X doesn't follow my HAL configuration wrt keyboard layout

English Hardware
1

Hi,

I’m having a hard time configuring my keyboard exactly how I want it. My system is a laptop, either used stand-alone (internal keyboard) or on a docking station with a USB keyboard attached. Both are AZERTY and detected as such by default, they get configured with an average layout.

I want to use another layout, namely “fr-latin9” as found in /usr/share/X11/xkb/rules/base. [From now on I’ll use the docking-station situation as a case study.] So, I add a section to /etc/hal/fdi/policy/20thirdparty/11-keymap.fdi which now reads:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?> <!-- -*- SGML -*- -->
<deviceinfo version="0.2">
  <device>
    <match key="info.capabilities" contains="input.keymap">
      <append key="info.callouts.add" type="strlist">hal-setup-keymap</append>
    </match>

    <match key="info.capabilities" contains="input.keys">
      <merge key="input.xkb.rules" type="string">base</merge>
      <merge key="input.xkb.model" type="string">evdev</merge>
      <merge key="input.xkb.layout" type="string"></merge>
      <merge key="input.xkb.variant" type="string"></merge>
      <merge key="input.xkb.options" type="string"></merge>
    </match>

    <match key="info.product" contains="HID 046a:0023">
      <match key="info.capabilities" contains="input.keyboard">
        <merge key="input.xkb.layout" type="string">fr-latin9</merge>
        <merge key="input.xkb.options" type="string">compose:menu,lv3:ralt_switch,altwin:meta_win,caps:internal,nbsp:level2</merge>
      </match>
    </match>

  </device>
</deviceinfo>

The 's are correct to refer to the USB keyboard. Here’s the relevant lshal output:

udi = '/org/freedesktop/Hal/devices/usb_device_46a_23_noserial_if0_logicaldev_input'
  info.addons.singleton = {'hald-addon-input'} (string list)
  info.capabilities = {'input', 'input.keyboard', 'input.keypad', 'input.keys', 'button'} (string list)
  info.category = 'input'  (string)
  info.parent = '/org/freedesktop/Hal/devices/usb_device_46a_23_noserial_if0'  (string)
  info.product = 'HID 046a:0023'  (string)
  info.subsystem = 'input'  (string)
  info.udi = '/org/freedesktop/Hal/devices/usb_device_46a_23_noserial_if0_logicaldev_input'  (string)
  input.device = '/dev/input/event2'  (string)
  input.originating_device = '/org/freedesktop/Hal/devices/usb_device_46a_23_noserial_if0'  (string)
  input.product = 'HID 046a:0023'  (string)
  input.x11_driver = 'evdev'  (string)
  input.xkb.layout = 'fr-latin9'  (string)
  input.xkb.model = 'evdev'  (string)
  input.xkb.options = 'compose:menu,lv3:ralt_switch,altwin:meta_win,caps:internal,nbsp:level2'  (string)
  input.xkb.rules = 'base'  (string)
  input.xkb.variant = ''  (string)
  linux.device_file = '/dev/input/event2'  (string)
  linux.hotplug_type = 2  (0x2)  (int)
  linux.subsystem = 'input'  (string)
  linux.sysfs_path = '/sys/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1a.7/usb1/1-2/1-2.3/1-2.3:1.0/input/input2/event2'  (string)

Now for the relevant part of /var/log/Xorg.0.log:

(II) config/hal: Adding input device HID 046a:0023
(**) HID 046a:0023: always reports core events
(**) HID 046a:0023: Device: "/dev/input/event2"
(II) HID 046a:0023: Found keys
(II) HID 046a:0023: Configuring as keyboard
(II) XINPUT: Adding extended input device "HID 046a:0023" (type: KEYBOARD)
(**) Option "xkb_rules" "evdev"
(**) Option "xkb_model" "evdev"
(**) Option "xkb_layout" "fr-latin9"
(**) Option "xkb_options" "compose:menu,lv3:ralt_switch,altwin:meta_win,caps:internal,nbsp:level2"
(II) XKB: reuse xkmfile /var/lib/xkb/compiled/server-AEAEDB693AFCEE21E4448DEE6BD5A4D075230E5E.xkm

Then at two places there’s a block of messages about reopening each input device:

(II) HID 046a:0023: Device reopened after 1 attempts.

This all sounds good BUT I don’t get the desired layout (fr-latin9 should give specific AltGr combinations, and the options should map e.g. Menu to Compose and the Win keys to Meta).

Now, if I unplug the keyboard and plug it back, I get the wanted layout! (But I’m not going to do this each time I boot on the docking station (or what’s the use of the station?), and I can’t do that with the internal keyboard rotfl! which suffers the same problem!) This procedure changes only the last line of lshal output:

  linux.sysfs_path = '/sys/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1a.7/usb1/1-2/1-2.3/1-2.3:1.0/input/input13/event2'  (string)

and produces these messages in /var/log/Xorg.0.log:

(II) config/hal: removing device HID 046a:0023
(II) HID 046a:0023: Close
(II) UnloadModule: "evdev"
(II) config/hal: Adding input device HID 046a:0023
(**) HID 046a:0023: always reports core events
(**) HID 046a:0023: Device: "/dev/input/event2"
(II) HID 046a:0023: Found keys
(II) HID 046a:0023: Configuring as keyboard
(II) XINPUT: Adding extended input device "HID 046a:0023" (type: KEYBOARD)
(**) Option "xkb_rules" "evdev"
(**) Option "xkb_model" "evdev"
(**) Option "xkb_layout" "fr-latin9"
(**) Option "xkb_options" "compose:menu,lv3:ralt_switch,altwin:meta_win,caps:internal,nbsp:level2"
(II) XKB: reuse xkmfile /var/lib/xkb/compiled/server-AEAEDB693AFCEE21E4448DEE6BD5A4D075230E5E.xkm

and these in /var/log/messages:

Jan 19 14:55:55 coulomb kernel: [19898.534134] /usr/src/packages/BUILD/kernel-desktop-2.6.31.8/linux-2.6.31/drivers/hid/usbhid/hid-core.c: can't reset device, 0000:00:1a.7-2.3/input0, status -71
Jan 19 14:55:55 coulomb kernel: [19898.534219] usb 1-2: clear tt 3 (0030) error -32
Jan 19 14:55:55 coulomb kernel: [19898.542492] /usr/src/packages/BUILD/kernel-desktop-2.6.31.8/linux-2.6.31/drivers/hid/usbhid/hid-core.c: can't reset device, 0000:00:1a.7-2.3/input0, status -71
Jan 19 14:55:55 coulomb kernel: [19898.542696] usb 1-2: clear tt 3 (0030) error -32
Jan 19 14:55:55 coulomb kernel: [19898.689338] usb 1-2.3: USB disconnect, address 3
Jan 19 14:55:55 coulomb kernel: [19898.689402] /usr/src/packages/BUILD/kernel-desktop-2.6.31.8/linux-2.6.31/drivers/hid/usbhid/hid-core.c: can't reset device, 0000:00:1a.7-2.3/input0, status -108
Jan 19 14:56:05 coulomb kernel: [19908.071220] usb 1-2.3: new low speed USB device using ehci_hcd and address 5
Jan 19 14:56:05 coulomb kernel: [19908.151213] usb 1-2.3: New USB device found, idVendor=046a, idProduct=0023
Jan 19 14:56:05 coulomb kernel: [19908.151235] usb 1-2.3: New USB device strings: Mfr=0, Product=0, SerialNumber=0
Jan 19 14:56:05 coulomb kernel: [19908.151494] usb 1-2.3: configuration #1 chosen from 1 choice
Jan 19 14:56:05 coulomb kernel: [19908.156430] input: HID 046a:0023 as /devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1a.7/usb1/1-2/1-2.3/1-2.3:1.0/input/input13
Jan 19 14:56:05 coulomb kernel: [19908.156691] cherry 0003:046A:0023.0003: input,hidraw0: USB HID v1.11 Keyboard [HID 046a:0023] on usb-0000:00:1a.7-2.3/input0

Any suggestion?

Thanks.

2

Are you getting the desired effect initially and then, not getting it after some time?
It looks like there is a “USB disconnect” happening (from the /var/log/messages) and then, getting re-connected. Was it behaving correctly before this event?

3

From my experience any reference in xorg.conf to the hardware you are trying to configure through HAL will nullify your HAL configuration.

4

Yes, this is true. If you have xorg.conf, you need to delete or move it out of /etc/X11.

5

Indeed, delete xorg.conf, and, if on KDE4, run systemsettings, Country and Region, set the proper values for the keyboards there. Should make it possible to even change between them.

6

No. The exerpt from /var/log/messages corresponds to the explained procedure: unplugging and plugging back the keyboard. And this procedure precisely make the config work.

7

In reply to #3-5:
Yes, I forgot to mention that my xorg.conf has no settings regarding input devices, of course. (But you give me an idea: I wanted to conform to the standard procedure of configuring HAL rather than X, maybe I should give up and try to enforce my config through xorg.conf. I cannot remember if I already tried this.)

8

I found the culprit: gdm.*It has a tiny option at the bottom to set keyboard layout, thus overriding X settings.

I hate that kind of behaviour.*It could at least use the X setting as a default.

Switched to slim (from the contrib repo).*It’s nice!