Code: Select all

Can't access shared memory area. SHMConfig disabled?


While I do have the right /etc/hal/fdi/policy/shmconfig.fdi in place...

Manolo

[DrHu]

Thanks again. No, I'm running a current Mint release and have not enabled KK repositories. Is there any way to know from which repository is a particular file version coming?
Anyway, I have forced the jaunty version of xserver-xorg-input-synaptics and the problem remains:

I have forced the jaunty version of xserver-xorg-input-synaptics
And it apparently didn't work..

Linux Mint 7 (Gloria) 32 bit main edition

dpkg -l | grep xserver-xorg-input-synaptics
ii xserver-xorg-input-synaptics 0.99.3-2ubuntu4
Synaptics TouchPad driver for X.Org/XFree86

0.99.3-2ubuntu4
--that is the version that is installed for linux mint 7 from the default repositories.

[Schiphol]

I meant, after reading your reply. Now dpkg -l | grep xserver-xorg-input-synaptics shows:

Code: Select all

ii  xserver-xorg-input-synaptics                        0.99.3-2ubuntu4                                Synaptics TouchPad driver for X.Org/XFree86

as expected. I've rebooted and, as I say, the problem remains.

EDIT: Sorry, DrHu, not your reply. I've just noticed

[samadhi]

Thanks Husse.

This simple command, syndaemon -i -d , put into the Startup Applications control of Mint 7 Gnome works great on my Compaq Presario touchpad. No more jumping insertion point/ cursor. I found the one second delay long enough.

Maybe there is a half-second delay switch?

[steveperry]

This the amazing thanky you for finding this!

[aljoriz]

Wherever you are Husse you are a hero. Your legacy of helping people still lives in mint.

FOR LXDE:

Code: Select all

sudo leafpad /etc/xdg/lxsession/Mint/autostart

At the last list line:
add

Code: Select all

synadaemon -d

and save

[IMAyNeed]

I am a newbie, so you may choose to really check what I write, but do not choose "disable touchpad while...." from the mouse menu.
It will just override any other command or package, and activate the touchpad.

[musetto]

Thank you very much! I am always "charged" and this causes me a lot of nuisances when typing due to that damnit keypad. At least, now I can write without losing focus.