Print screen and buggy keyboard shortcuts

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kyrawertho

Print screen and buggy keyboard shortcuts

Post by kyrawertho »

Hello,

I want to be able to use print screen in XFCE.

If I check the keyboard settings, the key is correctly set to run xfce4-screenshooter, which runs fine if I run it from the terminal, but it just won't show when I press the prtsc button.

I tried to re-assign screenshot to ALT+PrtSc, but in this case, it just sets the shortcut to left Alt and doesn't recognize the Print key. I can assign it back to Print only, so the key is recognized, but after assigning it, it still refuses to run the screenshooter. When it was assigned to left Alt, it works perfectly. But of course I don't want to use Alt for this function...

Also, the appfinder (xfce4-appfinder --collapsed) assigned to ALT+F2 is giving issues. If I press it, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't (even after a fresh reboot it randomly does or doesn't work).

And finally, the start menu also doesn't like my keyboard. If I open the start menu with the Windows key, I'm not able to type anything in the search bar – the focus remains on whichever window is open in the back. If I open the menu by clicking on it, this doesn't happen.

What can I do?
Last edited by LockBot on Wed Dec 28, 2022 7:16 am, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: Topic automatically closed 6 months after creation. New replies are no longer allowed.
H.Remedy

Re: Print screen and buggy keyboard shortcuts

Post by H.Remedy »

Is this a laptop? From what you describe, it's possible you just have to press the function (Fn) key together with PrtScr or F keys to access them. You may also have a lock/unlock function on the Esc key (or somewhere else?) to be able to use PrtScr and F keys without Fn.

Just a thought, anyway.
jean.jordaan
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Re: Print screen and buggy keyboard shortcuts

Post by jean.jordaan »

I'm running into something similar.
I switched to a new laptop (Dell XPS 15) and new release (18.2, was 17).
Now `Alt-PrtScr` does nothing (it used to work fine).
Just `PrtScr` works fine.
When I tried to play with remapping the keyboard shortcuts in the control panel, `Alt-PrtScr` showed up as `Alt-L`, but still doesn't do anything.

This thread looks relevant: https://askubuntu.com/questions/3182/al ... -to-events

I tried the setting that Oli suggests:

Code: Select all

john@john ~ $ sudo sysctl -a | grep kernel.sysrq
kernel.sysrq = 176
john@john ~ $ sudo sysctl -w kernel.sysrq=0
kernel.sysrq = 0
This allows me to map "Take a screenshot of a window" (back) to `Alt-PrtScr`. But it still doesn't take a screenshot.
jean.jordaan
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Re: Print screen and buggy keyboard shortcuts

Post by jean.jordaan »

Hmm. This is a red herring! Check this out:

Code: Select all

john@john ~ $ gnome-screenshot --window
Segmentation fault
Description of problem: running `gnome-screenshot --window` in a X11 Window Manager other than Gnome Shell (ex: fluxbox) causes a SegFault
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1408518
kyrawertho

Re: Print screen and buggy keyboard shortcuts

Post by kyrawertho »

I posted a reply but it seems to have disappeared..

Anyway, yes, I have a laptop but the PrtSc has its own button – no need for a Fn combination.

sudo sysctl -w kernel.sysrq=0 -> this indeed allows me to assign Alt+PrtSc.

I found that on random times, PrtSc does work, just like Alt+F2 as I mentioned before, but only randomly (it works straight after booting up or it doesn't at all). Right now, I am able to run both the appfinder (Alt+F2) and print screen. At other times, this doesn't work at all. But, strangely, Alt+F3 always works, which also runs appfinder but without --collapsed (default setting).

It's as if something is messing with keyboard shortcuts in the background. Any ideas?

I'm running Mint + XFCE + Compiz and it's a relatively new install.
jean.jordaan
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Re: Print screen and buggy keyboard shortcuts

Post by jean.jordaan »

kyrawertho wrote:I found that on random times, PrtSc does work, just like Alt+F2 as I mentioned before, but only randomly
Does `gnome-screenshot --window` from a terminal work for you?
For me it fails with a segfault, or, just now:

Code: Select all

$ gnome-screenshot -w
*** Error in `gnome-screenshot': free(): invalid next size (normal): 0x000000000222e000 ***
======= Backtrace: =========
/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libc.so.6(+0x777e5)[0x7f544134e7e5]
/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libc.so.6(+0x8037a)[0x7f544135737a]
/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libc.so.6(+0x82d52)[0x7f5441359d52]
...
How can I pick a different application to use for screenshots via keyboard shortcut? `scrot -u` works fine.
kyrawertho

Re: Print screen and buggy keyboard shortcuts

Post by kyrawertho »

I don't have gnome-screenshot installed, but if I assign PrtSc to another action, it doesn't make a difference.
MtnDewManiac
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Location: United States

Re: Print screen and buggy keyboard shortcuts

Post by MtnDewManiac »

jean.jordaan wrote:Hmm. This is a red herring! Check this out:

Code: Select all

john@john ~ $ gnome-screenshot --window
Segmentation fault
Description of problem: running `gnome-screenshot --window` in a X11 Window Manager other than Gnome Shell (ex: fluxbox) causes a SegFault
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1408518
Try xfce-screenshooter. It works in non-GNOME DEs (at least one of them ;) ). With it, you can copy the screenshot to the clipboard, open it with the application of your choice (presumably an image editor), upload the image to ZimageZ, or upload it to Imgur. But it won't actually PRINT the screen :( .
Mint 18 Xfce 4.12.

If guns kill people, then pencils misspell words, cars make people drive drunk, and spoons made Rosie O'Donnell fat.
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