Cant enter acute e (é)

[birgersp]

I am trying to write this character: é

Usually what I would do is press ALTGR then E

But now all I get is "e" without the acute

My keyboard layout is Norwegian

What can I do to fix this?

[rene]

Is your physical keyboard layout Norwegian? I.e., do you have e.g. Ø physically printed on a key (next to L, it seems) or do you use as appears relatively standard also in Norway a physical US-English layout keyboard with just the software-layout set to Norwegian? In latter case please see viewtopic.php?t=371235.

In former case: I'm currently on Xfce which rather unhelpfully doesn't supply for keyboard-layout pictures but scour those keyboard layouts in your keyboard settings to choose a software layout that both matches your physical layout and supplies what you need additionally from AltGr and/or dead-keys.

[LittleScriptMan]

I am trying to write this character: é
What can I do to fix this?

You may use the xmodmap utility to modify a key you never use.
For example, F12 could become é and Shift+F12 É with this terminal command :

Code: Select all

xmodmap -e "keycode 96 = eacute Eacute"

If you are not happy to give up F12, you can use any key if you know its keycode. This can be done with :

Code: Select all

xev -event keyboard | grep "keycode"

When the little white window appears, press the key you want to use for é/É and note the keycode associated with it, then replace in my first command 96 (keycode of F12) by that code.

PS : the xmodmap -e command is only valid for the current session. You'll have to type it in every session it will be needed. However, you can make it permanent by adding it in the Startup apps as a personal command.

[LittleScriptMan]

Completing my post. What I previously suggested should work (of course, I've tested it before suggesting), but reading rene's answer more carefully, it is perhaps possible é or É are already on your keyboard but you don't know how to find them :

Code: Select all

xmodmap -pke > mykbd.keys

will create a file mykbd.keys in your home folder with your keyboard description.

Code: Select all

grep eacute mykbd.keys

will return the keycode of the key able to type eacute (if there is one).

The rank of eacute in the list (items are separated with a space) defines how it can be accessed :
Rank 1 : bare key
Rank 2 : Shift + key
Rank 3 : AltGr + key
Rank 4 : AltGr + Shift + key

If you don't have (easy) access to eacute, reconsider my initial post.

[rene]

A follow-up to that is that if you use Cinnamon or MATE that you can simply look at your layout visually from within the keyboard settings. If I'm not mistaken in Cinnamon the button's labelled "Layout" and you upon choosing it get presented a picture.

[birgersp]

Thanks for replying!

Is your physical keyboard layout Norwegian? I.e., do you have e.g. Ø physically printed on a key (next to L, it seems) or do you use as appears relatively standard also in Norway a physical US-English layout keyboard with just the software-layout set to Norwegian? In latter case please see viewtopic.php?t=371235.

My keyboard is norwegian layout, physically. There is physically a the Ø key just right of the L, etc.

Completing my post. What I previously suggested should work (of course, I've tested it before suggesting), but reading rene's answer more carefully, it is perhaps possible é or É are already on your keyboard but you don't know how to find them :

Code: Select all

xmodmap -pke > mykbd.keys

will create a file mykbd.keys in your home folder with your keyboard description.

Code: Select all

grep eacute mykbd.keys

will return the keycode of the key able to type eacute (if there is one).

The rank of eacute in the list (items are separated with a space) defines how it can be accessed :
Rank 1 : bare key
Rank 2 : Shift + key
Rank 3 : AltGr + key
Rank 4 : AltGr + Shift + key

If you don't have (easy) access to eacute, reconsider my initial post.

Here is the output:

Code: Select all

> grep eacute mykbd.keys 
keycode  47 = oslash Oslash oslash Oslash dead_acute dead_doubleacute dead_acute dead_doubleacute
keycode  51 = apostrophe asterisk apostrophe asterisk dead_doubleacute multiply dead_doubleacute multiply

A follow-up to that is that if you use Cinnamon or MATE that you can simply look at your layout visually from within the keyboard settings. If I'm not mistaken in Cinnamon the button's labelled "Layout" and you upon choosing it get presented a picture.

Yep, this is what I get (image below). The keys are located in the picture, as they are physically on my keyboard except I don't actually see the special symbols to the right on each key. For instance I don't see the Omega and the "Alpha curl" on the Q key, it just says Q on my keyboard,



So looking at my picture what I would press to see the key is the ALTGR ("Level3 S..." just right of the spacebar), and then the \ key (just left of backspace). I then release both keys and then press e.

So:
ALTGR
\
(release both)
e

But this is what I get:

´e

But I want the acute key.

[rene]

Lovely; AltGr and compose...

Anyways, yes, trouble reproduced on Cinnamon 20.3 with the Norwegian keyboard layout and I believe it's a buglet. I.e., as per that layout picture you have lots of 3rd and 4th level keys available in that layout but it seems the 3rd-level switcher key is not in fact defined OOTB. If I after selecting Norwegian as the layout in Cinnamon choose "Options..." (bottom right on that same settings dialogue) and set "Key to choose the 3rd level" to "Right Alt" manually I seem to have what I expect should in fact be the default at least as judged from that layout picture.

Specifically, after doing so -- on Xfce I believe you need to logout and back in after making those changes and on Cinnamon I believe not, but I'm testing with a mix of local and remote access so may have fouled up something myself -- I have é available from in your layout AltGr+\, e.

Also by the way from AltGr+ø, e and I see a few more options seemingly available, but, well, anyways. It's odd that it doesn't work OOTB; that one needs to set the 3rd-level chooser manually. This would seemingly want to be classified a buglet.

[rickNS]

Depending on how often you need to use é, you could simply use the Unicode for it, Ctrl + Shift + U release, then E, 9, Enter.

Maybe not elegant, but works. I keep a small text file of the ones I use somewhat often like ½, ¢, and you can just copy and paste them from it.

The capitol versions is Ctrl + Shift + U , C9 Enter, É.

Curious if you "can't" do this how did you in the OP ?

[rene]

No need; see above; just need to set the 3rd level switcher key. Seems OP's AWOL though -- so glad I took the time...

[rickNS]

Seems OP's AWOL though -- so glad I took the time...

Yeah, and it seems to happen a lot...lately ? Or maybe I notice it more lately.

[birgersp]

Hey, sorry I went silent there for a while. I hugely appreciate you guys trying to help me, if it weren't for you I'd be completely lost. Thank you, sincerely.

Lovely; AltGr and compose...

Anyways, yes, trouble reproduced on Cinnamon 20.3 with the Norwegian keyboard layout and I believe it's a buglet. I.e., as per that layout picture you have lots of 3rd and 4th level keys available in that layout but it seems the 3rd-level switcher key is not in fact defined OOTB. If I after selecting Norwegian as the layout in Cinnamon choose "Options..." (bottom right on that same settings dialogue) and set "Key to choose the 3rd level" to "Right Alt" manually I seem to have what I expect should in fact be the default at least as judged from that layout picture.

Specifically, after doing so -- on Xfce I believe you need to logout and back in after making those changes and on Cinnamon I believe not, but I'm testing with a mix of local and remote access so may have fouled up something myself -- I have é available from in your layout AltGr+\, e.

Also by the way from AltGr+ø, e and I see a few more options seemingly available, but, well, anyways. It's odd that it doesn't work OOTB; that one needs to set the 3rd-level chooser manually. This would seemingly want to be classified a buglet.

I've tried this now, but it still won't work. I also logged out and in again after applying the settings, even rebooted. But still when I press right alt (aka ALTGR) and the \ key, the ´ immidiately appears. So I end up getting ´e, and not é.

(Perhaps relevant) sidenote: On all other computers I have tried, to get the ~ character, I have to press ALTGR and ¨, then hit SPACE or other key to make the ~ actually appear. On this system it immidiately appears. It is as if the "lingering symbol" feature or whatever I can call it, doesn't exist. Maybe my description is just confusing, so in short: To get ~ I normally would have to press ALTGR + ¨ release, then SPACE. But on this system I press ALTGR + ¨ then it immidiately appears.

Depending on how often you need to use é, you could simply use the Unic for it, Ctrl + Shift + U release, then E, 9, Enter.

Maybe not elegant, but works. I keep a small text file of the ones I use somewhat often like ½, ¢, and you can just copy and paste them from it.

The capitol versions is Ctrl + Shift + U , C9 Enter, É.

Curious if you "can't" do this how did you in the OP ?

This also doesn't work (confused is wrong with my computer, haha). When I follow these instructions, it writes e9 and then a newline. Just as if I didn't press Ctrl + Shift + U at all.

To actually be able to get the é, I searched online for "acute e" and then copy-paste the character I get in the search results.

EDIT: Okay it seems that the problem isn't actually getting the ´ symbol to appear. The problem is that my system doesn't "wait" for the e key to be pressed, before it outputs a character.

So it's the exact same problem if I want ñ. Then, I would normally press ALTGR + ¨, then n. But on this system, the ~ immidiately appears, and the n is inserted after it.

[rene]

Does not make further sense to me I'm afraid. I tested in 20.3 Cinnamon here that if I set the keyboard layout to "Norwegian" and make sure that in the "Options..." the "Key to choose the 3rd level" is set to "Right Alt" that AltGr+<key left of backspace>, e gets me é.

I can only think that you might have set more options which then interfere/conflict. In the Cinnamon keyboard dialogue any non-standard option in those "Options..." is presented in bold; if that's not now only that "Key to choose the 3rd level" try reset to defaults from there and only setting said "Key to...".

If still not -- seems I can't help. Works here.

[birgersp]

My colleague (also on the same operating system, same version, same keyboard layout) does not have this problem. It probably is a setting somewhere in my system saying that the system should not wait for the next keypress, just immidiately output the accent mark.

[rene]

Dead keys seem to not work for you -- and if all except that "Key to choose the 3rd level" is set to default I would not know why. I'd try adding a new test-user -- sudo adduser test -- and logging out as my regular user and back in as that newly added test user. If still not: not a single clue. If it does work for the new user the half-clue is that something in your user settings is interfering.

sudo deluser --remove-home test later from your regular user account to delete the test user again.

[Drugwash]

There are multiple Norwegian layouts in the Keyboard selection panel, maybe the OP selected the wrong one (the one stating no dead keys).
(screenshot taken in Mint 19.2)

If nothing works there is an older Python script called Keyboard Layout Editor that can create/edit any kind of layout. May be a little complicated and time consuming but should lead to the desired result. Not sure if it'll work on a recent Mint though as it runs under Python2 and requires a few extra dependencies.

Here is a modified version that comprises fixes and improvements from the GitHub users listed below:
Keyboard Layout Editor fixed (direct download)
(This script works only with antlr_python_runtime-3.1.2.tar.gz and antlr-3.1.2.jar)
Please read the README first.

original:
https://github.com/simos/keyboardlayouteditor

forks:
https://github.com/154pinkchairs/keyboardlayouteditor
https://github.com/hupfdule/keyboardlayouteditor
https://github.com/rrika/keyboardlayouteditor
https://github.com/phrxmd/keyboardlayouteditor

[rene]

There are multiple Norwegian layouts in the Keyboard selection panel, maybe the OP selected the wrong one (the one stating no dead keys).

Well, fair point, even if an absolutely atrocious colour scheme. One might expect he'd have noticed, but well -- I have no idea how/why it'd work fine here and not there in any case.

[Drugwash]

an absolutely atrocious colour scheme.

De gustibus non disputandum.

I have no idea how/why it'd work fine here and not there in any case.

Maybe the layout is not correctly marked as missing dead keys or the OP misses something.
Dead keys must be specified as such in the layout scheme, and apparently their scheme doesn't do it.

[birgersp]

Dead keys seem to not work for you -- and if all except that "Key to choose the 3rd level" is set to default I would not know why. I'd try adding a new test-user -- sudo adduser test -- and logging out as my regular user and back in as that newly added test user. If still not: not a single clue. If it does work for the new user the half-clue is that something in your user settings is interfering.

sudo deluser --remove-home test later from your regular user account to delete the test user again.

I tried adding a test user and logged in with it. And the acute e works fine.

What may be a pointer here is that I have this problem on both my home and office computers. On both of them, I am installing various applications for development. Perhaps the most relevant is zshell and oh-my-zsh with (I guess) some special fonts...

Could that be what's causing this? I will try to install it on my test user to see.

[rubelahamed619]

Maybe the layout is not correctly marked as missing dead keys or the OP misses something.
Dead keys must be specified as such in the layout scheme, and apparently their scheme doesn't do it.