Ctrl + Super shortcut for MintMenu not working

[cb474]

I noticed that with the new live .iso, shifting from Gnome to Mate, the Ctrl + Super_L shortcut to bring up the MintMenu is not working. When I go to preferences for MintMenu it is set to be working, but doesn't. Are other's having this problem? Any way to fix it? Thanks.

[slashvanyoung]

I'm having the same problem here. No matter what shortcut I set, it won't open the mint menu...

[BLaZuRE]

I read somewhere that the version of Mate packaged by default on Mint is a bit out of date and that this problem was fixed in the newest Mate version. Instructions on how to update are here: http://wiki.mate-desktop.org/download#linux_mint. That being said, I haven't had much luck with <ctrl>Super_L on the newest version of Mate (though I'm on the main edition of Mint 12).

[Monsta]

Hmm, it seems that deskbar-applet either hasn't been ported to MATE or hasn't been added to the repo.
Okay... let's try telling mintMenu that it needs to use the little python-keybinder package instead of the fat deskbar-applet one.

1. Install python-keybinder.

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sudo apt-get install python-keybinder

This will also install libkeybinder0.

2. Backup mintMenu.py just in case.

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cd /usr/lib/linuxmint/mintMenu
sudo cp mintMenu.py mintMenu.py.old

3. Edit mintMenu.py with your favorite text editor (as root of course). Change this line

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from deskbar.core.keybinder import tomboy_keybinder_bind as bind_key

to

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from keybinder import bind as bind_key

and save the file.

4. Run mintMenu in the terminal (it will show up in the separate window) just to test if the global hotkey works now.

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mintmenu

5. Press the hotkey you've set earlier (if you haven't, it's Ctrl + Left Super key).

6. If it works, log out and log in again to make it work for the "real" mintMenu (the one on the panel).

[slashvanyoung]

@BLaZuRE: The most recent version, 1.2.0, is already in lmde as of update pack 4.

@Monsta: Tried this. Step by step. Didn't work for me.

[Monsta]

Tried this. Step by step. Didn't work for me.

Hmm, strange. Were there any error messages (run mintmenu in the terminal to check for them)? Did you try various hotkeys?

[slashvanyoung]

Tried this. Step by step. Didn't work for me.

Hmm, strange. Were there any error messages (run mintmenu in the terminal to check for them)? Did you try various hotkeys?

So I finally managed to successfully bind the "F2" key to the mint menu, using your method. That key is (obviously) less than ideal, but it's better than nothing. I couldn't get Ctrl + Super, Super + anything, just Super or even something like Ctrl + Alt to work, no matter how I entered the shortcut.

"F2" will do it for now, so I can retire the Synapse launcher for now.

Thanks again!

[Monsta]

I can only suppose some other program has captured these keys in your system... because I really can't figure out what else it could be.
Need more testers

[Oscar799]

Moved here by moderator

[BLaZuRE]

I found an error, but I don't know how to fix it. I ran mintmenu and got:

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*********** Keybind Driver Load Failure **************
Error Report :  No module named deskbar.core.keybinder
Opacity is: 98
Setting opacity to: 0.98
__init__ took 58.800 ms
[2012-05-18 10:36:55,838 pyinotify ERROR] add_watch: cannot watch /home/alex/.config/autostart/engrampa.desktop WD=-1 Errno=No such file or directory (ENOENT)
[2012-05-18 10:36:55,845 pyinotify ERROR] add_watch: cannot watch /home/alex/.config/autostart/file-roller.desktop WD=-1 Errno=No such file or directory (ENOENT)
[2012-05-18 10:36:55,846 pyinotify ERROR] add_watch: cannot watch /home/alex/.config/autostart/brasero.desktop WD=-1 Errno=No such file or directory (ENOENT)
[2012-05-18 10:36:55,855 pyinotify ERROR] add_watch: cannot watch /home/alex/.config/autostart/gcalctool.desktop WD=-1 Errno=No such file or directory (ENOENT)
[2012-05-18 10:36:55,856 pyinotify ERROR] add_watch: cannot watch /home/alex/.config/autostart/mate-calc.desktop WD=-1 Errno=No such file or directory (ENOENT)
[2012-05-18 10:36:55,857 pyinotify ERROR] add_watch: cannot watch /home/alex/.config/autostart/gucharmap.desktop WD=-1 Errno=No such file or directory (ENOENT)
... [a lot more errors]
[2012-05-18 10:36:56,046 pyinotify ERROR] add_watch: cannot watch /home/alex/.config/autostart/display-properties.desktop WD=-1 Errno=No such file or directory (ENOENT)
[2012-05-18 10:36:56,051 pyinotify ERROR] add_watch: cannot watch /home/alex/.config/autostart/gnome-system-monitor.desktop WD=-1 Errno=No such file or directory (ENOENT)
Binding to Hot Key: <Control>Super_L
** WARNING ** - Menu Hotkey Binding Error
Error Report :
global name 'bind_key' is not defined
/usr/lib/linuxmint/mintMenu/mintMenu.py:857: Warning: g_object_set_qdata: assertion `G_IS_OBJECT (object)' failed
  main_window.show()


When I look at /usr/lib/linuxmint/mintMenu/mintMenu.py, I see it tries to open deskbar.core.keybinder which is supposed to be from deskbar-applet, which is not on my computer. Nothing with deskbar in the name is on my computer except two .png files. I was going to start compiling & installing deskbar-applet from gnome.org, but there was a python error not finding the headers, so I gave up for now.

Anyone have any ideas?

[Monsta]

Doesn't my post above explain how to deal with this problem?

[äxl]

Works for me, Monsta. Big thanks!
(Tracking {MATE+Debain} Wheezy)

[Monsta]

Good.

Now I have to mention that this hack isn't required anymore in Mint 13. There's a new mintmenu-keybinder package which seems to include the whole old deskbar-applet package contents, and so the global menu hotkey is working again.

Update: LMDE now has this package too. Mint 12 hasn't received it yet (and maybe it never will).

[peridox91]

Tried this. Step by step. Didn't work for me.

Hmm, strange. Were there any error messages (run mintmenu in the terminal to check for them)? Did you try various hotkeys?

So I finally managed to successfully bind the "F2" key to the mint menu, using your method. That key is (obviously) less than ideal, but it's better than nothing. I couldn't get Ctrl + Super, Super + anything, just Super or even something like Ctrl + Alt to work, no matter how I entered the shortcut.

"F2" will do it for now, so I can retire the Synapse launcher for now.

Thanks again!

Interestingly, my Ctrl+Super_L did once work for the Mint Menu. Then somehow, it stopped working. I don't know if my playing around with iBus did anything to it, but yeah, it seems that my Super key may be not functioning. Strangely, I could not start my Firefox with my custom Ctrl+Alt+M using the internet shortcut I set up (though I could earlier in my login session). I had to disable that shortcut and make a custom one for firefox...

So something seems weird. I could use the MintMenu Ctrl+Super_L shortcut, but then no longer. It might have to do with my toying around iBus and alt+Super to shift between language/keyboards, but I don't know.

[peridox91]

OKAY! THIS MAY BE A BUG ... BUT I GOT MY MINT MENU TO WORK!

I am currently running Linux Mint 13 MATE. (I have installed the python thing described earlier in this post or some related post and also synapse, though I believe they are both not necessary, as I was able to open mintMenu with the Ctrl+Super_L shortcut before but then for a while could not. But now I can.

SHORTCUT FOR MENU [somewhat changed]: Ctrl+SUPER_L+SUPER_L (i.e. hold control and double tap Super_L)

Now I did use the "hack" earlier and had to edit mintmenu, though I'm not sure if you have to do it. But apparently, it works like a charm when you hold down Ctrl and press Super_L (Windows button) twice. Very interesting. Everytime I release Control, the first time I try the Ctrl+Super_L shortcut, it doesn't work. But after holding Ctrl and pressing Super_L once, subsequent (single) pressing of Super_L toggles the Mint Menu on and off.

Oh, and being a newb, if there is any bug reporting that I need to do, please do for me or tell me where I should report this (if indeed it is reportable).

Actually, I turned off the hack, so I changed my /usr/lib/linuxmint/mintMenu/mintMenu.py back to the original (with the line changed back to the original, that is ``from deskbar.core.keybinder . . ."). It still works. So if you despair, try holding Ctrl and then hit Super_L twice! From then on, as long as you hold control, the menu will toggle on and off with one Super_L key.

[jaderiver]

I have Mint 13 Mate, and my mintmenu hotkey also worked at first, and then, not. Used Monsta's solution, above, involving python-keyring. Now, even though the command is <Control>Super_L, I need to press Ctrl+Super_L+Super_L (the last twice). Then, I can clear mintmenu by pressing Super_L once.

This fix not the most ideal, but at least I can keystroke mintmenu. Thanks, Monsta.

jaderiver

[Monsta]

This double-tap thing is strange... On the other hand, my hack is not really needed in Mint 13 (see my post about mintmenu-keybinder above).

[mali radnik]

The double-tap did not work for me. Here is what I got in terminal:

rudar@rudarlmde ~ $ sudo apt-get install python-keybinder
[sudo] password for rudar:
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
python-keybinder is already the newest version.
The following packages were automatically installed and are no longer required:
libdbusmenu-qt2 libqzeitgeist0 virtuoso-minimal libqca2 libqt4-qt3support
libpolkit-qt-1-1 libknewstuff3-4 libvirtodbc0 libsox-fmt-base
libnepomukquery4a libthreadweaver4 libsox-fmt-alsa libkdecore5 phonon
libnepomukutils4 libktexteditor4 libkmediaplayer4 oxygen-icon-theme
plasma-scriptengine-javascript libkrosscore4 virtuoso-opensource-6.1-bin
libqt4-opengl libsolid4 libdlrestrictions1 libnepomuk4 libkdegames5a
libsoprano4 virtuoso-opensource-6.1-common libkdnssd4 libkparts4
phonon-backend-vlc libclucene0ldbl shared-desktop-ontologies kdoctools
libmikmod2 libkidletime4 katepart libkcmutils4 libntrack0 python-rsvg
soprano-daemon libkfile4 libkpty4 libphonon4 sox libkntlm4 libnuma1
libplasma3 libsdl-net1.2 libkemoticons4 ntrack-module-libnl-0 libutempter0
kdelibs-bin libkdewebkit5 libattica0 libkjsembed4 libkio5 libkjsapi4
libstreams0 libntrack-qt4-1 kdelibs5-data libsox1b libkde3support4 libssh-4
libknotifyconfig4 kdelibs5-plugins libiodbc2 libkhtml5 libkdeui5 libkdesu5
libkatepartinterfaces4 libsdl-sound1.2 kate-data libstreamanalyzer0
Use 'apt-get autoremove' to remove them.
0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded.
rudar@rudarlmde ~ $ cd /usr/lib/linuxmint/mintMenu
rudar@rudarlmde /usr/lib/linuxmint/mintMenu $ sudo cp mintMenu.py mintMenu.py.old
rudar@rudarlmde /usr/lib/linuxmint/mintMenu $ from keybinder import bind as bind_key
from: can't read /var/mail/keybinder
rudar@rudarlmde /usr/lib/linuxmint/mintMenu $ mintmenu
Opacity is: 98
Setting opacity to: 0.98
__init__ took 46.441 ms
Binding to Hot Key: <Super_L>

** (mintMenu.py:5400): WARNING **: Binding '<Super_L>' failed!

/usr/lib/linuxmint/mintMenu/mintMenu.py:857: Warning: g_object_set_qdata: assertion `G_IS_OBJECT (object)' failed
main_window.show()

[mali radnik]

Sorry, I just found a simple solution to my problem: right click on menu, open preferences, set down what I want, then close preferences, then Logout and Login. And that's it, now I can open Menu bar with single press on Super_L (or Win key). Well done to LMDE!

[jaderiver]

OK... now I am able to kick in the Menu with just one tap of the Super_L/Windows key. Seems as if changing the Menu Preference, then logging out, then logging back in, as previously suggested, did the trick. Thought I had tried all these steps before but...

Anyway, glad the button works with one tap now.